A video produced by Iowa State alumna Catherine Green will be featured at “Out on Campus: LGBT Visibility” today at noon in Room 236 of the Memorial Union.

The 20-minute video, which explores the experiences of “out” students on college campuses, will be followed by a discussion of the situation for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community at ISU, Judy Dolphin, executive director of YWCA, said.

“I think that every student wants to feel part of his or her campus, and if you are not ‘straight’ on this campus, sometimes you can feel very uncomfortable, very lonely and sometimes unsafe,” Dolphin said.

The video and discussion will give people an opportunity to address those feelings and issues and gain a greater understanding of LGBT people, she said.

“We have utilized videos in the past, but we’ve never had anything that is specific to students on campuses,” Dolphin said.

Discussion of the video will be led by W. Houston Dougharty, assistant dean of students; Sine Anahita, coordinator of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Student Services; and Reis Pearson, former coordinator of LGBTSS.

Pearson said she will probably touch on “the importance of being aware that life isn’t rosy and sweet for everyone … “

Anahita said she won’t know exactly what she will speak about until she sees the video for the first time today.

She did say she is optimistic that the climate on campus toward LGBT members this year will be better than last year.

She cited increased visibility of the student LGBT organization and the Alliance, as well as increased activities and positive media coverage for this change.

Although she has not seen the video either, Dolphin said she’s looking forward to it.

Pearson said LGBTSS discussed producing a similar video at ISU, with student interviews about their experiences on campus, such as having trouble concentrating in a class because a professor makes homophobic remarks.

Pearson said sometimes “people at ISU are oblivious or don’t want to hear about it.”

Green made the video as her “creative component” for her degree program, in place of a thesis.

The video discusses experiences of students at American University in Washington D.C., the University of Maryland and George Mason University in Virginia.

Dolphin said she encourages everyone to come to “Out on Campus.”

“It’s a good way to find out and ask questions and feel supported,” Dolphin said.