Institutionalize Safe Spaces

This fall, much attention has been paid to resources for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students on college campuses across the country, and Harvard is no exception. Recent student activity has called attention to Harvard’s embarrassing lack of institutionalized LGBT resources. Currently, the University only has the Queer Resource Center, a privately funded room in the basement of Thayer that is staffed by volunteer students. This makes Harvard, according to Harvard Queer Students and Allies Co-Chair Marco Chan ’11—who is also a member of the College’s BGLTQ Working Group—the only Ivy-league institution that lacks either a University-funded LGBT resource center or LGBT coordinator. It is unacceptable that Harvard has gone so long without sufficient resources for LGBT students. In light of recent hate crimes—including one at Harvard—and suicides on college campuses across the country, as well as the immense burden that is placed upon LGBT student groups to maintain the current resource center, the risks and needs are too great to ignore this issue.

Indeed, Harvard should begin providing funding for the QRC as quickly as possible. In addition, Harvard should hire a full or part-time coordinator to staff the center, organize queer events, and serve as a point person for queer issues on campus—responsibilities that until now have often fallen to students. The current lack of a clearly LGBT-focused administrator has led to dissatisfaction among many members of the LGBT community over the handling of the hate crime on campus earlier this semester. An official coordinator is also necessary because the QRC, which offers movies, an extensive library, pamphlets, safe-sex supplies, and a place for students to talk, should not rely on student volunteers to remain open. The center should be available for students regardless of other students' commitment to staff it. Placing the burden of providing support for the queer community upon students is unfair.

But beyond shifting the onus away from students, institutionalized University LGBT resources would send an important message to the Harvard community and would work to create a more welcoming, inclusive climate for all students. Like the Women’s Center, the QRC should, with University support and a hired coordinator, begin sponsoring events and hosting dialogues on campus. Further, like the Women’s Center, the QRC need not serve as a political organization, but rather should be a resource for students. Political activism should remain in the domain of the QSA and other LGBT groups on campus—the purpose of institutionalizing LGBT resources is to support a diverse and respectful campus culture.

It is important that these steps to create a more queer-friendly atmosphere on campus are taken quickly. Although we are sympathetic to the unfortunate compactness of the current center, finding a larger space could delay the process. Thus, right now, moving the QRC should not be the priority. Although the administration has shown interest by creating a working group to review LGBT resources, it is disappointing that any decision is unlikely to be made until after March, when the working group is set to submit its report. Harvard should put a lesser emphasis on reviewing resources and a greater emphasis on allocating them immediately; the aim should not be to discuss, but rather to implement. Ultimately, this is not an issue that just merits discussion—it is a necessity.

Sadly, this is an aspect in which Harvard must learn from its peer institutions. The University of Pennsylvania, for example, has had an LGBT center and coordinator since 1982. Harvard also is not included in Advocate Magazine’s guide to LGBT-friendly colleges. Indeed, we hope that Harvard will move quickly and, with the support of a coordinator and a funded resource center, catch up to its peers in institutionalizing safe spaces on campus.

CORRECTION: December 4, 2010

An earlier version of the Dec. 3 editorial "Institutionalize Safe Spaces" incorrectly stated that Harvard is the only Ivy-league institution that lacks both a University-funded LGBT resource center and center coordinator, and attributed this information to Marco Chan '11. In fact, Chan had said that Harvard is the only Ivy-league institution lacking either a University-funded LGBT resource center or LGBT coordinator, and was misquoted in a Crimson news article. The Crimson regrets the error.