The 20-year-old Gay/Lesbian Union, which is older than many NIU students, will sponsor its annual Jeans Day Wednesday.

GLU President Theresa Brown said the purpose of the event is to “make people aware of gays on campus and what they have to put up with.”

Brown said she hopes students who wear jeans Wednesday gain empathy for homosexual students and “feel some of the stigma” the GLU has been fighting for two decades.

The GLU, one of NIU’s oldest student groups, was founded in April of 1970 as the Gay Liberation Front, Brown said. The name was eventually changed to the Gay/Lesbian Union as a result of the women’s movement and its desire to include lesbians in the organization.

The organization offers discussion and coming-out groups, dances and social events. GLU members also speak in classes to educate students about homosexuality, Brown said.

Brown said she hopes Jeans Day, which has been held annually for over 10 years, will make students remember homosexuals at NIU before making derogatory remarks.

Some of the criticism about recent Jeans Days was a result of misinformation, Brown said.

Although wearing jeans Wednesday does not necessarily suggest a person’s sexual preference, Brown said some “people think you’re gay if you wear jeans.” She said she encourages anyone supporting human rights to participate.

One criticism Brown heard was that the day manipulates students into avoiding jeans, or that some students unaware of the event are “tricked” into wearing jeans.

No one is pressured to participate in the event, she said, which the GLU publicizes through advertisements and fliers.

“We’re not being sneaky,” she said.

Brown rejected the idea that the GLU should choose a different article of clothing for the event because jeans are so common. But, jeans were chosen because they are so common, she said.

“An arm band isn’t something you wear everyday. It sounds like something Hitler would do.”

Brown said the type of clothing is not really the issue. “If it was Sweats Day people would complain,” she said.

Brown said the GLU doesn’t “want to be extreme” about the event. Anyone who chooses not to wear jeans should not be criticized. “It’s up to them,” she said.