Getting Brent Bilodeau to talk about himself is a challenge.
But once he starts talking about students, he speaks passionately, interlocking his hands to emphasize the relationship of one marginalized group to another.
Bilodeau is assistant for the Office of Lesbian, Bi, Gay and Transgendered Concerns, a program through the Department of Student Life.
"First and foremost, students are at the very center," he said from his office in Student Services. "They're the heart, and the empowerment of student-led communities is one of our most important goals."
The past month has been a busy one for progressive and racial ethnic groups on campus, he said, one that's included Accessibility Awareness Week, National Coming Out Days and Hispanic Heritage Month.
Although his title directs his focus to the LBGT community, Bilodeau's passion is bridging gaps between marginalized populations on campus, and he's supported each of the semester's events.
"He cares deeply about us, not just LBGT concerns but any student," said Hal Cowherd, a graduate student and member of Same Gender Loving Students of Color, Internationals and Allies. "I've dealt with him as a sounding board with my difficulties, and he knows how to navigate a difficult institution and difficult people."
Bilodeau was appointed to the position when the Office of LBGT Concerns was formed in 1994. Since then, the office has added graduate assistants and, most recently, the LBGT leadership scholars program, where one student each semester is supported in independent research.
Bilodeau works closely with the Multicultural Center and is a leader of the Multicultural Awareness Program, which runs for six weeks each fall.
"He has this astute understanding of how race, gender identity, sexual orientation and abilities all fit together," Multicultural Center Coordinator Maggie Chen Hernandez said. "He challenges people and transforms their way of thinking."
But Bilodeau said he hasn't always been such an activist.
He got his first taste of racism as an undergraduate at the University of California at Irvine, where his black roommate was treated differently by teachers and classmates.
Bilodeau said it was a wake-up call.
"Suddenly, I had this awareness of a daily kind of oppression that I, as a white person, never experienced."
And he said he didn't feel comfortable coming out until he came to MSU as a graduate student.
Over the 10 years he's been at MSU as a graduate student, working in Residence Life and in Student Life, he said he's found a welcoming and growing environment for students.
He was a part of the 1992 task force Moving Forward, which assessed lesbian and gay issues at MSU and later created the Office of LBGT Concerns.
As the Office for LBGT Concerns approaches its 10th anniversary, Bilodeau said the situation for students at MSU is improving.
"Our goal now is to go back and do work with LBGT students of color and to look at the intersections of multiple oppressions," he said. "We're interested in equipping and empowering students."
