Welcome Back

And so starts the spring semester 2010. By the looks of things, however, spring is hardly upon us. Nevertheless, we here in the LGBTQ Center are springing forward with plans for a most exciting semester. Expect to see each of our recurring event series returning this semester, with a couple of additions, such as a semester-long series of faculty led symposiums as well as a set of events later in the semester that will give students an opportunity to present their scholarship to the community. This semester will also bring the next event in the LGBTQ history series that we launched last year, to great success, with "Interrogating Mythologies." We are also very excited to announce that the LGBTQ Center will be producing a publication this semester. So if you or anyone you know would be interested in being involved, please send us an email (curious@vassar.edu). There will also be performance events throughout the semester -- not to be missed.

Spring at Vassar would not be complete without All College Day -- now in its 10th year! This year the theme is "Bridging the Gaps: knowing the past, living the present, shaping the future." I'm so excited, and I'm not the only one. Campus response has been incredible; we already have dozens of organizations signed-up to be a part. Of course every All College Day since its inception has been met with campus-wide enthusiasm -- after all, its not called All College Day for nothing -- but I think this one is going to be really big! Now I know you are eager to know more, and posters will be going up soon, but if you are like me and simply cannot wait, then point your browser to the Campus Life Office website (campuslife.vassar.edu), or call 845-437-5462 to learn more.

Now if that is not enough to get you jumping up and down, I have one more BIG item to announce. The LGBTQ Center is getting new furniture! Thats right, a new sofa plus a new big comfy chair -- all in hot pink. Just kidding. Actually they were out of hot pink, so we went with red instead. It's all coming next week. So stop on by and check it out. And in case you still don't know where we are, the center is located in the College Center, room 235, which is, as QCVC puts so well, "in Main, right above the Retreat, in a lovely little corner."

Looking forward to seeing you.

-Steve

Special Guest Reading “Within the Clouds”

The Drama Department presents: A Special Guest Reading. “Within the Clouds.” Based on the novel, "Sea of Tranquillity." Written by Paul Russell, Professor of English at Vassar College. Directed by Jonathan Tilley. "Within the Clouds" is a stage adaption of the first part of Paul Russell's third novel "Sea of Tranquillity." In 1970, astronaut Allen Cloud is about to begin training for an Apollo moon mission when his personal life crumbles. He separates from his wife, Joan, and discovers that his son Jonathan is gay. Joan and Jonathan depart Houston for Tennessee, where Joan slips deeper into alcoholism and Jonathan meets Stayton Voegli, a shy preacher's son who becomes his lover. The play follows these four characters through what critics have called "a compelling chronicle of the fracturing of an American family" which is likely to "leave indelible tracks on the surface of your mind."

February 6, 2010. Martel Theater. 7pm.

No Reservations Required. Seating is first come first serve.

Contact the box office at (845) 437-5599 for more information.

Kinsey

Queer Music at Cubbyhole

New York musician sean desiree will be performing at the Cubbyhole (Poughkeepsie) on Friday, February 12th. Her music talks about issues affecting LGTBQ community, communities of color, and women. sean's solo project, bell's roar is a project of love, resistance, dedication and against homophobia, sexism and racism. bell's roar features melodic guitars, lusty beats, intense vocal stylings and a desire for some brass. The tone of the project is best described by the source of its name, feminist writer bell hooks.

If you would like more information, or would like to hear samples of Sean's music, visit www.myspace.com/bellsroar

T

Tristan Feldman '12

A recent post on Joe My God, a prominent gay blog, concerning the suicide of LA Times Sports Columnist Mike Penner, sparked some interesting discussion via the comment section. In 2007 Mike Penner announced that he was transitioning and wished to be called Christine Daniels. Last February he announced that he was no longer transitioning and wished to be referred to as Mike Penner again. While ignoring the obvious trolls and blatantly unrelated posts, I found an interesting sentiment in the comments. One person wrote,

“This post and the first two comments are typical of the ultra-PC, head-in-the-sand approach to this issue. No problem here, nothing to see, T's are all perfectly fine and it is transphobia that is to blame for all ills.  

This person got support from his colleagues. There were no reports of harassment or discrimination. This person decided he was a woman and had the freedom and resources to follow through, then decided he was a man, and then decided to kill himself. That is not healthy, normal, or sane and it is ridiculous to minimize it or suggest that it is "society" that is mentally ill or that unnamed others were responsible for his demise. More to the point, none of this sad drama has anything to do with gay people.

It was a titanic mistake to allow unelected activists to equate T with LGB. They are not the same thing. They are very different phenomena. And there is absolutely no political benefit to LGBs in maintaining this forced marriage with Ts. We should wish them well and chart our own course.”

Another person added on:

I have sympathy for all people who face discrimination. At the same time though, I totally agree that transgender should have never been in the same group with LGB's. It's almost as bad as putting Muslim-Americans who face discrimination in our group. We are not the same. Transgender is transgender, gay is gay, and Muslim is Muslim. 

These comments struck me because the relationship between the LGB and the T community is something that has been on the back of my mind lately. I do agree that including trans people with gay people does lead to some confusion over the differences between sexuality and gender, but at the same time, the two are so inextricably linked it is hard to define them separately. In fact, it is impossible to define sexuality without getting into the realm of someone’s sex and gender identity.

I don’t really know what to say to people who say that the issues that trans people face have nothing to do with gay people. Our histories are intertwined, our needs are similar, our communities have overlaps, and if you are truly fighting for gay rights because they are civil rights what are you saying if you leave part of your community behind?

I think the problem actually lies in people who add the T to LGB without really meaning it. I have read countless brochures that are for “LGBT” individuals that don’t even address the concerns of trans people, or only mention them as a side note. This kind of treatment can lead people to conflating gender identity with sexual orientation. I think that more serious consideration of the trans community needs to take place within the queer community. Everyone should look critically at the categories of sex and gender, for no other reason then to have a better understanding of yourself and your identity. This is one of the many factors that separate the queer community from the gay community and why I’m much more proud to say I’m queer than to say I’m gay.

Marriage as Heedless Pursuit

By Dominic Schuler '11

"In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions. I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage."

This was said by Maine Governor John E. Baldacci when he signed LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom, last spring. He also noted in an interview that his decision to sign the legislation, a decision he firmly backs as the “right decision”, may not be final. Governor Baldacci signed a measure allowing a referendum in November, after voters mustered enough signatures to put the measure through. As we saw in California, the Maine gay marriage law is now in the hands of voters.

Next week, we may find out if this story plays out differently. I think there is something to be said for learning from Proposition 8 in California, and it seems that this is exactly what the community has done. Counter- ads to the opposition began in September and were well-received- check one out here! First TV Ad Spot: "Sam Putnam"

I thought that this was an interesting and important issue to blog about, but I also want to note that I believe there is an overemphasis in the queer community today concerning marriage. Yes- equality is important. No- denying people basic rights based on any identity isn't right.

But considering the numerous other structures in which access is still denied queer people, marriage should not necessarily be our first concern.

The good people fighting this struggle are necessary- this struggle is necessary. But marriage is an inherently sexist, racist, and classist institution and I, for one, have some difficulty placing it at the top of my priority list. Furthermore, marriage is still highly focused on an idea of a nuclear family unit that risks alienating members of the queer community who marriage does not serve, or who have little interest in the institution. Simply changing the idea from one of a mother, a father, 2.5 kids and a dog to one in which the 2.5 kids can have two mommies or two daddies? Not that big of a switch. The working structure of marriage cannot be solved by granting access to an institution that is still riddled with problems- that is merely a 'quick fix' and I urge caution against mistaking victory in the fight for gay marriage as the signal to 'lay down our arms'. Rather, we should see the problems inherent in marriage as a call to arms, and we should remember that with every such victory, someone is silenced.

Humorous Interlude

By Logan Rimel '10

Because I tend to talk about serious, heavy topics when writing blog posts, I figured there was room for a bit of levity. How best to inspire laughs on a queer blog? Why, Eddie Izzard, of course!

Eddie Izzard is a British actor and comedian who is also well known for being a transvestite. (An “executive transvestite,” to be more precise.) I love that he’s out there, talking about his identity and experiences in a way that is palatable to mainstream America.

Here’s a clip of Izzard talking about his identity, growing up, and considering a military career: Eddie Izzard Transvestite

The Miscellany News - Panel discusses evolution of Vassar queer life

Vassar Miscellany News covers Interrogating Mythologies: Queer Life at Vassar since '69

Unpacking Gay History Within the Black Community

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Mormon Missionaries

By Logan Rimel '10

Recently, while checking the queer and political blogs I regularly read, I clicked on a banner ad for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly referred to as the Mormons) offering a free Book of Mormon. As a religion major conspicuously lacking said holy text, I decided that this opportunity was too good to pass up. I filled out the information and promptly forgot about it.

About a week later, I received a call from two young missionaries working here in Poughkeepsie. They wanted to schedule an appointment with me so that they could drop by, give me the book, and discuss their faith. I’ve now met with them on two separate occasions, discussing everything from the validity of the Bible to the testimony of Joseph Smith to (my personal favorite) queer identities, particularly within the Church.

For anyone not familiar with LDS doctrine (and I must confess, I am not nearly as well-versed as I should be. That was part of the reason behind requesting a Book of Mormon in the first place), the family is considered the central unit. It is through our relationships with our families that we learn how to love God and, eventually, to become like Him. From this position – the family not only as God’s prescribed plan, but as how one attains salvation – the LDS Church can be very difficult for queer members.

In my most recent meeting with the missionaries (two very kind, amiable, and intelligent women about my age), I brought up the fact that I was queer and did my best to explain my identity – how I view relationships, the people I date, the way orientation and gender identity combine to give me my perceptions of the world. At the end of my brief exposition, one of the women said, “So…like, homosexuality?” It was then that I realized we were speaking different languages.

Sometimes I forget, you know? I forget that the terms “gender binary,” “genderqueer,” “nonmonogamous,” and a thousand others are ones I use freely here, but sound like Greek to many others. I am privileged to be at Vassar, a privilege few others experience. As we discussed in the last Fruit Salad put on in the LGBTQ Center, the language that we have access to in institutions such as Vassar is not language that others necessarily are familiar with. The nuances of my identity are a result of my privilege.

The missionaries didn’t know exactly how to answer my questions, so they promised to do some research and meet with me again next week. I greatly appreciate the honesty in that answer and I’m looking forward to learning more about their perspective as they learn more about mine.

Gay Marriage: Cross-Cultural Concerns

By Dominic Schuler '11

It's no secret that in our country, the (mainstream) gay community is very focused around the struggle for marriage equality, hate crime legislature, and rights within the military. I think it is important sometimes to step back and look at what struggles queer communities internationally are facing.

While we featured the first gay couple on the 'Newlywed Game' last month, debate raged over the marriage of two Kenyan men in London (the first gay marriage in London) under the Civil Partnership Act. Religious leaders in Kenya described the union as “unacceptable and unnatural” and “un-African”, and expressed a sense of shame in their shared heritage with the two men. They also cited China's intolerance for queer issues.

Currently, Kenya is drafting a new constitution, which intends to invest in the interests of both majority and minority groups. Although British MP's urge for gay rights to be recognized and protected, religious groups have a large say in the matter and will shoot down the draft if it includes gay rights. Leaders stated that “the majority of Kenyans are against...anything to do with homosexuals and lesbians” and asked “How can a Kenyan marry another man when there are many women out there looking for men to marry them?"

I don't claim to know very much about Kenyan society, but I know that, growing up, I heard many statements similar to those in the paragraphs which precede this one in the American media (Fox news, for example), and it is interesting and, I think, important for us to recognize the similarities and differences in the struggle of queer communities for recognition in our society and others.

SexGames: Sexuality and Athletics

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Interrogating Mythologies: Queer Life at Vassar since '69

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Promises Deferred

By Logan Rimel '10

I’m on the email list for OneNewsNow, a conservative Christian new website. Today in my inbox I received an email with the subject “Christians on high alert over hate crimes passage.” Intrigued, (but also aware that my blood pressure was probably going to be on the rise soon), I decided to read on.

Putting aside the blatant lies, half-truths, and mental gymnastics that one would expect from such an email (The hate crimes bill will NOT mean that pastors who speak about homosexuality in an ill light go to prison. That’s a bald-faced lie.), I focused instead on one line from Matt Barber of Liberty Council. Barber says that President Obama will likely sign the bill since he desires to, “throw a bone to homosexual activists because they have been breathing down his neck...and this is a way to hold them off."

It was sort of disturbingly funny to find myself agreeing with Mr. Barber. President Obama has made promise after promise to the LGBTQ community during his campaign and first several months in office, yet does nothing to ensure that these promises are fulfilled. His administration has castigated and promised to end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act while simultaneously defending them in court.

I, for one, am disgusted by this lack of leadership, but not exactly surprised. I just don’t like agreeing with Matt Barber.

The text of this email can be found here:
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=736154

For an explanation of the hate crimes bill, go here:
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/13712/how-the-new-hate-crimes-prevention-act-works

Sexual Mafia

By Dominic Schuler '11

The Mafia (Cosa Nostra) is as an institution one of the top subscribers to ideals of 'machismo'. In a nutshell- organized crime is a go, but gay is a deal breaker. I found this interesting because of Robert Mormando, a Gambino family gunman, who broke the mafia code of silence-- omertà and confessed to acting as a government informer in his court hearing this week (regarding a shooting in 2003), but that isn't all he confessed to. He also outed himself in court, in an attempt to stress to the judge the higher-than-usual degree of danger he was putting himself in acting as a government informer.

I didn't find this case interesting because of a slightly self-interested court-mediated outing, nor because I was surprised to hear about a 'gay' in the Mafia (I'm sure there are more), but because of the Mafia's history in interacting with the queer world.

Before queer communities 'came out' from underground, laws prevented queer people from living easily in the mainstream world. For instance, throughout the 1950's and 60's, the FBI kept a list of known homosexuals (due to the 'Lavender Scare'- we all know those gays are right up there at the top of the list of risks to national security) so that bartenders could avoid breaking the law by having more than three homosexuals in their building at the same time- and this law seems almost sane and non-arbitrary in comparison with others!

During that time period, the Mafia ran a host of gay bars and night clubs, including the Stonewall Inn, interacting profitably with what at the time, was another underground, highly controversial community. Although queer culture has run more into the mainstream these days (I'm glad that law is off the books, because I've probably broken it more times than I can count!), the Mafia still interacts with many openly gay lawyers and businessmen.

I think that these seemingly opposed ideals stem from the divide between what is 'business' and what is 'personal'. In any event, the Mafia (and the military, for that matter) would probably do well to leave sexual preference out of their membership criteria.

Hate Crimes

By Dominic Schuler '11

On Thursday (October 22), Congress approved extending protections from hate crimes based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, and disability. Conservatives have opposed what they say is “controversial language” in the hate crimes legislation, which is “unrelated to our national defense”, and Republicans comprised all of the 'no' votes but one.

It bothers me that one of the main lines of opposition to basic protection from violence is based in untruth. Opponents claim that hate crimes legislature for the queer community will not do what previous hate crimes legislature for other groups has, but will instead create a 'special class' of victim, or lead to the silencing of those affiliated with religious institutions which are opposed to homosexuality. Lobbyists apply a malicious intent to laws only intending to protect the basic rights of other human beings.

When I went looking for news about this topic to write this post, I found a problem that I expected less than I expected the bastardization of the intent of the laws passed in Congress this week. Major news sources, including mainstream queer news sources, are reporting more often than not that legislature for sexual orientation and only sexual orientation passed, leaving out gender, gender identity, and disability.

First of all- gender wasn't already included in hate crimes legislature? I don't even have words.

Second- gender identity and disability are often 'silenced' or 'invisible' categories already. In the case of gender identity specifically, it shocks me that we cannot come together as a queer community to celebrate new protections for sexual orientation and gender identity, that we must still compartmentalize into smaller communities and silence one another rather than recognizing our common aims and joining the fight for social justice and equality together.

Events for the Week of October 26

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Vassar students join the National Equality March

By Casey Katims, '10

On October 11th, over a hundred Vassar students trekked from Poughkeepsie to Washington, D.C., to join the National Equality March for LGBTQ civil rights. As one of the presidents of ACT OUT, I can easily say that organizing this exhilarating (and exhausting) 14-hour trip was the most amazing experience of my college career. But even more importantly, I can say that marching side-by-side with this group of 103 individuals has made me prouder than ever of the Vassar student body.

Although most of the Vassar LGBTQ community would agree that our college is extremely progressive, a number of factors have often limited student participation in campus activism. Extracurricular activities, coupled with heavy workloads and busy schedules, make each of us weary of taking on new responsibilities. Yet the outpour of support that ACT OUT received for this trip—from individuals, administrators, dorm houses and VSA, among others—allowed us to organize a truly special event.

In many ways, the trip to the National Equality March defied logic. On the Sunday immediately preceding midterms, why would 103 students be willing to wake up at 3:00 a.m., spend 14 hours on a bus, and march through Washington, D.C.?

To answer this question is simply to recognize that Vassar students care a lot—much more than I realized—about ensuring the LGBTQ movement's continued progress. It continues to fill me with pride that so many students wanted to join us, regardless of their workload, stress, and other obligations. Yet for Leslie (ACT OUT's other president) and myself, nothing can replace the memory of 103 students standing around Main Circle at 3:00 a.m., with pillows and homework in hand, to march on Washington for LGBTQ equality.

These students spent week after week attending meetings, getting to know one another, discussing rules, and painting signs (with phrases like "Equality is SO Gay" and "Legalize Love"). Many of them helped us fundraise, allowing us to pay for the second bus and bring 50 additional students. And each of them added a different shade of the LGBTQ rainbow to the ACT OUT trip—from straight to queer, transgender to gay, intersex to bisexual, and every color inbetween. I have learned so much from this group of people, whom I now consider part of the ACT OUT family, and whom I plead to continue fighting for LGBTQ equality.

The Equality March was a significant moment in the LGBTQ movement and in all of our lives. But all Vassar students need to remember that it was only one step toward full citizenship for LGBTQ Americans. The United States still needs federal non-discrimination laws, hate crimes protections, marriage equality, gender-neutral facilities, and more. Achieving these goals won't be easy. So, after we've caught up on sleep and done all our homework, let's pick ourselves up and keep fighting for what we know is right. Because, as Cleve Jones said at the march, “If you believe that you are equal, then it is time to act like it.

Reflections on the National Equality March

By Tristan Feldman '12

Last Sunday’s March On Washington was amazing! A great day with perfect weather was topped off by an amazing speech by Staceyann Chin and then running into her at the rest stop on the way back to Vassar (even though I saw her just as she was getting back onto the bus and didn’t get a chance to speak to her, even that small glimpse made my day. Who cares about Lady Gaga, Staceyann Chin really stole the show). The march was all I expected and more, but it was not all that I hoped for.

Like at most LGBTQ events, the L (lesbian), the G (gay), and for once the B (bisexual) dominated. There were side references to the T (transgender), including some speakers, but no reference to intersex people, pansexuals, and to those who defy labels. Yes, there were trans speakers, yes they did speak about the strides they are taking to represent an underrepresented community, but this was just a formality. Looking at the signs people were carrying, the words they were chanting, the general sentiment of the march, I would have to label it a gay event, not a queer event.

All this happened as I am trying to find my place in a community that I so much want to be apart of, a community upon which I define my identity, but a community that so often ignores me or treats me as a side note. Events like these really make me question what holds our community together? Are we really a LGBTQAI… community? What is it that we share?

We share a history. Drag queens and trans women were the ones who fought back at Stonewall. They took the lead and fought back against the police. We share discrimination. We share high runaway and homeless youth rates. We share high suicide rates. We share class and race issues. We are groups fighting for equality. The thing about equality is that it can’t come in small bits for some people. We need social justice for all, the ending of all inequality, all hierarchy, and all privilege. But this won’t happen in a gay movement that side notes those who originally took the lead, those that have even fewer rights and are in even greater danger. We need a truly queer movement and a truly queer community.

Autumn Reception

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