About Straight But Not Narrow
"Hunger Games" star Josh Hutcherson co-founded the Straight But Not Narrow organization in 2011.
In a 2015 interview with E! News, Hutcherson said a 14-year-old guy from Florida wrote to SBNN and said, "...It's been a really hard thing for me to come out and find support because I was afraid I wouldn't be accepted in my community. But because of Straight But Not Narrow and the support that you show me from the straight community, it's made me see a really different side of things, and I'm so happy now that I came out to my friends and family and they all love me and support me so much."
Students pledged to be allies to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer community with one of Cardinal Communications' biggest clients, Straight But Not Narrow.
Straight But Not Narrow is a non-profit charity based in Los Angeles that primarily focuses on straight youth and young adults. It strives to positively influence the perception of, and behavior toward, LGBT peers, according to its Facebook page. SBNN encourages partnership without stereotypical boundaries in hopes of promoting self-confidence and individualism.
SBNN’s overall goal is to have everyone say "Straight, gay or somewhere in between... why does it matter?" according to their official Facebook page.
Cardinal Communications hosted a SBNN booth in the Letterman Building March 30 where students could pledge their support to the cause.
Isaac Reynoso, account director at Cardinal Communications, said it is important to take the pledge as an ally because it brings awareness and unites communities.
“When a straight person pledges to be an ally to a minority group like the LGBTQ community, it shows a level of tolerance and acceptance to those who are sometimes looked down on within today’s society,” Reynoso said. “It really is powerful when you are able to bring people together to spread awareness and advocacy.”
Reynoso said publicly pledging to be an ally to the LGBTQ community also helps those who have not come out with their sexuality to become more comfortable and willing to express who they are as an individual.
Bri Pierce, a junior public communications major, took the pledge.
She said she pledged because before coming to Ball State, she was closeted and didn't know a lot about who she was as a person, and her sexuality.
"I knew that I identified as gay, but I couldn’t express that to anyone,” Pierce said. “Later on after being here, I learned who I was as a person. So by pledging today, I am showing my support because even though I identify as a part of that community, I want my friends, peers and other spectators to know that this is who I am and there are other people like me and we just want to be treated equally.”
Pierce said straight allies can have a significant impact on the LGBTQ community.
“Straight allies are really important, especially nowadays as our generation is growing up to change the stigma of the LGBTQ community,” Pierce said. “I know a lot of people who don’t have a strong support system, myself included with my family.
"So to have that secondary support system and have other people who say, 'Hey, I realize that you are a human so I am going to treat you like a human because your not really that different than me,' is so important to those within the LGBTQ community as well as shaping that stigma.”
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