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Rainbow Alliance (Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.))

 Organization

Dates

  • Existence: 2002    

Biography

Rainbow Alliance is a student-run organization of Northwestern University and operates as "Northwestern’s undergraduate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual, intersex, and ally group" (Rainbow Alliance website, accessed October 26, 2021). Its mission statement is “to create a safe space; to encourage personal development for people of all genders, sexualities, and gender expressions; to promote awareness, understanding, and dialogue on issues surrounding gender, sexuality, and gender expression in the Northwestern community; to provide a supportive and fun social environment that creates a sense of community; to fight homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, heterosexism, and genderism; to provide student support and contribution to the Genderqueer, Non-Binary, Transgender Task Force (GQNBT Task Force); to collaborate with and support other Northwestern LGBTQIA groups and organizations, including, but not limited to: QPGSA, OUTLaw, Pride@Kellogg, and Northwestern University Pride Alumni Club (NUPAC); and to plan specific outreach programming for the ally community” (Wildcat Connection website, accessed October 26, 2021).

The organization has operated under multiple names, beginning in 1970 as the Gay Liberation Union, then the Gay Union. In the late 1970s it was renamed Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA) and during the 1991/1992 school year renamed Bisexual, Gay, and Lesbian Alliance (BGALA). In 2002, board members voted to adopt the current name, Rainbow Alliance.

Sources consulted: https://sites.northwestern.edu/rainbow/, https://northwestern.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/rainbowalliance.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Records of Rainbow Alliance

 Collection
Identifier: 30/21
Abstract

The Records of Rainbow Alliance comprise 7 boxes and include event planning, financial, administrative, promotional, educational files and materials, and 218 megabytes of born-digital video.

Dates: 1970-2012, undated