Lindsay Brown started her career working with LBGTQ youth like a lot of people start their respective careers: with an internship. Then, after graduating with an MBA in Social Work, she became the program manager of a burgeoning LGBTQ program, which gave her the unique opportunity to “provide a place for young LGBTQ folks to be themselves and also grow a program from scratch.”
Now she works for OSU, as the Coordinator of Women’s and LGBTQ Affairs and the faculty advisor for Women’s Programming Advisory Council, OSQ&A and Minority Women’s Association. As Coordinator, she works to make social connections and support female and LGBTQ students that choose to attend OSU. “When students don’t feel as if they belong, they will not be as engaged with their campus environment and while their grades may or may not suffer, their wellbeing definitely will,” she says. “So when I have students who seem a little lost and unsure of where they fit in, I try to find ways to get them engaged on-campus, whether it be attending meetings or serving on committees within an organization. We all feel a little lost sometimes and that’s ok. It’s important that we realize that there’s a place for everyone and we just need to find that place.”
When it comes to students currently at OSU, Lindsay is optimistic about the LGBTQ community and their allies. “I think that students will be increasingly aware and supportive of other members within the LGBTQ+ community and that we will see more allies at OSU both within and outside of the queer community. The trend throughout the country is that younger people, even within conservative communities, are more supportive of LGBTQ+ people and their rights than previous generations.”
Lindsay originally hails from Miami, Florida, but moving to Stillwater hasn’t been all that much of a culture shock. Besides learning how to deal with all of the spiders. “Most of my life I have been deathly afraid of spiders but less so after moving to Oklahoma. Exposure therapy works, folks.”
If you are ever feeling lost, or out of place, or discriminated against, Lindsay Brown is a wonderful listener and a great person to talk to, and not just because it’s her job. You can find her in her office in 240 Student Union.