Katie Bates is in her second semester at EC and she is an administration of justice major.

How long have you been a member of the Gay Straight Alliance?

I’ve been a member for two semesters, but this is the first semester I’ve been a cabinet member.

Why did you decide to run for vice president?

I think it was more of the fact that I like to take charge of things.

When did you decide to come out and what happened?

It happened last spring 2003. My mother is homo-phobic, so she didn’t take it well at all. As for my dad, he’s getting there, but it’s a lot harder since I’m an only child. Socially, I came out to my close friends my sophomore year in high school. By the second semester of my senior year, I stopped caring about what others thought. I even started to wear rainbow T-shirts which freaked some people out.

When did you realize you were a lesbian?

In my sixth grade science class, I remember looking at a girl in class, and thinking she was pretty, but then I began to think that these thoughts were wrong and so I repressed them. I only dated guys until my freshman year of high school. That year I met a bisexual girl who reassured me that my feelings were OK, and that was when I felt I was finally accepted.

What would you say to others who are afraid to come out?

Find a close group of friends who will give you a lot of support because you will find a lot of people who will not be happy with you; it’s tough. My favorite line is from “Will & Grace,” Jack says to Will “Aren’t you tired yet?” I spent so much energy on trying to hide it, that I started to get physically sick. You tell someone that you are dating this guy and then you tell your other friend you’re dating someone else. Sometimes, you forget who you said you were dating and you get tired of lying.

Are you glad that you came out?

Now that I’m in college, I feel more accepted, so much that I even ran for homecoming king last year. There were still those who were saying things like, “What are you doing?” but I didn’t care. In the end, I felt better that I came out.

What are your feelings about gay marriages becoming legalized?

We should have the same rights and privileges as other heterosexual couples, such as probate and marriage.

Why do you think people are so afraid of legalizing same-sex marriages?

People are afraid this will cause the desecration of marriage. It has become more of an issue of morals than a legal issue. They (critics) argue that if we let gay marriages occur, then why not let people marry animals? It’s so stupid; it’s not the same thing. We’re human beings of the same species and animals aren’t.

Do you have a girlfriend now, and if you do would you consider going to San Francisco or anywhere else it is legal to get married?

No, not currently, but if I did, yes I would, definitely. If the time was right and if we could both find jobs there, then yes, I would.