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Dear Friends and Community Members:
My name is Doug Seubert,
I live in Marshfield, Wisconsin, and I am gay. I knew I was gay by the time I reached age 15, but I had no one to talk to,
no where to turn for answers to the questions I had, and I knew no one who I thought could ever understand me. I have spent
most of my life feeling isolated, feeling different, feeling lost. I could accept myself, but knew that others would not accept
me. I knew how most people felt about homosexuality. I learned from my family, my church, and the media. I was constantly
being taught that being gay was wrong, it was a sin, it was a sickness. But even at this young age I knew that being gay was
also "being me", and I knew I was a good person. It was a contradiction I could not justify. So I did what I thought was best:
I buried my true identity, denied it, kept it hidden. I played by the rules, dated girls, and tried to live the way I was
told I had to live, even though I was living a lie. This continued through high school and into college until I came out and
stopped living that lie. It was then that I personally experienced how prejudice, misunderstanding and fear can be used as
excuses to hate and reasons to falsely accuse. The common social mentality equates being gay with being a militant political
protestor, a drag queen, a promiscuous sexual deviant, a child molester. There is no room for distinctions or exceptions.
Living and working in Marshfield as a gay individual was never easy, and it remains that way today.
I have lived and
worked in Milwaukee and Chicago and, in these bigger cities, there is abundant support and tolerance for people like me. It
was great to have a place to go and meet people whom I shared so much in common with. I even got involved as a volunteer with
Horizon Community Center, the Mid-Wests largest non-profit organization serving the gay and lesbian community. While I enjoyed
my time in Chicago and found the support I needed, it wasnt home for me. Marshfield is where I was born and raised, where
my family is, and where I choose to live. But on returning here, I found myself being pushed back into isolation. Once again
I felt alone without any significant options for support. When I started researching what was available in Marshfield, I was
deeply frustrated and disappointed with what I found.
Within our community there is one support agency--The Marshfield
Gay Lesbian Organization (MGLO), a small but brave group of individuals who meet in each others homes for potluck dinners
and movie nights. It is a wonderful opportunity for support but, in our community, more should and could be offered. I was
able to locate a Gay/Straight Alliance at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and another Alliance at the UW-Extension
in Marathon County. Wausau also has a local PFLAG chapter (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). I checked
with the University of Wisconsin-Marshfield/Wood County and the Mid-State Technical College in Marshfield and was told that
neither school currently have gay/lesbian student organizations or support groups. I even called Marshfield Senior High School.
A guidance counselor told me no student organizations or support groups exist there either. When I asked him what the school
does when a student requests information or support regarding issues of sexual orientation, I was informed that the student
is referred to the Psychiatry Department of Marshfield Clinic. I called the clinic, inquiring about their services and was
told that they offer no support groups, only individual counseling. Even though the American Psychological Association removed
homosexuality from its list of disorders in 1975, the opinion still exists in our community, and much of society, that being
gay is a psychological problem or sickness requiring treatment and counseling at a clinic. It is time that this opinion changes.
The community deserves more appropriate options.
My research also took me to the Marshfield Public Library where I
found a small collection of books and resources relating to homosexuality and gay issues. One book in particular caught my
attention--"Losing Matt Shepard: Life and Politics in the Aftermath of Gay Murder" (Beth Loffreda, Columbia University Press,
2000). Its a short (less than 200 pages) book, but it spoke volumes to me. It concerns the death of Matt Shepard, an openly
gay University of Wyoming Student who was murdered because he was gay, and the effect it had on the small community of Laramie,
the State of Wyoming, the country and the world. The first thing that struck me was the similarities between Laramie and Marshfield:
the isolation, prejudice, lack of significant support for gays and lesbians. What moved me most, however, was the bravery,
courage and determination of the people who decided to do something about itforming organizations and alliances advocating
for equal rights and hate crimes legislation, and reaching out to each other to form a network of support to begin a healing
process that still continues today. Another thing that struck me was the date: I was reading this book one week before the
third anniversary of Matt Shepards death. All of these things pushed me into action.
It is now with pride that I announce
the founding of a new community organization in Marshfield called The Safe Zone Foundation, serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgendered community of Marshfield and the Central Wisconsin area. SAFE ZONE provides access to information and health
education, opportunities for personal growth, possibilities for social interaction, and a platform to discuss concerns and
take action on issues affecting the LGBT community. This organization was officially created on October 12, 2001, the exact
date of the third anniversary of Matt Shepards death, with a simple web page declaring the organizations existence and listing
an email address individuals can write to for more information. This is more than just a symbolic gesture to commemorate the
life and death of one individualit is a testimony to a new way of life for myself, the LGBT community of Marshfield and Central
Wisconsin, and for any person or group who exists in isolation, without acceptance or support, because they are seen as different
from the rest of society.
In the past few weeks, many things have been put into motion, including the development
of the Safe Zone Community Coalition and the organizations Board of Directors. We have filed for status as a tax-exempt, non-profit
organization and soon plan to open Heiden House, a community center in Marshfield. The foundation also created the Center
for Outreach, Prevention and Education (COPE) and the Community Services Alliance, a referral network of local, state and
federal agencies. COPE will also house a library for research and education. Our programs will extend to all members of the
community, regardless or sexual orientation, and include Community Building, Health Education Services, Youth Services (including
support groups and a program called Safe Schools for All), Equal Rights Education and Legal Assistance, and a Public Awareness
Campaign. SAFE ZONE has drafted a Statement of Purpose describing the organizations mission and description of programs and
services. It is available for anyone seeking more information about the organization.
SAFE ZONE has already received
strong support from private foundations and corporations willing to assist with funding. SAFE ZONE will not request or accept
funding from local, state or federal government agencies, and will remain an independent, privately-funded, non-profit, community-based
organization.
SAFE ZONE does, however, seek support from the community; and much support has already been given to
the organization by individuals, agencies and organizations in Marshfield and Central Wisconsin. While we are prepared to
face some opposition and criticism, SAFE ZONE and its supporters hope it will be minimal. There is enough ignorance, prejudice,
anger and hatred. What our world, and what our community needs, is more understanding, more tolerance and acceptance, and
more peace.
Doug Seubert, Founder
The Safe Zone Foundation
(October, 2001)
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