Well here it is. I have to edit it and send it back, so look at my quotes in the article and let me know if you think i need to change/edit them!
-Kaston
As a psychology major, University of North Texas student Kaston Kolbachinski wanted to take as many courses as possible to help her understand the diverse populations that she would encounter as a professional — including those with various sexual orientations.
Kolbachinski received that knowledge by taking courses toward a minor in study of sexualities. When she receives her bachelor’s degree in psychology Aug. 12, she will also be the first student to receive the minor, which began at UNT in 2003 and is housed in the Department of History.
“Of the three major issues in the U.S. right now — the war in Iraq, abortion and gay marriage — two of them deal with sexuality,” Kolbachinski says. “By taking the minor, I learned how dramatic the problem of sexuality is in our society, how it’s been ignored and how people judge it.”
She says the courses she took for the minor will help her in a job with Planned Parenthood of North Texas. Kolbachinski plans to work full time for the organization for a year before going to graduate school.
“My master’s and doctoral degrees will be in sexology. I want to work in counseling psychology and education,” she says, adding that her “lifelong goal” is to incorporate a comprehensive sex education curriculum into schools.
UNT’s study of sexualities minor is the only undergraduate program of its kind at a Texas college or university. Students must complete 18 academic hours of courses for the minor, including six hours of upper-division courses. The courses range from Race, Gender and the Media, a journalism course; and Sexual Behavior and Psychosocial Issues in HIV/AIDS, both psychology courses; to Gender and Sexuality in the Horror Film, a course taught in the Department of Radio, Television and Film; and Sex and the Renaissance City and The American Feminist Art Movement of the 1970s, both art courses.
In addition to offering courses toward a minor, the study of sexualities program also has a lecture series each fall and spring semester, featuring UNT faculty as well as faculty members from other universities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The study of sexualities program was founded in memory of former Dallas teacher Donald Floyd Baker, the plaintiff in Baker v. Wade. Baker is the brother of longtime Denton resident Maggie Watt, who with her husband Howard established the Donald F. Baker Fund in the Study of Sexualities to support the program.
Baker, a former president of the Dallas Gay Alliance, was asked to resign from the Dallas Independent School District after he became more visible as an activist. Two years after leaving the district, he challenged Texas Penal Code 21.06 in Baker v. Wade, stating that he would continue to engage in private homosexual conduct in violation of the code, but had no intention of doing so in public. He also noted that 21.06 had serious effects upon homosexuals because it made them criminals, and that encouraged police harassment of homosexuals and resulted in discrimination against homosexuals by employers, apartment owners and others.
Buchmeyer ruled in Baker’s favor, noting that 21.06 violated the constitutional right to privacy as well as equal protection of the law. Baker later worked in continuing education for several corporations. He died in 2000.
Dr. Marilyn Morris, UNT associate professor of history and director of the study of sexualities minor, says 13 students will begin taking courses for the minor this fall, and more have expressed interest in the courses. She adds that her Gender and Sexuality in Early Modern Europe course, which is offered every fall for the minor, always has the maximum number of 35 students, although not all have declared a minor in study of sexualities.
“I think this minor is needed because there’s a very large gay community in the Dallas-Fort Worth area who may need the services of counselors and social workers. Many of the students who have expressed interest in the minor are psychology and social work majors, or are interested in theology and women’s studies. They want to learn how to best serve the gay community,” she says.
Morris says that although sexual practices and attitudes have had an impact on politics, social arrangements, artistic creations, and conceptions of the self for centuries, study of sexualities was neglected until the 1970s.
“It was considered taboo to research it and teach about it,” she says. “In my class, we look at sexuality before the words ‘sexual orientation’ existed, when sexuality wasn’t as wrapped up in identities as it is today. The students are always surprised about how multidisciplinary the minor is.”
Joseph Oguntodu, a senior sociology major and 2001 graduate of South Grand Prairie High School, says he considered a minor in religion studies before choosing the study in sexualities minor.
“As a gay man, I wanted to find a minor that related to who I am as a person,” he says. “I think study in sexualities is great for anyone who may be struggling with who they are, or if they have a gay or lesbian brother, sister or friend that they would like to better understand.”
After graduating in May, Oguntodu plans to work for a nonprofit organization, such as Lambda Legal, Planned Parenthood or the AIDS Resource Center of Dallas.
“I hope the minor will help to open doors for me,” he says. “Even though not all of the classes covered GLBT issues or talked about HIV and AIDS, I learned something from all of them, and I’m grateful that I took them.”
