History of the UF Division of Student Affairs | Page 91

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and take sworn testimony and often used secret informants who often reported
innocuous activities like observations of people eating lunch together or wearing
flamboyant clothing. Uniformed police were used to pull suspected homosexuals
from classrooms and offices for interrogations. There was much criticism
of the Johns Committee’s reason for existence as well as their investigative
tactics which often disregarded individuals’ civil rights, but the committee was
allowed to continue its investigations through the 1964 publication of its report
Homosexuality and Citizenship in Florida. This controversial publication created
a media backlash related to its graphic descriptions and photographs. The
Florida Legislature stopped publication of the report and eliminated funding for
the committee by 1965. After much pressure related to the state’s public records
law, the Legislature placed a copy of the report in the Florida State Archives with
all names redacted except for those of the committee, committee staff, and
public officials not under investigation mentioned in the report. By this time,
numerous UF faculty and administrators were fired and students were expelled
based on these investigat ions. It would take many years for UF to recover and
move forward from the negative impact of the Johns Committee investigations
of the UF lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
In the 1980s, UF Lesbians and Gays (UFLAG) and the Gay and Lesbian Student
Union (GLSU) formed. These groups formed in the height of the AIDs epidemic
in the U.S. GLSU became a registered student group in 1991. In 1993, GLSU
changed its name to LGBSU, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Student Union. In 2000,
the group became the Pride Student Union.
In 1989, the UF Committee on Sexism and Homophobia formed which became
the Gay Lesbian Bisexual (GLB) Concerns Committee. In 2000, the Gator GayStraight Alliance formed, and faculty/staff formed the Rainbow Alliance. These
groups paved the way for the UF administration to add sexual orientation to the
non-discrimination policy between 2000 – 2002. In 2002, the LBGT Campus
Climate Report was published which lead to the hiring of the first LGBT Affairs
Director within the Dean of Students Office. In 2010, gender identity and gender
expression were added to the UF non-discrimination policy.
LGBT Affairs was a part of the Dean of Students Office. Today LGBT Affairs is
within Multicultural & Diversity Affairs under the Office of the Vice President for
Student Affairs.

Depa rtment histor ies : Multicultur al a n d Diver sity affai rs