The LGBTQ Resource Center sponsored the 14th annual Catalyst Awards on Wednesday in Stotler Lounge, honoring individuals who speak up for MU’s LGBTQ community.
The ceremony presented 14 Catalyst Awards to LGBTQ allies, health care providers and other activists.
The Catalyst Awards also concluded MU Pride Month, during which the LGBTQ Resource Center held four to seven events per week, including five events with more than 200 attendees. MU Pride Month’s events included Pride Prom, the Pride Parade and “Queer Monologues,” a play off “The Vagina Monologues” with MU LGBTQ students’ stories performed.
“(The ceremony) is an amazing ending to an amazing month to celebrate our campus,” LGBTQ Resource Center coordinator Struby Struble said.
The Catalyst Awards are important because the recipients have made huge impacts on peoples’ lives, Struble said.
Bryan Vandevender received the first award for his work as the director of “Queer Monologues” for three years.
MU Women’s Center coordinator Suzy Day awarded Delta Chi the second Catalyst Award of the night for the progression it has made in accepting LGBTQ brothers into the chapter.
“This award is not to say, ‘Stop. You’re perfect,’” Day said. “It says, ‘You’re on the right track.’”
Student Legal Services coordinator Steve Concannon received a Catalyst Award for collaborating with the LGBTQ Resource Center and leading the Legalizing Our Love event during Pride Month.
“This is an award in human dignity for me,” Concannon said.
Struble said the “transgender” part of “LGBTQ” is usually not recognized, but this year six activists received awards for their work for the transgender community.
Jessica Semler, Erika Patterson and David Tager received Catalyst Awards and Susan Even received the Laura Hacquard Excellence Award for their work on Transgender Network. TNET is a group of health care providers, including psychologists and social workers, who support each other while taking care of transgender people, Even said. Semler initiated the group to improve medical treatment and counseling for transgender people.
Semler worked with the LGBTQ Resource Center to help organize training for the staff and increase awareness and health care for transgender people.
“I feel that this work and the people I get to work with improve my life,” Semler said. “They deserve this (award) more than me. We have an amazing campus and I feel pride.”
Tager, who ran a gender identity support group, thanked the work done before TNET that laid the groundwork for him and his colleagues.
“Suddenly, people were open to what we were suggesting,” Tager said. “It’s a team effort, building on other people’s efforts.”
Even earned the Laura Hacquard Excellence Award because she worked to make the Student Health Center support LGBTQ patients.
Even’s accomplishment of increasing insurance benefits for transgender health care made her a catalyst in her own sphere of influence, Hacquard said. Hacquard joked MU is the first school in the Southeastern Conference to cover health care for transgender services.
“I feel pretty humble about it,” Even said. “Really, it’s the students who are the center of our work.”
In her closing remarks, Struble said she wishes she could give awards to everyone for their amazing work.
“It’s an honor to say ‘thank you’ to people who support LGBTQ work on campus,” Struble said.