Clubs combine in LGBT community support

The Troy University Documentary Club and the Spectrum Alliance are joining to show support for the LGBT community, with a special showing of the movie “Milk.”

“Milk,” starring Sean Penn, is a movie depicting the life of Harvey Milk, the first openly homosexual politician elected in California.

All students, whether they belong to one of the organizations or not, are invited to attend the event Monday night, Sept. 29.

“In the past we have collaborated with Spectrum, so when I wanted to show ‘Milk,’ I approached them with the idea,” said Nikki DeRidder, a senior English language arts major from Brewton and treasurer of the Documentary Club.

“We think showing ‘Milk’ is important because it is a part of the LGBT rights history and was one of the milestones for equality and visibility of members of our community,” said Jana Wieser, a first-year master of relations from Bremen, Germany. “We still have a long way to go but it’s important to know where we started.”

When asked how they feel about the collaboration, Wieser said, “We are happy that the documentary club has reached out to us and we are looking forward to an amazing event. The Spectrum Alliance is trying to improve the situation for LGBT members on campus, and collaborating with other clubs helps us show that we are not different from anyone else.”

DeRidder said, “I’d seen ‘Milk’ previously and I remembered how hard hitting it was. It was one of those movies that came across as completely fictional, and it is hard to believe that it really happened.”

“We hope to reach people that have not heard of us or maybe just aren’t aware of the issues that the LGBT community still faces,” Wieser said.

DeRidder invited everyone to attend.

“It doesn’t matter where you are from or what you feel about the topic, we want your opinion and would like you to come,” DeRidder said. “We want to teach people something that they didn’t know before.”

The movie will be shown Monday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. in Trojan Center 224.

There is an event on Facebook under the name “Watch Milk With Us!”