February 11, 2005 - Olympic gold medalist and gay rights activist Mark Tewksbury is in Calgary today to help launch Mount Royal College’s Positive Space campaign - an initiative that has been embraced by colleges and universities across Canada to encourage acceptance and openness among all students, regardless of sexual orientation.

Tewksbury will be joined by members of the MRC Positive Space committee and the College's President, Dave Marshall. "We are pleased to join the ranks of progressive post-secondary institutions across North America who have taken this very positive step towards ensuring no one on our campuses feel silenced, marginalized or afraid," Marshall says in describing the goal of this initiative.

The Positive Space initiative aims to improve awareness of the issues and the solutions surrounding sexual orientation and gender diversity. As guest speaker Tewksbury will reflect on his personal experiences as a gay man who attended post-secondary school in Alberta.

Organizer and faculty member Kori Street explains how the initiative began, "A year ago a group of gay and straight faculty, students and staff from across campus met because we were curious to explain the invisibility of gay and lesbian individuals on our campus," she says. "With this initiative, we are stating that we are a campus that is open to creating a more inclusive space for everyone to be themselves."

Mount Royal College is committed to providing an environment that is free of discrimination and harassment, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

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