Focused on Fun and Community

By Jason Prokowiew

The state of MA is the first in the nation to allow gay marriages, and while the students in Fitchburg State College’s One-in-Ten and Friends gay, lesbian bisexual, transgender and allies group are thrilled with the decision, it is certainly not the focus of this 30-member strong organization.

“Our students are so young,” Fitchburg State Interim Director of Student Activities and advisor to One-in-Ten and Friends Shane Franzen said. “A lot of them are not thinking ‘let’s run out and get married’ right now. It’s still nice to know that option is there.”

Instead, they’ve been busy preparing for the annual drag show that features Boston performers Diamond Dunhill, Mahogany Brown, Jujube and Chris Knievel.

In addition to the second-annual Drag Show, this year called Mid-Winter Night’s Queen (with all proceeds benefitting Aids Project Worcester), the club is putting together a dance party for closer to the end of the year to “…celebrate people’s lives,” Franzen said.

Last fall, One-in-Ten teamed up with the college’s Theatre Club to bring Rocky Horror Picture Show to the campus; the production drew a 180-person audience from the college’s 4000 students.

But it’s not all dancing, shows and drag for One-in-Ten, Franzen points out.

“We participate in Stop the Hate Week,” he explains. “Students posted statistics around campus about hate crimes against gays and lesbians and other minorities.”

In the past, the students also sponsored a block of The AIDS Memorial Quilt; each twelve foot square block consists of eight individual three foot by six foot panels sewn together, each square memorializing the life of a person lost to AIDS.

“On the whole,” Franzen says, “The club is not very political.”

Still, in the six years since Franzen became advisor, he’s witnessed a shift in the students as well as within One-in-Ten’s role in campus life.

“At first we were a weekly meeting in the basement of one of the buildings on campus. We were locked away. Over time the campus has become friendlier to the students, and they’ve come out more. They’re sponsoring more, they’re doing more.”

The right to marry in MA, Franzen said, could only help the students feel more welcome.

“To tell you the truth, Fitchburg State is a very safe and open-minded campus,” Franzen said. “Students might occasionally get things shouted at them, but 90% of the time they’re busy being a celebratory group.”

So just like their straight peers, the students are busy having a good time, planning parties, making friends and dancing.

That smacks of equality.