Mission and Vision

The Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae of the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College (commonly known as GALA-ND/SMC) is an national organization which unites LGBTQ alumni/ae, faculty and staff from Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College, together with their friends, families and supporters.

We welcome and encourage anyone who supports our mission to become a member, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or school affiliation.

GALA-ND/SMC Constitution (Amended 2012).

Our Mission

  • We provide financial, moral and strategic support to LGBTQ student groups which provide services consistent with our mission, such as PrismND and OutreachND.
  • We promote solidarity, self-awareness and friendship among gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender graduates, former students and friends of the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College.
  • We sponsor, direct and participate in charitable, educational, spiritual and athletic activities which further the interests of our members, students and their supporters.
  • We seek to act as a communication channel between our members and officials at Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College.
  • We work to increase the visibility of LGBTQ alumni at Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and nationwide.

Our Vision

GALA-ND/SMC’s mission is grounded in the universal struggle to realize the self-evident equality of all persons. Our vision is of a future where no one is subject to discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or any similar quality.

We envision a future where all students, faculty and staff at universities like Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College—irrespective of qualities like their sexual orientation and gender identity—are treated with the selfsame dignity and respect in their persons, in their lives and in their relationships as others enjoy. We envision a future where LGBTQ students, faculty and staff everywhere are welcome and encouraged to be completely open about themselves and about their relationships without fear of reprisal, rejection or censure.

We envision the spouses, partners and families of LGBTQ employees protected from unjust discrimination by well articulated and justly enforced policies and laws. We envision the availability of equal employee benefits: health insurance, access to facilities, access to child care and all the other necessities many are able to take for granted.

In our vision, young women and men seeking admission to any college do not need to fear how administrators or their peers at their favorite schools will react to their sexual identity or gender identity. Acceptance and respect are a fundamental and even unremarkable reality. Dismaying categorizations like the Princeton Review’s list of the least LGBT-friendly schools are no longer needed.

Nondiscrimination Policy

GALA-ND/SMC does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status or physical disability.