1982, January 18 (Monday) * Wilfrid Laurier University: WLU Gay Group Refused Club Status

On p.3 of the Imprint, Vol.4, No.25, 1982, January 29 (Friday), there was a news report entitled “Laurier council bars gays from club status”, describing the refusal on 1982, January 18, Monday by the WLU student council to grant club status to the informal gay group at WLU. The report indicated that some members felt that granting the group club status (thereby allowing them to use campus facilities) would be in conlict with the “Lutheran tradition”; they also cited “the fear of persecution of club members by non-gays” (as if they were not already doing that themselves). Some council members also suggested that the group would simply function as a sexual pick-up venue, to which the gay representatives replied that it would be a support group. The report also included the following information. “Campus gays have been lobbying for club status for some time. Earlier this year, members of an informal gay group on campus applied for club status to the campus operations management board, which usually deals with such matters. Unable to reach a consensus, the board referred the issue to council.” Council's vote, by secret ballot, was 11 to 3 against accepting the application. The gay representatives were undeterred: “The gay representatives told council members they would lobby the new council when they take office mid-February.” They went on to say that a conservative campus like WLU needed a group to raise awareness on the matter.
[source: Imprint, Vol.4, No.25, 1982, January 29 (Friday), p.3.]

1982, June 26 (Saturday) * Gays of Wilfrid Laurier University: Officially Recognized

In an enumeration of highlights from 1982 (GLOW News: January 1983, No. 2, pp.1-2), we read: “Gays of Wilfrid Laurier University is officially recognized as a student club after refusal of their application in the spring.”
[source: GLOW News, January 1983, No. 2, p.2.]

On p.[3] of PTCC, 1992, January, in an article entitled “Wilfred Laurier Starts Own Group for Gays” by Gary Van Lingen, we read that this early group “disbanded under various pressures in late 1985.”
[source: PTCC, 1992, January, p.[3].]

1992, January * Gays, Lesbians or Bisexuals at Laurier (GLOBAL) Initial Work

On p.[3] of PTCC, 1992, January, in an article entitled “Wilfred Laurier Starts Own Group for Gays” by Gary Van Lingen, we read that there were plans to start up a new group at WLU to replace the earlier group “disbanded under various pressures in late 1985.”
[source: PTCC, 1992, January, p.[3].]

1992, January * GLOBAL: The Beginnings

An article by Feaz Rahim, on p.3 of the March 1992 Issue of the Pink Triangle Community Calendar, began: “On February 6, Peter J. Dillon, U of W Geography student and GLLOW member, addressed a sociology class at Wilfrid Laurier University on the topics of homophobia and being gay.” Towards the end of this article was the statement: “Dillon's speech at Laurier, however, comes at a critical time because in the last couple of weeks there has been a concentrated effort to set up a gay and lesbian association there.” This would place the beginnings of GLOBAL around late January, 1992. [It would be some time before the group was actually set up.]
[source: Pink Triangle Community Calendar, March 1992 Issue, p.3.]

1992, April * GLOBAL: Plans for September

An article by Gary Van Lingen, on p.1 of the April 1992 Issue of the Pink Triangle Community Calendar, discussed work being done to set up the new group, and included the following statement; “Presently, the gay/ lesbian/ bisexual student's group at Laurier are making plans for September.”
[source: Pink Triangle Community Calendar, April 1992 Issue, p.1.]

1993, March * Gays, Lesbians or Bisexuals at Laurier (GLOBAL) Started Formally

Gays, Lesbians or Bisexuals at Laurier (GLOBAL) formed according to information from Nigel Flear. We do not have a print reference to this - we may have to look in the student newspaper.
[source: Nigel Flear.]

1998 or 1999 * Gays, Lesbians or Bisexuals at Laurier (GLOBAL) Shut Down

According to a note from Nigel Flear, Gays, Lesbians or Bisexuals at Laurier (GLOBAL) lasted until about 1998. We have, however, found it listed in the 1999 tri-Pride directory. Again we may need to look in the student newspaper.
[source: Nigel Flear.]

2000, September * Gays, Lesbians or Bisexuals at Laurier (GLOBAL) Started Up Again

The first meeting of the resurrected GLOBAL group at Laurier took place. It appears that this WLU organization was replaced some time prior to September 2006 by the WLU Rainbow Centre, a support service under the auspices of WLU.
[Source: We lack a printed source for this information.]