At a school that has had difficulty establishing and maintaining positive relationships with its gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender, queer or questioning (GLBTQ) community, Celso Perez, A&S '09, has been a true agent of change. As he enters his second year as president of the GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC), his contributions to the fostering of a more unified and positive relationship between GLC and the school will continue to grow.
Throughout the past year, Perez's efforts to bridge this gap have been seen in the increased visibility of the GLC on campus. His greatest accomplishment, says Elizabeth Ryan, his co-president for next year and CSON '09, was his creation of the collaborative lecture series "Sexuality and Catholicism: Conversation and Conflict." In his work with the theology department to encourage a positive discussion of sexual virtue through the series, Perez has sent a strong, hopeful message to the administration.
"He is really working to change the atmosphere of BC to be more open and progressive, despite what challenges there are with the administration," Ryan says.
The lecture series proved to be a major success for GLC, garnering an increasing number of audience members with each event and enough of a following in the fall semester to continue the series into the spring.
"In contrast with past administrations, he's done a great job working with BC and not against BC," Ryan says.
In addition to developing this important connection to help move toward a greater environment of acceptance at BC, Perez has worked on a smaller, more individual level to reinvigorate interest and involvement in the GLBTQ community.
This year, for example, he resurrected and improved the GLBTQ alumni reunion in an effort to build the community between generations. Though the turnout may have been relatively small, with around 20 alumni present, it nevertheless was a positive stepping stone for the future. Meeting with those who have experienced BC in the past and present and reflecting on what needs to be done for the future helped the group focus its efforts for the year ahead, Ryan says.
"He's a leader," Ryan says. "That's just who he is. It's part of his personality."
"His style is very inclusive," says Rev. James Keenan, S.J., a close friend of Perez's and a speaker from the Sexuality and Catholicism series. "Most people find him to be a very affirming human being. He makes people feel like they belong."
As a member of various prayer groups on campus along with his work for GLC, Perez has developed a strong sense of the BC community, giving him the knowledge and ability to bridge this divide.
"He comes into my office every day," Keenan says. "He wants to know if we're having the same old arguments or new ones. He wants to make things more positive and more fair in the future."
Invaluable to BC as a whole, Perez's ability to open discussion while meeting both sides' interests has developed a new environment of change.
"Because of him, a lot of discussions have started," Ryan says. "He is definitely a role model for others on campus."
Spring Break
