Erin Green – University of Montevallo student, President of Spectrum, an LGBTQIA+ campus group, Pro Non-Discrimination Ordinance
Erin Green is a student at the University of Montevallo studying English. He is the President of Spectrum, an LGBTQIA+ campus group. His interests are in LGBTQIA+ young adult novels. He does research at the University of Montevallo on Black queer studies.
- Tell us about yourself. What is your name? How do you self-identify? What are your pronouns? What is your connections to the City of Montevallo or the University of Montevallo?
[My name is] Erin Green. I am a college student. [My pronouns are] he/him, maybe they/them. I attend the University of Montevallo.
2. What does the community of Montevallo mean to you? How would you describe it?
It’s open-minded, friendly, warm, nice. So, I obviously wanted to get far away from my parents as possible after graduating high school, and coming here allowed me to do so. I was able to truly transform into the person I actually was. I did not act all [that way] in high school. It was just a cover-up. This community has allowed me to flourish as the person I am.
3. What is your role in the community?
I guess being a resource for students. I don’t actually get involved in most of the city stuff in Montevallo, even though I am a resident now since I moved off campus into an apartment. I don’t really know of any student [resources] in the city, but I went to the resources on campus that I was able to go to for being gay, for being black, and for being an atheist, just like a freshman college student.
4. When did you first learn of the proposal for a non-discrimination ordinance?
I had a professor tell me because I was the president of Spectrum at the time. She said, “I want you to bring your entire student organization to the meeting because Montevallo needs an NDO. We need student input because there is going to be a lot of older people there and we need to show that Montevallo has a large LGBTQIA+ population.
5. What was your initial perception of non-discrimination ordinance?
I was very happy that Montevallo was having this proposal. I was not really shocked that there were not already restrictions on housing and employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. I was actually proud of going forth and trying to do this. I was kind of taken aback at how many homophobic people live in this city. It was really scary. I cried because many of them said hurtful things.
6. How was your role in the community crucial to your participation in forums, panels, and/or community discussions regarding the non-discrimination ordinance?
People put me in charge of getting the maximum amount of students. It pretty much was an ordinance for LGBT people, and I was the president of the LGBT group on campus. Even the students who live on campus are still residents of this place because we spend most of our time here and work here too, so they should not be discriminated against based on their sexuality. I had to make sure I was maximizing the students’ voices, because majority of the students supported the ordinance.
7. Question number 7 was redacted due to sensitive information provided by the interviewee.
8. Did your personal beliefs or identities influence your advocacy for or against the non-discrimination ordinance?
At the time, I was not employed here or an official resident, but I knew eventually that I wanted to become a resident and work here. I didn’t want to not get housing because I am gay, or not have a job.
9. Did you have any experiences prior to the creation of the non-discrimination ordinance which prompted your advocacy for or against the non-discrimination ordinance?
Besides being the president of Spectrum, I attended this LGBT leadership and advocacy workshop with other LGBT college students in Alabama. We met up at the Magic City Acceptance Center and did club activities. We talked about policies and how to be an activist in your city and on your campus. It was more so to change school policies, but some of it could have very well lead into community activism.
10. Do you feel that the city government involvement in moderating forums, panels, and discussions among the community provided everyone an equal opportunity to express their opinions or beliefs?
For the most part, yes. I forgot there was one panel for the people who were strictly against it.
11. How do you feel that the community has been impacted by the passage of the non-discrimination ordinance?
I honestly think nothing has changed. I think everyone was afraid that as soon as it was going to pass that a bunch of [stuff] was going to change. To my knowledge, nothing has changed, except for the fact that if I am fired from a job or denied housing for being gay then I have protection.
12. Where do you see the City of Montevallo in the next five to ten years in regards to the enactment of the non-discrimination ordinance?
Hopefully a little bit less homophobic.
This interview was conducted by Lillian Rouse with Erin Green on the bottom floor of the Carmichael Library at the University of Montevallo on March 1st, 2019 at 11:00 p.m. Transcribed by Kendall Criswell.