Today at 7 p.m. will be the grand kickoff-opening gala extravaganza of the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transsexual Campus Center, located in the second floor of the Memorial Union.
Those who drop in will have a chance to meet the new director and staff, eat cake and other snacks, play Twister and learn about the LGBTCC’s mentoring program, speakers’ bureau and support groups. Plus the Center’s newly reorganized and expanded library of literature, videos and other materials (rivaling any collection that the campus libraries maintain) will be on display. Fun will be had by all.
If you’re already going, then you don’t need me to repeat an announcement you’ve probably already heard. But that’s really not what matters. What matters is reaching those who have not heard and who probably would not attend even if they had.
Anti-queer prejudice is quite possibly the most safe and acceptable pattern of discrimination in this country. While most Americans at least pay lip service to social norms governing how one speaks about minorities of race, ethnicity, class and just about anything else you can think of (this is not to say that most Americans are free of such prejudices), if someone holds an unfavorable opinion of, say, homosexual men, they feel quite comfortable expressing it.
Whence this “acceptable” prejudice? Opinion polls have shown a marked increase in people expressing their disapproval of marriage or civil union rights for same-sex couples, “equal treatment” laws for queer people seeking housing or employment and a general rise in anti-homosexual sentiment nationwide. Much of this appears to have followed in the footsteps of the Supreme Court’s recent decision overturning Bowers v. Hardwick, effectively eliminating the sodomy laws used in many states to arbitrarily pursue those engaging in consensual homosexual sex.
The fact that the Supreme Court brought high-profile media attention to the issue of queer rights in this country isn’t the sole explanation, however. As is always the case with stereotypes, straights’ misconceptions about queers arise as much from their own mythologizing about homosexuality as they do out of anything else.
Shows like “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” promote the image of the gay man as affluent, well dressed, obsessed with all that is frivolous in life and not very vocal about his sexuality.
In other words, the archetypal gay male the media is comfortable with presenting is one who is both non-threatening to most straight males’ sexuality and undeserving of any special treatment or recognition, on account of his privileged position in society. Lesbians occur in the media with nearly equal frequency, except that they are usually relegated to appearing in porn produced as a masturbatory aid for straight men or as gratuitous attention-getters in otherwise forgettable shows and movies (“Mulholland Drive,” anyone?). Transsexuals are lucky to get booked on Howard Stern.
If you think that the LGBTCC offers a service that only a minority of students need and has little to provide to the rest of the campus community, think again. In addition to its primary purpose of providing a safe, positive space for queer students, the LGBTCC addresses issues involving historically marginalized groups even within the queer community (such as queer people of color), outreach and allies programs and, finally, educating the campus community as a whole.
Neither the republic we live in nor the educational experience we all take part in here in Madison are simple majority-rule situations. It is incumbent upon us as citizens and students to challenge our own preconceived outlooks on life, liberty, values and (last but not least) sex.
The rights of minorities carry equal weight with that of the majority in our system of government, and so it should be with differences of opinion in an academic environment. The student who enters and then leaves college without challenging both his own opinions and others’ does himself and his school a disservice.
We’re all in this together. The free exchange of opinions and ideas is an integral part of a well-rounded education. Insofar as that is true, the LGBTCC has as much a right to exist as any other campus organization.
So drop by the LGBTCC. You don’t have to agree with their mission or what they stand for. Just bring an open mind, be prepared to challenge others’ beliefs and have yours challenged in turn, play some Twister, eat some cake. Did I mention there will be cake?
Sure, it’s true that, as Homer Simpson once said, the queers took all our best names — like Bruno, Lance and Julian — but give them one more chance. Come to the LGBTCC kickoff tonight at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the Memorial Union.
Rob Hunter ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in philosophy and political science.
