Test Site - Marriott Theme

LGB1994_1.pdf

Media

Part of LGBA prepares to 'come out'

Text

LGBA prepares to 'come out'
KAMVIRK
Spectrum Staff Writer

The Lesbian Gay Bisexual
Alliance is naming "National
Coming Out Day" as its first
major event for the fall. The
annual event will promote the
gay liberation movement at the
University at Buffalo by celebrating and spreading gay awareness.
National Coming Out Day/Gay
Jeans Day is Tuesday, October
11 . The ali-day event will feature a performance by popular
Buffalo cross-dresser/drag queen
Chevon Davis from 11 a.m. to 2
p.m. in the Student Union lobby.
During the day, tables will be set
up with information about
LGBA; t-shirts and buttons will
be on sale. There will also be a
window display in the UGL of
gay symbols and their meanings.
A social meeting and buffet
are scheduled to be held in the
evening from 5 to 9 p.m in room
145B Student Union. Admission
is free for UB students and there
is a $2 fee for non-students.
Members of UB's gay, lesbian
and bisexual community have
strong feelings about the importance of this event.
"National Coming Out Day is
a way to reclaim our identities
from society. It's our Independence day; It's about being able
to recognize, love and accept
yourself," said Anders Butler Jr.,
former president of LGBA.
Coming out
However UB students in general have mixed opinions about
National Coming Out Day.
Christine, a UB student, commented, "Why not? It will make
people more aware of our society
and that it's not just a heterosexual society."
Jason, another UB student,
added, "I think the concept of a
National Coming Out Day is kind
of amusing, because sexuality
doesn't exist just for a day, its a
lifestyle. You should be aware of
who you are all the time and be
free to express it. Trying to sup-

Liberation movement
According to Margaret Cruikshank. an expert on the gay liberation movement. "Before this
decade, for most college students, homosexuality was either
shrouded in silence or mentioned
briefly as a perversion - an illness or threat 10 society or simply as an embarrassment."
"But today because of the
growth of gay liberation and
because of AIDS, students are
more likely than their counterparts
decade ago to understand that gay
rights is a major social and political movement and some of them
will expect to read about it in college courses," Cruikshank added.
11
1f you are going to
In addition to
active promotion of
second-guess your daily
the gay liberation
wardrobe over this event,
movement, LGBA
then perhaps you should
has made efforts to
provide AIDS awaretake a look at yourself and
ness education for the
ask why you are intimidated." entire UB community.
"We hand out
Anders Butler Jr.
pamphlets,
do AIDS
former president of LGBA
community service
and try to spread
The display of pink and black gay awareness among students."
. One type of community serballoons can be traced back to
World War Two. They represent vice is the residence hall talks.
the pink and black triangular arm"We will do a RH talks for
bands that gays and lesbians, anyone, but the frequency is low
respectively, were required to wear because many students are resisin the Nazi concentration camps.
tant to go to an event with the
gay stigma. But, they are sucHistory
cessful and there will be more in
UB's LGBA has its roots in the the future," Butler said.
gay liberation fund which was
For members of UB's gay and
started on campus in 1970. This lesbian community, the LGBA
was one year after the Stonewall provides coming out support
riots which raged on campuses groups on a regular basis. These
across the country, marking the confidential sessions address the
beginning of the contemporary same issues that are raised by
gay liberation movement.
National Coming Out Day. The
UB' s gay liberation fund was coming out support group can be
started to spread awareness reached at 645-6063.
about gay, lesbian and bisexual
issues because the members felt Discrimination
Homophobic discrimination is
there was a need for open-mindedness. Today's LGBA has the not a new issue for gays. The
LGBA itself has often encounsame purpose.
"We are only asking for respect tered homophobic discrimination.
"We are only semi-visible and
and to be recognized equally as
hwnan beings, not as superiors, but
see LGBA page 8
certainly not as inferiors," said Duller.

press it is trying to avoid nature."
Other students were not as
supportive. A UB English major
said," I think its kind of stupid 10
have a day just to express your
sexual orientation."
The concept of Gay Jeans Day
is often misunderstood. "Jeans are ,
every day clothes, just as gays, lesbians and bisexuals are out there
every day. It is a conscious way of
connecting two every day things."
"If you are going to secondguess your daily wardrobe over
this event, then perhaps you
should take a look at yourself
and ask why you are intimidated," Butler said.

Friday October 7, 1994 +The Spectrum

3

LGBA
from page3
take a back seat in SA and in the
community," said LGBA member Jeff Logan.
"Last spring the sports club
coordinator wanted to take away
the LGBA office and replace it
with a smaller one."
Vandalism has also been a perpetual problem. Many members
of UB 's gay community have
faced discrimination and verbal or
physical attacks. The LGBA can
provide legal aid in such cases.
Cruikshank believes lesbians
and gays are hated for several
reasons. These reasons included
sexual anxiety in puritanical
America, needing a scapegoat in
times of rapid social change, fear
of the unknown, new visibility
and perceived power of homosexuals, perceived threat to the
nuclear family, and AIDS.
The gay liberation movement
has argued for the extension of
health insurance coverage to
domestic partners as is presently
provided for family members.
LGBA is hopeful that in the near
future UB's student health insurance plan will extend coverage to
domestic partners.
"Governor Cuomo has recently
signed a bill that will extend to
domestic partners, all health coverage presently available to spouses and this should cause changes
at UB as well," said Dave Quirolo, LGBA treasurer.
According to a representative
of UB's Student Health Insurance Program, "The university
has not looked into the exceptions of coverage."
"The fact that they have not
yet looked into the problem for
gays and lesbians reflects the
heterosexual dominance and
ignorance," added Butler.
LGBA members also want to
see an increase visibility of gays
in multiculturalism.
Chris Cheung said, "Homosexuality crosses all races, creeds,
and financial groups. At UB the
only class concentration on this is
'Women plus Women' offered by
the women studies department.
"We need to see more research
focused on us in both the social
and health sciences."