Run Back in Time

Yesterda morning Mark and I were in Bloomington, IN - home of Indiana University, and my home in the mid to late 80s. We were in Bloomington to celebrate my birthday. Being in Bloomington was a step back in time, and I wanted to go on a run which meant something to me. Mark and I headed towards campus.

Running towards the campus center, we passed IU's Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgernder Student Support Services Office - http://www.indiana.edu/~glbt/ In 1988 I was elected president of OUT, a fledgling LGBT student group. My election always surprised me, because I had only attended 3 meetings, and now I was in charge. YIKES! My election kicked me into the world of activism. In addition to to being OUT president, I would chair the committee which brought the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt to Indiana for the first time, and I briefly served in student government as head of LGBT concerns.

From 1988 - 1990, my goal was to make sure gays and lesbians were a part of the university's community. We successfully got sexual orientation into the schools code of student ethics and anti-discriminatory policies. We created pride week. We created Miss GAY IU, a fun drag contest/fundraiser. We fought the military's anti-gay policies. We also wanted an office where gays and lesbians could go to for resources, support, meeting spaces, etc.

A day earlier, Mark and I toured the office, and it was emotional for me as I saw one of our goals turned into a reality. One of the director's of the center was so nice and talked with me. She made a point of telling me, "Without you, this would not be a reality." That is very nice of her to say, but it was the work of efforts of me, and the people who succeeded me, who made that center a reality. Running by the office gave me a sense of pride, and some emotion.

We continued on our run and did a lap around the fountain which is in front of the Fine Arts School, the IU Auditorium and the Lilly Library. My best memory of that area is when the campus went nuts over the 1987 IU National Basketball Championship.

From there we headed along the road behind the union. Those who have seen the film "Brealing Away" will recognize it as the seen where Dave is chasing down the girl of his dreams on his bike, and she is on a scooter, all so he can return a dropped notebook to her.

Finally we headed down Kirkwood Ave, a main food/bar area in town. Bars such as Nick's and Kilroy's are legendary to IU grads. It also a cultural center for the town of Bloomington.

All in all we ran 2 miles, but with all the memories, it seemed like a long run back in time.

Charlie