From the president
Danny Bean, a senior at Wittenberg University, is a student leader active in addressing issues of mental health and LGBTQ inclusion on campus. Danny has worked closely with both the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the student organization Gender and Sexuality Diversity Alliance (GSDA) to bring attention to suicide prevention and the mental health needs of LGBTQ students. As a Newman Civic Fellow, Danny plans to work with Equality Springfield, an organization in Springfield, Ohio that serves LGBTQ residents, to create programs that will improve mental health outcomes for residents of our city.
Personal Statement
As one of the few out queer children in Fort Wayne, Indiana, I was exposed firsthand to homophobic ideas and statements, and was deeply disturbed by the willingness to enact violence against queer bodies exhibited in the Pulse nightclub shooting. However, seeing the increase in queer representation in media and politics gave me hope. This was shattered during the Club Q shooting. Such violence cannot be allowed to continue. I hope to bring my experience with confronting mental health issues and queer advocacy to my work with Equality Springfield, a local LGBTQ+ rights organization, during my Fellowship year. I have previously coordinated with NAMI CGM to bring QPR training—a suicide prevention tactic—to Wittenberg’s campus to address the negative impact homophobic hate crimes (such as shootings) have on the mental health of queer students. Additionally, I hold an officer position in Public Relations for Wittenberg’s Gender and Sexuality Diversity Alliance (GSDA), where I ensure that student voices are heard and implemented into GSDA events, thus creating a stronger connection between the club and our queer student population. My goal during my Fellowship year is to work with Equality Springfield to improve mental health outcomes for the local queer community.