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Audre’s Voice

Yesterday I had a job interview at a liberal arts school in the Midwest. The interview went well and I will probably be offered the position. The job is in residence life and would require me to live on-campus. Aside from the challenges of living on campus with a group of 18-year-olds when you aren’t 18, I am very interested in the position. I would be able to supervise, train, and evaluate staff. I would also advise students academically and teach a class on diversity. Sounds great, right?

The job sounded wonderful until I got in the car to go to the airport. The man driving me, who identified himself as gay, told me that the school does not have any partner benefits. Initially, I was not as concerned about it because if my partner moved with me, she would have insurance through her own job. What bothered me, though, was the next comment. He said same-gender partners are not allowed to share the same living space. In order for a person in the position to live with the person they love, they must be married.

Now, this is not the most shocking thing I ever heard. It just disturbed me given that one of the most common questions I was asked during the seven hours they grilled me was about how I would handle having to adhere to a policy that went against my personal convictions. Their conception of this question probably did not include something like the quandary in which I now find myself. I did not even guess how close to home that question would hit.

For some people, having their partner be able to live with them is something they may be willing to sacrifice. The point, for me, is that they shouldn’t have to. People who are lesbian, gay or bisexual shouldn’t have to sacrifice something so basic to our lives. I resent that a school supposedly working on diversity is continuing to discriminate against its LGB employees. So, now I must consider whether I want to accept the job at a place where a policy conflicts with my personal convictions.

Personally, I believe institutions of higher education are agents of socialization so they should not discriminate against any segment of their population. I believe this policy sends a powerful message to students that go there, faculty/staff that work there and any potential student or staff member. Likewise, a policy recognizing the diversity of the people who make up the organization as well as the right of those people to have the same benefit as other life partners would send an equally powerful message.

Now, I must decide what type of message I wish to send when the school’s recruitment director calls to offer me the position. Will I accept the job and decide to work from the inside to change the policy? Will I accept the job and not express my dissatisfaction to the administration about its policy? Or, will I turn down the job and not explain the reason? Or, will I turn down the offer and explain that the reason is because it conflicts with my personal convictions?

I cannot honestly say what I will do. I only know that I keep hearing Audre Lorde’s voice whispering in my ear, “ …When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard nor welcomed but when we are silent we are still afraid. So it is better to speak remembering we were never meant to survive.”

~Donique McIntosh

All for Apple Pie & Apple Pie for All

Don’t be fooled by the supplement cover. Despite the parody of Grant Woods’ American Gothic emblazoned into our minds as the image of QPenn 2004, it has been anything but a joke. The planning committee, led by juniors Eric Boschetti and Joshua W., brought together an array of people and events to orchestrate an awareness and pride celebration embodying the theme: As Queer As Apple Pie. For better and worse, the issues and concerns of the LGBT community has received national interest and deliberation so the committee thought it appropriate to find a theme which reflected the American mainstreaming of LGBT culture.

The discussions and speakers of QPenn took on many contemporary queer debates. These presentations have been instrumental in reclaiming the voice of our community from mass commercialization and exploitation and allowed us to have a say. The social affairs were many and frequent, allowing us to catch up with one another. Not to mention, taking a moment to look around to take in the beauty of the diversity in our community. Then there were contemplative programs designed to focus on reinvesting in the community.

Supplement. No QPenn is complete without the QPenn Daily Pennsylvanian supplement. This year’s supplement team, led by Vivian Vasquez, Josh Gafni, and David Haakenson, created another fabulous work of art. Students, staff and faculty across the university contributed to the content, making the collections of stories, artwork, and profiles as multiple and diverse as ever before. The supplement also continued to receive great support form the community at large through adverting and statements of support.

Speakers and Discussions. The week provided opportunity for discussion and the exploration of poignant issues that have received much public attention. One evening provided two programs: a viewing and discussion of the movie “And the Band Played On” and a moderated panel entitled “Civil Rights or Gay Rights?” The former is a film about the politics surrounding the early impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and its stigmatization as a “gay” disease. The latter panel discussion, featured community leaders and Penn faculty exploring the parallels and intersections between the historical Black civil rights movement and current LGBT rights struggles. Most of the panel was spent engaging the packed room at the Carriage House. The discussions continued to draw full rooms. Both the Allies and GUIDE body image panel and the Academic Task Force’s round table on the Future and Challenge of Sexuality Studies held captive audiences and lively conversations. The Sexuality panel was preceded by a dessert and cheese reception. Dr. Rodin stayed to mix and mingle with the numerous students, staff, faculty and alumni in attendance.

There were several featured speakers throughout the week. Dr. Ritch Savin-Williams of Cornell University gave a thought-provoking presentation on the mischaracterization of LGBT youth as suicidal. Intsead he posited that they are rather resilient and often fare well in comparison to non-LGBT identified youth. The politics of the law and LGBT rights was also explored in several contexts during QPenn. University of Chicago’s George Chauncey, sponsored by the History Department, examined the hot issues of the newly overturned sodomy laws and marriage amendments since 1900. Lambda Law’s featured speaker was Janet Halley of Harvard University who contextualized many of today’s legal issues pertinent to LGBT people.

Food and Fun. Food was abundant through this year’s celebration. The QPOC Potluck and the PEARL dinner were both festive occasions where people came together to enjoy one another’s company...and eat. Those present were able to indulge in wonderful foods and take a breather in between pride events. If you were lucky enough to attend the PEARL dinner then you had the opportunity to sit and talk with poet and activist Minnie Bruce Pratt, who spoke later that evening on queer/women’s movements. The Fence-Sitter’s social brought a nice mix of students who chowed-down on gourmet desserts, fruits, cheeses and ice creams and bonded over a game of Taboo. And finally, what’s QPenn without the big blowout...the Plasma Dance. Relocating the affair from campus to the Gayborhood’s 12th Air Command and moving the date to Sunday evening may have scared some off but the event was still a success.

From Film to Theater. Aside from And the Band Played On, QPenn featured a number of film screenings and one phenomenal performance. Sponsored by Equality Forum, Jim in Bold is a film documenting the life of Jim Wheeler, a Pennsylvania teen who committed suicide after experiencing intense homophobia in his community. Wednesday featured a triple header. The first film was for the ladies only as Intergen-erational Links provided cable-less, L-Word starved women across campus with access to the new Showtime Series. Directly after the L-Word, Michael Fowlin brought to life nine emotionally charged, heart-wrenching characters in a one man performance spanning the issues of oppression and discrimination. The evening was capped off with the German film “Der Einstein des Sex,” about Magnus Hirschfield’s work particularly his starting the first medical practice for gay men in 19th century Berlin.

All for Apple Pie and Apple Pie For All. There were several events deigned to bring the community together in the spirit of service, community building, and activism and awareness. The annual rally was held on Wynn Commons on a beautiful Friday afternoon. Speakers from all over the University came out to support the cause, as well as community members and passersby who stopped to listen and cheer. The next day, the men of Delta Lambda Phi organized a day of community service at the William Way Center. Groups traveled downs to lend a hand in the on going work to the building.

The final event to wrap up our awareness days was a Town Hall at the LGBT Center with hot apple pie a la mode for all. This was an important opportunity for the community to give feedback about the celebration. There was much satisfaction with the programming and many suggestions on how to improve on the planning and execution for next year. What was most evident is in order to continue creating a celebration, more people need to participate in the planning process.

Hope to see you all in fall to plan QPenn 2005!

~Ninah Harris

Being a Swan

While writing a paper last night, my friend called me screaming to turn on Fox to watch a program he cited as evidence of the absolute fall of our society and the lowest point of our culture. Intrigued (wouldn’t you be, at a raving review like that??), I switched the channel to “The Swan,” and was horrified: plastic surgery mega-makeovers that would turn “average” looking women into beauty pageant starlet material.

These women apparently applied to be on this show and would have to go through months of surgical procedures, isolation, intensive daily physical training, diets, and behavior modification to become beautiful in the eyes of American standards. The implication was that these women, so bedraggled and unattractive, actually NEEDED surgical and professional help in their lives in order to make them beautiful. I was ready to heave by the first commercial break.

Most troubling perhaps, was the fact that one contestant obviously had severe psychological problems, crying almost the entire duration of the program and yet they still performed surgery on her. When she fell into a deep post-surgical depression, the doctors told her to suck it up and stop being a baby if she wanted to be in the pageant.

After both women “completed” their regimen of physical training, dieting, separation from friends and family, and healing from multiple invasive plastic surgery procedures, only one would be chosen by the offocial panel of experts to be pretty enough to be beauty pageant material (in other words, the other contestant was still so unattractive not even surgical intervention could help). So one contestant won a spot in the final pagent, and lots of tears were shed. Blah, blah, blah. Much to my horror, the show will be on for the next few months so they can rack up enough mutilated bodies to fill a pageant of these “ugly ducks” they so benevolently transform into swans.

Is this what we have come to? Sending messages to people that you cannot be beautiful unless you are an emaciated supermodel skeleton with a boob-job? And if you don’t fit that naturally (which I’m sure no one does) well then, you better be willing to undergo the knife lest you be condemned to a life of morbid obesity (at 15 pounds overweight) or facial deformity (a slight double chin) or a hideous smile (lack of porcelain veneers).

Both the women on the show last night were beautiful (pre-”Swan” intervention) and the only thing I saw post-surgery was the loss of character from their faces. Suddenly the natural smile lines, slightly out of line tooth, little cute belly, and sweet smile were erased, and what was left was empty looking, mass produced Fembots. But according to the judges, NOW they were beautiful. Before they had been average, but now, and only now after professional intervention, they could be considered beautiful.

I’m scared for the kids today growing up watching relative filth like “the Swan” on television. Magazines, like the ones I got my oppressive beautiful messages from when I was an adolescent, are bad enough but with the advent of this kind of programming made accessible to the most vulnerable of audiences -- adolescents -- it’s a sure recipe for a generation of psychologically damaged, self-hating, unhappy kids.

What happened to the beauty in diversity? Appreciating the body you’re given, and loving yourself, no matter what your supposed “faults” are? I guess it’s all nipped, tucked, analyzed, and sucked out of us...and our kids are the ones who will pay the frightfully high cost.

~Amanda Nordstrom

OUT & In-Focus: Heather Lochridge C’02

As I sit here sipping my morning coffee from my Allies mug, wearing my Allies baseball t-shirt and sporting my Allies thong, I find it hard to imagine that a mere six years ago Allies was just an idea floating around in the minds of three amazing women. One of these was Heather Lochridge.

Heather explained to me how the whole Allies concept was born. After numerous accounts with an ignorant, dismissive University campus, she and her friends realized that change was an inevitable progression that they chose to forefront. Being born in Boston to rather liberal parents and then having attended a liberal all girls’ school, Heather was used to being surrounded by the sort of people who were very accepting of different interpretations of sexuality. Sadly, this all changed when she arrived at Penn. She was shocked by the phrases and expressions she would hear on a regular basis in her dorm and as she walked to class.

One particular story she recalls was the conversation she had with her hall mate one night over why the use of the phrase “That’s so gay” was very offensive to the LGBT community. She and her hall mate continued to talk about this issue numerous times and every time he would say, “Oh c’mon, I don’t mean it in that way.” This sort of attitude was simply unacceptable to Heather, who was well aware that sometimes our intentions are not demonstrated in the way we are perceived.

Despite her frequent accounts with ignorance at Penn, it wasn’t until the night of the Matthew Shepard vigil she realized just how indifferent this campus truly was. At the vigil to commemorate one of the most blatant and hurtful acts of injustice in recent history, there were only about 100 students out of the entire 10,000 undergraduate population. Heather said that she was so disheartened at this turnout; she had just assumed that most people would have shown up to support such a universal cause. This was the final straw and the next day Heather and her friends sought out our own Erin Cross to help them start a group that would help to target those on campus who believed the LGBT community was of no concern to them – the straight community.

Heather says that at first her and her friends were hesitant to make Allies an entirely new organization, separate from the LGBA (old-school QSA). However, after much consideration and a little persuasion from Erin, they decided creating Allies was the only way to achieve their goals of LGBT awareness. The rest is history. Allies was off to a slow start during Heather’s freshman year, but by the time she was a junior, (and a little help from SAC), things had progressed wonderfully. Allies turned out to be a huge success, and grew more and more each year…and still continues to grow.

One would think founding Allies would be enough for one undergraduate to achieve, however, Heather’s story is far from over. In addition, Heather was also involved in PACE, (Programs for Awareness and Cultural Education) RAPline, and the LGBT Center’s Speakers Bureau. She explained to me how these activities helped her to gain the resources and knowledge that help her even to this day. Heather was the youngest member of her PACE class and explains how her age and inexperience allowed her to soak up all of the new and vital information provided. She learned from and even enjoyed being forced out of her comfort zone and being placed in difficult situations and conversations.

Heather was also one of the first Allies to speak on the LGBT Center’s Speakers Bureau. She told me it was always interesting to see the shock when she revealed to people she was merely an Ally, fighting for a cause she believed in.

Perhaps the most interesting and awe inspiring part of Heather’s story is the present. She is currently teaching science in an underprivileged public school in Brooklyn, NY as well as pursuing her Masters in Education. Heather is determined to make social change and believes one the most effective ways of doing this is through education. She talked about her job with such passion, but also with much sadness. She says how it is hard to see a classroom full of such jaded, young individuals who have been deprived of the resources they need throughout their entire lives. What is commendable is the way in which Heather has hope that she can get these children to trust her and be a positive role model to them. While the impact she is making might not be seen immediately, like at Penn, she has faith that she indeed will make an impact.

So as you stroll down Locust Walk in all of your Allies gear, remember one of the people that made it all possible…and hopes to make other possibilities come true elsewhere...Heather Lochridge.

~Nikki Riley

Lesbians and Folk Music

Once upon a time, way back in middle school I was listening to the radio show “Love Line.” (Now I’m aware that most stories that start like this should probably not be told but stick with me for a minute here.) So I was listening and a girl called with some boyfriend troubles. Adam immediately asked if the girl played acoustic guitar to which she responded ‘yes.’ His next comment was that her boyfriend troubles obviously were caused by the fact that she was a lesbian. Her lesbianism was proven, he explained, by the fact that she played acoustic guitar.

I was surprised at the tender age of 13 to find that playing guitar meant you were a lesbian. Now that I’m 19 and oh so much wiser I realize that Adam’s statement was quite ridiculous. I realize now that acoustic guitar playing means folk music which, to many people, screams ‘lesbian.’ I also realize this stigma is equally as ridiculous as Adam’s statement. What I can’t seem to get a grip on is why people equate lesbians with folk music.

When I was twelve my mom handed me an Indigo Girls CD and said, “here, I think you’ll like this.” I can’t help but think that my mom was trying to imply that she had me figured out. That she was trying to lead me to the path she was sure I was destined to find. This idea of folk music as lesbian is so engrained in our culture even I subconsciously or not equate the two. So why are lesbians seen as Ani adoring, Indigo Girls loving, Dar following, crazed fans of folk?

For me, another equally intriguing question is why do people assume that all women folk singers are lesbians? And why do lesbians seem to get annoyed when musicians turn out to be straight? When Dar Williams was married there was a rather large uproar among Dar fans who were convinced she was a lesbian. I don’t think that it was that they cared so much that she wasn’t a lesbian but she pitched herself to the community as a lesbian.

Now we all know lesbians are some of the most loyal fans around, especially for queer musicians. Is it possible that folk musicians are trying to exploit the loyalty of lesbians everywhere? The last time I saw Dar, in Bryn Mawr, she said she was nervous getting dressed for the show because she had to look good for all the Bryn Mawr ladies. Was she trying to lead on her fans? I don’t think so, but if she was is it really wrong, or is it a great marketing strategy? Maybe she just enjoys having predominantly queer fans; I mean what’s so wrong with that?

So what is it about lesbians and folk music? Is it a genetic disposition? Is it a stereotype gone wild? Or is it just something that can’t be explained? Anyone? Anyone?

~Karrie Moore

Alumni Weekend Preview

PennGALA, the University’s LGBT and ally alumni organization, will be holding a number of exciting events May 15, 2004.

From 3:00-4:00, all are invited to a Coffee Hour at the Carriage House, the home of the LGBT Center. Many alumni have not yet seen our new space – and this is their chance to take a tour and enjoy the company of others over coffee and cookies.

PennGALA will hold and business and information meeting at 4p in Room G-16 on the ground floor of Irvine. Following the meeting, PennGALA will join other diversity, affinity, and interest alumni groups in sponsoring a panel discussion, entitled “Dismantling the Glass Ceiling: How to Transform Our Workplace” in Irvine Auditorium.

Two events which are usually festive and fun enhance the evening. The semi-annual “Taste of Penn”, co-sponsored by PennGALA with the Association of Latino Alumni, the Black Alumni Society, and the Asian Alumni Network will take place in a tent on Hill Square (formerly Hill Field). Every time this event has been held, those attending have enjoyed wonderful food and stimulating interaction with other alumni. The night will be brought to a close at a PennGALA Young Alumni Cocktail party at the home an alum in Center City.

Those graduating in May are particularly encouraged to attend these events to meet your fellow alumni! For further information, contact Bob Schoenberg, LGBT Center Director, at <bobs@pobox.upenn.edu> or 215-898-5044.

And mark your calendars now: PennGALA will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary at Homecoming Weekend in the Fall from October 15-16, 2004. It promises to be the most exciting set of PennGALA events ever!

~Bob Schoenberg

Dreamer in this World

Last night while watching a movie, I couldn’t help but ponder the situations portrayed. Whether the director wanted the viewers to think about love or not, I don’t know. All I know is it kept me thinking. Is love everlasting? Can we find our soul mate with whom we are to spend the rest of our lives? And how about love at first sight, is it possible? Does it happen or is it our hormones telling us a certain boy or girl is attractive?

After the movie was over, most of my male friends said, “that was sad, but come on, love at first sight doesn’t happen.” I perceived their distrust of romantic encounters and “corny” situations. It’s as if I was trying to be empathic toward the main character and they had just told me to get over it and face reality. I couldn’t help but feel a little sad for myself after such reaction. I understand that not everything can be rosey; yet things can be appealing. Why can’t there be such a thing as a romantic moment?

I must confess that as I am writing this, I am thinking of someone in particular. I just met him and yet I feel butterflies in my stomach. I can’t be sure whether he feels the same way and I don’t know if he is thinking about me. Yet, my hopes are high, and although many people argue love is a passing dream, I want to reach for it and make it stay in my life.

These are just my thoughts and feelings; some may agree and some may not. Yet, let’s stop and think for a moment, why it is that we have stopped believing in romanticism whether one is queer or straight? Is it because our hectic lives are in the way of our loved ones? Is it that there is just so much one can share with a person, that after a while they become obsolete, and one needs a new partner? I don’t think so. I’d like to believe it’s something we have chosen because of the freedom we have nowadays. Women are independent; the queer community is achieving more ground; and yet, more and more people are divorced, psychiatrists are required more than ever, and some people are into random hook-ups.

I know this is not the way I want my life to be. I am a dreamer, and yes many of my friends may call me a loser, but I won’t give up in finding love. I know what it feels like, and I want to feel it again. It may hurt, but our hearts keep growing with each new experience until the right time comes. And if that time is now, I would love to shout and share with the world that I AM IN LOVE! Life is made of dreams, and if we stop having dreams, our world simply starts losing substance.

I got a fortune cookie that read: “Reality is for people who lack imagination.” It made my day!

~Suhail Torga

Finding Gay Culture

Growing up as a suburban gay youth, I have been misguided in my discovery of gay culture. Well, let me rephrase that. I don’t feel I was guided, period. What’s a kid to do when he comes out and is the openly gay youth in his school? If I was to be the only one, I was going to do it right and to that I had to be culturally gay. Thus began my search for the culture. I searched for any depiction of gay people that I could, although with undeveloped gaydar and this being 1997, I turned to my only reference point, the movies. With TLA Video guidebook in hand, I decided to see every movie in the Gay/Lesbian section. If I could find gay culture anywhere, I felt this was my best shot.

R. Rocky Horror Picture Show. This was an old classic for me. I had been to the live show in Exton, a nearby town, and knew all the callbacks and prop cues. I knew it before I realized that I was gay. Something just seemed right when Dr. Frank-N-Furter jumped into Rocky’s strong arms to the tune of the wedding procession and was carried into their bridal suite. I could identify with the characters. Though Brad and Janet never did really typify “two ordinary kids on a night out” for me, I did identify with the sexual transformation they achieved by the end of the movie. Rocky Horror provided a model that sexual conformity was not necessary. Although to this day, many of my friends do not really understand what my fondness for this cult classic is, it helped me to escape my depression of the closet. I wanted to be sexual and happy; they were. A great Halloween costume as a freshman in high school, this film was not informative for my everyday cultural gay life. I started from the beginning.

A. Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The. T. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar. Thus began my love of disco. I promptly went out and bought the Priscilla soundtrack and memorized such hits as “Mamma Mia,” “Shake Your Groove Thing” and “I Will Survive.” My world was changed, again. I spent hours on the patio reading about the Civil War listening to “Billy, Don’t Be a Hero” by Paper Lace. Actually, I even used it as a reference in a paper about the Trojan War while studying The Iliad. In a scene I reenacted every morning, I watched Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo dress for their day to the sensuous and reaffirming “I Am Body Beautiful” by Salt N’ Pepa. I learned the meaning of hate, homophobia, and transphobia. I could identify with the Otherness that they felt and wondered why in the end only one character found love, although played matchmaker well to the small town straight couples. I found myself longing for a depiction of gay love and still felt guideless for gay culture.

C. Cabaret. Liza, Fosse, bisexuality, and musical theater. This movie had it all. I was still struck by the prevalence of Broadway musicals throughout everything I had seen. A high school freshman, I signed up for Broadway Musical Theater class. One of my first experiences in New York City was to see Cabaret live on stage with Alan Cumming and his cabaret girls and boys. Humorous to think now that of the ten students on that trip six were women, one was a straight man, and the two gay men (other than myself) are currently working in theater in on/off Broadway productions. What was it about musical theater that attracted such a skewed audience? Was something genetic guiding the gay men in the school toward this class? Was it the more open though not out gay teacher who we were drawn to? Was this our cultural heritage? On the other hand, were we being constructed to enjoy it because it has historically comfortable place for queers in our society? Was I ‘artsy’?

J. Jeffery. This movie taught me the tragedy and the significance of the AIDS crisis from perspectives on either side of the serostatus line. Jeffery and Steve try to navigate dating although Steve is HIV+. The movie was a good primer for my current acceptance and supportiveness to family, friends and other people with HIV. At the time, I saw it I knew of the existence of HIV, but had not associated a face and name, let alone family. In another angle, Jeffery’s parents were gay-celebrant. It made me feel good that there was precedent to where my parents would eventually be and currently are. It showed a romantic ending with rather masculine gay men dancing together amidst a candlelit room with Mother Theresa at piano. Affirming and hilarious. Yet, something about a mincing Patrick Stewart with his lover, a dancer in Broadway’s Cats, and a gay priest, Nathan Lane, struck me as stereotypical. At this point, I had realized that not everything produced was meant to represent me.

G. Get Real. B. Beautiful Thing. Gay teens. Ah, I was in high school they were in high school. I was able to finally see gay youth in their natural habitats getting harassed in their high schools and confiding in their heavyset girl friends. True to life, they seemed to be finding the same support and same lack of resources I had been encountering. These were depictions of how it was and they were as confused as I. They didn’t seem able to navigate their British or Australian high school lives any better. Thin and charming, the boys at least got the track star and soccer boy in the end. So, I just had to lose a hundred pounds and get back into the closet and love could be mine.

C. Circuit. Q. Queer As Folk. Luckily, for me, these were not created until recently. What would I think if I were still a naïve suburban youth? Would I be attracted to the action and the allure of these parties? Yes, I had been attracted to the disco, drag and ‘culture’ of the other movies. Depictions in the other films appeared so wildly different than what I had accepted myself to be and yet I was drawn to them. Would it be the same for current youth with Circuit? Could I have found affirmation in the display of gay male sexuality and of what gay men “do”? The parties, the drugs, the steroids, the gym and body obsession. Having realized and come to terms with my own sexuality and body image, I am shocked to think that some do find their culture and community in these depictions. As cultural display and possibly forming the cultural ideals of others, I am concerned for the health and vibrancy of a community that may find these movies to define their cultural goals. I hope they are able to get to a point where depictions are universal and where every person may find representation.

B. But I’m a Cheerleader. By this point, I had realized it was all a farce. There was gay culture about as much as there is straight culture. This movie depicted just that. Girls: pink, frilly, learning to cook, clean and iron properly, Boys: blue, masculine and being taught to chop wood by Rupaul. All this and more taught at True Directions, a camp to cure those unfortunate youth who were gay and lesbian. Is that all it means to be straight? If they could be taught to be straight, could I teach myself to be gay? Even if I watched all the films in that book, I realized that I could not find culture there. In my attempts to learn what it meant to be gay, I had become gay culture and helped to define a niche of gay culture for others separate of the film depictions.

Now, I am Phil and I am being myself. I still am a fan of disco, drag and musical theater; but also, I play rugby, am 6’ and over 200 pounds, go to an Ivy, work, read, and everything else I do during the course of my everyday life. I have gay friends, I have lesbian friends, I have trans friends, and I have straight friends. I say “honey” and I wear leather. I guess I’m still just a misguided youth, but I’ve learned to stop looking at the movies and look into myself to find out how I define myself and how my sexuality interacts with my life. Through this, I realize that I am not only living gay culture but I am defining gay culture. However, the existence of a gay culture is still dubious for me. I can’t offer a definitive, yes, I like disco because I’m gay or I’m gay because I like disco. However, I can offer a definitive, yes, I like men because I’m gay and I’m gay because I like men, but that’s all I’m willing to state. If they misguide themselves how I did, with the current depictions of gay culture, what will come of the next generation?

~Phil Cochetti

Identity Politics

Want to talk about buzzword of the week? Well, QPenn’s buzzword was ‘identity politics’. It was curious to see the topic, perhaps not in those exact words, come up at most every event throughout the week. But what is with these words, and why did they stretch across seemingly obvious borders to touch many events?

Identity Politics in its definition is the galvanization of a wide range of political activity and theorizing under one umbrella. A movement is “grouped” under identity politics if it is founded on commonality of experiences and shared injustice among members of an identified social group. It is different because it does not link people on ideology or party affiliation, but rather the liberation of people who are marginalized within society. Members also reassert and reclaim “ways of understanding their distinctiveness” to challenge dominant oppressive characterizations.

Throughout the week this idea was juggled, defined, challenged, supported, and left unresolved. Gay Rights or Civil Rights? kicked the week off by immediately touching on this concept. Are gay rights and civil rights comparable? Sitting in the audience, I had the opportunity to hear many perspectives on the issue, but there arose a tension. 1) If we stay separate (the LGBT and Civil Rights movements) we lose power and number; the more broad appeal of “human rights” might include others. 2) If we do unify, we lose the ability to draw members of our own constituency and the strength of a specific unified voice; there is no “a people” but rather many peoples with similar but still very different experiences; in some respects how can someone so different speak for “me” if we break down identities?

The issue of identity politics arose again when Dr. Ritch Savin-Williams addressed a group at the Carriage House. He spoke of the disappearance of identity—the emergence of the “post gay”. Youth no longer want to identify as lesbian, straight, bi, transgender etc. Instead very personalized identities have been embraced: DL, butch, pansexual, stud etc., etc. He also spoke to the “fluidity” of identity especially notable among women. Women, more than men, tend to “switch” identities more readily than men, but even here the issue of identity was challenged. He mentioned that in a study done by a colleague, when forced to pick a category, women did, but many were still reluctant to identify at all. The address buzzed to an end quickly to allow a period of question and answer. An ominous question arose, what about the future of resource centers such as La Casa Latina or even the Carriage House? The erosion of strong identity politics is something we will have to deal with in the future. I left thinking to myself, would human rights have the appeal to replace the compartmentalized rejections of oppression, or would these identities persist until marginalization is gone?

The “Fence-sitters Social” touched on this topic in a more concrete way. “I don’t like it? I’m not a fence-sitter.” Statements and questions like this arose throughout the evening of games. While the title does seem to be lacking in many ways, the event was geared toward bisexual and questioning persons. However, few people at the event laid such “simple” identities out. 70/30 or simply “not so sure bisexual is the word for it” were some of the self-assumed labels. More questions made their way to the front of my mind. How do you outwardly name a cause to unify people who so personally characterize themselves?

Perhaps “Queer.” This question was struggled around with at an earlier event. The Future and Challenges of Gender and Sexualities Studies at Penn, brought many people together to discuss the viability of this academic field. I thought from the beginning that it would be interesting to notice how a field like this could establish itself if identities were fading away. The umbrella term queer seemed not to stand the test. In ideology yes, but in practice no. Few people embrace the word as a way of unifying an arrangement of identities. However, one thing I found important at the event was a general consensus of the panelists that this field is definitely interdisciplinary and not narrowly defined. Paradigms haven’t yet been created. This flexibility and broad reaching nature of such a field seemed to overcome the limitations of concrete identities.

QPenn definitely took on a different look that I had originally thought. The shift came in focus. I think many people expected a retrospective approach with a splash of forward outlook; rather, a focus on the future of the LGBT community became the emphasis. I’m glad it did. It will be interesting to see where this metamorphosis leaves the community. Hopefully continued dialogue will address the challenge presented more deeply and overtly. Until then, it seems however that little has changed. This is encouraging because it means marginalized communities are still pushing to break down traditional barriers. People want to be people; they want to embrace ideals of individuality and freedom on which this country was based. Perhaps in the near future, we might truly be as queer as apple pie.

~Eric Boschetti