title: (In)visibility in lesbian and gay student organizing: the case of gay student services.
abstract: Drawing on newspaper, movement correspondence, and interview data, I examine the (in)visibility of a lesbian and gay student group, Gay Student Services (GSS), in a hostile university campus in Texas from the mid-1970s through the 1980s. GSS formed to create a safe space for sexual minorities at Texas A&M University (TAMU) and asked university officials to recognize the group officially. TAMU's resistance to their request forced GSS to file a lawsuit to achieve recognition. Using interviews with past members and archival data, such as newspapers and movement correspondence, I examine how GSS utilized (in)visibility to navigate the hostile environment. By controlling their (in)visibility, GSS members protected the organization from scrutiny and protect members' safety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA. avaserfi@neo.tamu.edu
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vaserfirer
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011287:Prejudice; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D013781:Texas; D014495:Universities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration