After being elected co-chair of the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered, Supporters’ Alliance (BGLTSA), Andre Sulmers commented to The Crimson that the environment here on campus is “largely tolerant but largely unaccepting” of queer lifestyles. Harvard students are exceptional in their liberality and in their tolerance, but a fundamental problem exists for those students who identify themselves as queer: homophobia is alive and well at Harvard College.
The distinction between tolerance and acceptance is not immediately apparent. To many Harvard students, it seems, the absence of gay bashing and overt discrimination signals the absence of homophobia. It is true that queer students at Harvard generally feel as physically safe walking through the Yard as anyone else; few queer students deal with voiced insults on a regular basis. In the classrooms, discrimination against homosexuals is certainly not a chronic concern. However, this is not to say that overt homophobia does not occasionally show itself within our ivy-covered walls. The homophobic graffiti in Dunster House last year, the hate mail at the Kennedy School, even the offensive “Coming Out of Homosexuality” event staged by a religious group at the Law School this semester, present enough examples to prove that certain members of this academic community are barely tolerant of queer lifestyles, let alone accepting of them.
But overt homophobia is less of a cause for alarm. At least at Harvard, those who profess homophobia verbally and publicly do not pose a great threat to the queer community. Few take seriously those who would paint “FAGGOT” on the walls of Dunster. Harvard is ostensibly liberal enough that those who engage in such behavior are removed from the fray; they are not viewed as particularly legitimate contributors to a “political” debate.
The group of people which poses the greatest danger to the Harvard queer community are those to which Sulmers referred: the tolerant, but unaccepting. This group, unfortunately, comprises the overwhelming majority of Harvard students, and of society as a whole. To truly accept the queer lifestyle is to give no more thought to sexual orientation than one would give to, say, height. For instance, the average incoming first-year probably would not care whether his new roommate was five-foot-nine or five-foot-ten. He would, no doubt, spend a great deal of time thinking if told his new roommate were gay. Until we as a society cease to consider sexual orientation as a culturally important distinction, those identified as queer will undoubtedly exist as part of an outsider culture.
The queer lifestyle has assumed a culture distinct from heterosexual culture. The coming out process, as personal exploration and public declaration, exists only for queers. Professor Ann Pelegrini, who teaches “Introduction to Lesbian and Gay Studies,” humorously commented that homosexuals “always have something to talk about on a first date—their coming out stories.” The coming out process, then, not only unites queers but necessarily excludes heterosexuals. Given the personal importance of coming out, we must conclude that an integral part of queer identity and culture is existing as distinct and separate from the heterosexual majority. The cultural implication is tremendous—queers are a group of individuals united by what they are not.
Coming out is a process that is necessary only because of heterosexism. Heterosexual culture assumes that it is unchallenged, that an individual is heterosexual unless there is “evidence” of homosexuality. Because of this, queer culture involves a constant assertion of one’s sexual orientation. That this homosexual world exists because of heterosexism, prejudice, and ignorance makes the study of queer theory and culture relevant to everyone.
Here at Harvard, queer students do exist as outsiders. As such, BGLTSA as an organization is vital to the preservation of the community. BGLTSA provides an “insider culture” to those living as outsiders. Rather than forcing queer students to define themselves by what they are not, BGLTSA provides them the opportunity to live according to their individual consciences. This positive, rather than negative, identification, is enormously important to an individual’s serenity.
BGLTSA has been invigorated this year thanks to new leadership. Under the direction of Andre Sulmers and Mitch McEwen, BGLTSA has redefined its mission and rededicated itself to serving the Harvard queer community better. This year, it was determined that each “daughter organization” should apply to become an autonomous organization. Sulmers believed BGLTSA would serve better as an umbrella organization, the most important role of which would be to coordinate and provide resources for these other groups in Harvard’s queer community. In line with this, the various “daughter organizations” have applied for autonomy with the Dean of Students. These include: BAGELS, a group for those with both queer and Jewish identities; Cocktails, a gay men’s discussion group; Girlspot, a queer women’s discussion group; Spectrum, a group for queers of color; The Transgender Taskforce; and Quest, a confidential discussion group serving those undergraduates questioning their sexuality.
This reorganization allows each group to interact more directly with the communities it serves. BGLTSA members recognize that BGLTSA cannot serve everyone as well as more focused groups can. Though some have maintained that Sulmers’ reorganization is indicative of the further splintering of the gay community at Harvard, reorganization has not diminished the role of BGLTSA. The BGLTSA leadership firmly believes that the queer community can focus attention on issues of particular concern to particular communities without losing its overall unity. Further, for those organizations which do not receive recognition as an autonomous body by the Dean’s Office, BGLTSA remains the primary source of funding and coordination. One such group remaining under the auspices of BGLTSA is QuAG, the Queer Action Group, the activist arm of the queer community at Harvard; the Transgender Taskforce may be a second.
Sulmers has also dedicated a great deal of time to enhancing the social aspect of BGLTSA. This aspect is especially important in increasing visibility, which both helps students who identify themselves as queer to establish themselves in Harvard’s queer culture and forces the rest of Harvard’s student body to recognize that the queer community is an integral part of the university.
Community meetings are now held on a monthly basis, more frequently than in years past. Queer study breaks are held every other week in a different student residence. Gay related films will be shown in the Science Center this academic year, and BGLTSA is planning to hold a series of fabulous dances, the first of which will be the “White Party” this November in Winthrop House. A stage performance by a New York transvestite is planned for December in Loker.
BGLTSA is also actively involved in the political arena. A celebration of National Coming Out Day this October took place with fanfare in front of Widener, and BGLTSA was visible at the “Coming Out of Homosexuality” event. Gay Appreciation Month is celebrated in April, also known as “Gaypril,” and BGLTSA, with the support of the gay alumni fund Open-Gate, ensures that Harvard is as celebratory as any campus in the nation. In a bold display of initiative, the BGLTSA board has begun efforts to bring Madonna to Harvard this May. “Madonna May” will include a number of Madonna movies and music video screenings and will culminate in a visit to Sanders Theater by the performer herself. BGLTSA would like Madonna to address Harvard students on her experience as a gay icon.
Ultimately, these new directions will influence BGLTSA’s service to the queer community at Harvard. Having pursued them, the organization will be able to better educate Harvard’s vast heterosexist society. For too long, this dominant culture has basked in an unchallenged luxury. Without question, BGLTSA is now geared to present a long-overdue challenge vital to the future health of the Harvard student body.