Wheeler-Richardson cluster Area Coordinator and Dartmouth Area Gay Lesbian and Bisexual Organization co-Chair Earl Plante '94 said he works hard to improve the College and himself.
Plante has been at the center of a number of campus issues this term like the request for an administrator to handlegay, lesbian and bisexual concerns and the recent dialogue regarding the anti-gay flier mailed to DaGLO.
"I like working with administrators," he said of his position as an AC and as DaGLO co-Chair. "Most of the things I get done are behind the scenes."
Religion Professor Susan Ackerman, co-convener of the Coalition of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Concerns said Plante puts considerable time and effort into his work for DaGLO.
"I think Earl is impressive in his dedication of innumerable hours to what he does," said. "He is pleasant and easy to work with."
Librarian John Crane, the other co-convener of the Coalition of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Concerns, described Plante as energetic.
"I just find Earl to be a very open person with lots of energy to pursue lots of different activities," Crane said.
"He is very courageous and that impresses me a lot," Crane added.
Dean of the College Lee Pelton agreed with Crane's sentiment.
"I know that his coming out was a decision that he gave a lot of thought to," Pelton said. "That represented a whole lot of courage on his part."
Pelton also praised Plante's handling of the recent incident with a hateful flier as "wise and mature."
Plante, a history major who will graduate this year, plans to attend law school and eventually practice law in New York City, where he spent a year off from Dartmouth working at the Lambda Legal Defense Fund, a law firm that fights for homosexual rights.
At Dartmouth, Plante has been a very active member of the community.
"I've done almost everything on this campus," Plante said. He has been president of the Young Democrats of Dartmouth, vice-president of the Afro-American Society at Dartmouth, an intern for the Democratic National Committee and a campaign coordinator for both President Bill Clinton and former New Hampshire Senator Dick Swett.
In addition, he has served on the Committee on Standards, the Undergraduate Finance Committee and the Councils on Student Life and Organizations.
"I really love meeting people and getting involved," he said.Originally from San Bernandino, Calif., Plante began openly admitting his homosexuality during his sophomore year.
Plante said he remembers the day he came out well; Aug. 26, 1993, the day after he participated in the march on Washington, D.C., for gay rights.
"Before coming out I felt like the whole world was crashing in," he said. "But the difference has been like night and day."
An only child, Plante's father passed away when Plante was five years old. Although his mother never remarried, she had a boyfriend who served as a "pseudo-father," Plante said.
"I knew I was different when I was five or six," he said. "But I didn't know how until the seventh grade. That was when I was first attracted to another male classmate."
After that, he tried to suppress his feelings, Plante said. In high school, he said he played the conventional role of the average male. He was student body president and had a girlfriend for two years, who he is still friends with today.
Since coming out of the closet, he said all aspects of his life have improved. He said he feels more comfortable with himself and has become closer to his friends.
"It makes it easier. I can be open and honest if I'm involved with someone," he said. "I used to have to lie and that was very difficult for me. I really value honesty and integrity. That was the main reason why I had to come out."
Although he said he felt awkward at first, Plante now feels completely at ease with his open homosexuality.
Plante said his coming out was initially difficult for his parents. They were shocked and went through several emotional stages, Plante said.
"First was denial, then anger, guilt, self-reproach, then finally acceptance," he said. "In essence, my parents had to come out to me."
But after the initial surprise, he said both his parents and heterosexual friends were very supportive, including Plante's best friend, a heterosexual Mormon who had to reconcile his family's religious disagreements with homosexuality,
"I have been very lucky," he said. He said he knows other homosexuals who have been treated badly or disowned by their families and friends.
"I haven't had a bad experience to date with anyone I've told," Plante said.
But Plante said more work needs to be done on the Dartmouth campus to increase the acceptance of homosexuals and bisexuals.
"The Dartmouth campus is not that accepting," he said. "Gay people are not truly respected or acknowledged as a viable group on campus."
He said homosexuals and bisexuals still feel isolated from the Dartmouth community.
"We feel that we're fundamentally not getting dignity and respect like everyone else," Plante said. "Certain conservative groups on campus take any opportunity to single us out and denigrate anything we try to do to improve the live of gay people on campus."
Some groups, such as the Conservative Union at Dartmouth, call into question the very existence of homosexuals, according to Plante.
Plante said during his time as co-chair of DaGLO, the group has "been trying to address that situation with dances, parties, meetings, and speakers" including road shows featuring informative videos and discussions aimed at informing people about homosexual and bisexual rights.
All the coed houses and several sororities have held a DaGLO road show, but no fraternities have yet hosted one, Plante said.
But, he said, "I'm really not dead set against the Greeks." Although the fraternities have some problems with homosexuals that they need to address, he said only a few really contribute to homophobia on campus.
He said he was pleased that Sigma Nu fraternity has begun to talk to DaGLO about holding a road show during spring term.
"That's a first step," Plante said. "At Dartmouth, things move slowly."
