Penn's LGBT Center dir. appointed to nat'l post

Robert Schoenberg will head a consortium of activists who direct LGBT centers nationwide. Robert Schoenberg, director of the University's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center, was recently appointed chairman of a national LGBT organization. Schoenberg will take the helm of the National Consortium of Directors of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resources in Higher Education. He is the second chairman of this group, which he helped found in 1997. Schoenberg said he is excited about assuming the two-year long position and added that the appointment reflects well upon Penn's LGBT center. "[My appointment] is also an acknowledgement that Penn's LGBT center is [one of] the best in the country," he said. The Consortium is composed of professionals like Schoenberg who direct LGBT centers or programs around the country. The Consortium aims to transform higher-education environments so that all those seeking LGBT resources can be treated with equality, Schoenberg said. In recent years, the group has been involved in court cases concerning gay rights, Schoenberg noted. He said another major issue that the Consortium supports and promotes is providing benefits for same-sex partners. As chair of the Consortium, Schoenberg will be in charge of organizing the group's biannual meetings -- the next one will be held in April in Washington, D.C. -- as well as to serve as the Consortium's official spokesman. "[My] personal objective is to continue the excellent work that has been done and strengthen the organization's infrastructure," Schoenberg said. Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum applauded Schoenberg's new position. "The news of Bob's appointment truly comes as no surprise," Swain-Cade McCoullum said in a statement. And Engineering senior Kurt Klinger, the chairman of Penn's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Alliance, said Schoenberg's appointment will prove beneficial for the University's LGBT center. "[The appointment] will help Penn and the center in terms of getting sponsors and grants from outside sources, increasing its recognition," Klinger said. As chairman, Schoenberg said he will encourage universities and colleges around the nation to establish LGBT resource centers like Penn's. "[Because of Penn's well-run LGBT center] it is easy to forget that many campuses don't have gay organizations, partner benefits or protection in the form of non-discrimination," Schoenberg said. Schoenberg has been a gay-rights activist since the 1970s. In 1981, he founded an organization called ActionAIDS, which has grown to be the largest AIDS service organization in Pennsylvania. He came to Penn in 1982 and assumed the position of LGBT Center director in 1992.