Gay Students Receive Support

They first landed in a spaceship that originated in an alternate universe: a place were people have sex by clapping their hands.

As the story goes, they came from Transsexual, Transylvania to colonize the earth.

At least that's how the Rocky Horror Picture Show portrayed gays in the late 1970s. Their presence could not be explained and they were expected to keep quiet.

But being gay is not what it used to be. In the 1980s, a political movement began that fought for the recognition of the gay community as a minority group entitled to rights and resources.

And while members of Harvard's gay community say they still feel that they are treated as members of an alternate universe, they quickly add that in recent months the University has vastly improved the services it offers bisexual, gay and lesbian students.

During this past year, Harvard agreed to open a gay student center, created new support groups for gay students at University Health Services (UHS) and approved the formation of a new student organization for gay women.

But while the availability of new resources signals Harvard's recognition that its gay community needs support, some students say the College administration refuses to recognize the political rights of this minority group.

The needs of lesbian, gay and bisexual students are being ignored by administrators across the board, says Joshua L. Oppenheimer '96-'97, an outspoken member of the gay community and political chair of the Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Student Association (BGLSA).

"When there are strong movements in minority communities you can either honor them or ask where the demand comes from," Oppenheimer says. "This is what Harvard fails to do."

Oppenheimer concludes that the College cannot provide adequate support for gay students and that members of the gay community are forced rely on more informal networks. These networks, Oppenheimer says, can only be further im-proved if lesbian, gay and bi-sexual students gain recognition as a political minority on campus.

But Assistant Dean for Coeducation Virginia L. MacKay-Smith, who acts as a liaison to the College for gay students, says she has helped develop a tutor structure that is aimed at reaching out to students.

"We consider it to be working toward a community which is welcoming to bi, gay and straight students," Smith says.

Getting Support From UHS

The two new support groups for gay students that are run out of UHS are part of this broader effort by the College to provide support for its gay community.

The groups, which were developed in response to student requests, are led by three members of the UHS staff: Psychology Fellows Greg Buchanan and Xiaolu Hsi and social worker Deb Cohn.

"Members make a commitment to come and it's confidential," says Cohn of a group for graduate students that was formed in December.

Cohn, with the other two facilitators, says she is now developing a group for undergraduate men.

"But if enough women showed, we would form one for them too," Cohn says.

Unlike student support groups which are aimed at buildings a sense of community, the UHS program focuses on providing gay students with clinical counseling.

"It's therapy, not a drop-in group like Contact," says Cohn. "We see the same people each week."

But Oppenheimer criticizes the new UHS groups because their institutionalized approach at dealing with gay students' concerns makes many students hesitant to attend meetings.

"The University doesn't see that it's intimidating," Oppenheimer says. "People are led to believe that [being gay] is a disease because it's in a medical institution. That actually stops a lot of people from getting involved."

Gay Life in the Houses

Students, like Oppenheimer, who say they feel uncomfortable with the formal treatment offered at UHS, are afforded a more informal option in their houses.

MacKay-Smith supervises the Designated Tutors for Sexual Orientation Committee that trains house tutors to deal with gay issues.

"What I do is mostly advising," MacKay-Smith says. "Any student can talk confidentially to me about [their] sexuality."

"Sometimes students need to talk to someone who understands the issues as well as college infrastructure and the administration," she says.

House tutors do not necessarily have to be gay themselves in order to advise gay students, but they must attend a series of regular training workshops.

"You don't have to be gay to be a good advisor," says MacKay-Smith, who chairs the workshops. "But [gay] students may need the advice of another gay person."

Tutors that attend the workshops are included on a list that is available in each house, as well as in the pamphlet, "Living in a Community of Equals," which is available at the Freshman Dean's Office.

Carla R. Imperial, a designated tutor in Currier House, says the role of the tutors is critical in providing advice to gay students.

"There are professors who are out...but tutors tend to know what's out there. We share what we know at meetings and help get information to the students," says Megan E. Jewett, who is also a Currier House tutor and is Imperial's partner.

"Since we are an openly gay couple, I think students definitely feel comfortable coming to us [for advice]," Imperial says.

"Open and out gay tutors may be the first out people students meet," Jewett adds. "It can be really reassuring to both gay and straight students, especially straight students who might have been uncomfortable before."

Jewett says that tutors try to foster a variety of activities for students to make them more familiar with the issues facing gays.

"We plan dances, film series and discussion groups for gay students," she says.

Jewett adds that many tutors also maintain resources for gay students in house libraries.

But Imperial says that the effectiveness of the designated tutor program rests on the dedication of individual tutors.

"It depends on how available tutors make themselves," she says.

BGLSA

In place of the treatment offered by UHS or the informal support available in the houses, Oppenheimer suggests that the BGLSA offers gay students the kind of support they really need--a community in which they feel safe.

"Because our community is not one that brings up children, for 95 percent of the people it's where they come out," says Oppenheimer. "The Harvard community is just coming into itself here and it's difficult without an older community to provide resources and make it less scary."

BGLSA co-chair Nadia P. Croes '96 says her organization provides both social and political support for students by increasing the visibility of the gay community.

"[The BGLSA's] purpose is to provide, not just a safe, but also a social environment and political outlet for students," Croes says.

One of the major initiatives pursued by the BGLSA this fall was their petition to the College administration for a new gay student center.

After a lengthy debate among administrators who initially claimed that they did not have space for such a center, a basement room in Holworthy Hall was designated for the purpose of serving Harvard's gay community.

"Next year people will be able to pick up books, find out about events...but right now we're still setting everything up," says Croes, of the center that is currently under construction.

In addition to its lobbying of the College, the BGLSA also sponsors a series of community events aimed at promoting social awareness of gays.

"We use organized groups to have political and social events like poetry readings, a five speaker symposium and Bisexual Gay and Lesbian Awareness Days, (BGLAD) in April," she adds.

The visibility of events like BGLAD are important in helping students feel more comfortable as members of the gay community. And they send a signal of acceptance to students who are thinking of coming out of the closet, Croes says.

"Our dances make the BGLSA a presence on campus," Croes says. "Straight students come who wouldn't be involved otherwise."

Increasingly, straight students have felt more comfortable attending BGLSA meetings, Croes adds.

"A lot of straight students are involved," she says, referring to the BGLSA's three straight board members. "[In general there is] a lot of support...that doesn't mean Harvard is or is not gay friendly. Things in the houses are pretty mixed."

Croes also points to the BGLSA's efforts to create programs for first-years as a sign of their broadening base of support.

"Some proctors tried to get a group of freshmen together but not much came of it," Croes says. "[But] freshmen take a while to come out of their shells. We try to target freshmen and let them know there's a safe place for them."

Girls Spot and Other Groups

Croes says that there are several groups on campus that complement BGLSA in providing services for the gay community.

Organizations, such as the newly-formed Girls Spot and Contact, focus on students' specific needs that a larger group, like the BGLSA, cannot address.

"If we divide ourselves to meet the needs of individual groups, which the [BGLSA] board has actually discussed in the past, it would be counterproductive," Croes says. "There would be constant overlapping of interests."

Oppenheimer says he agrees with Croes that the BGLSA is over-burdened by the number of issues it must address.

"The burden is now entirely on the BGLSA and Contact. More services need to be offered," Oppenheimer says, referring to his group and Contact, a peer counseling organization that deals with issues of sexuality and sexual orientation.

Girls Spot, a forum for women, was formed last spring in response to the overwhelmingly male membership of the BGLSA.

"The all female environment is important [even though] there are a lot of women at the BGLSA," says Jennifer T. Tattenbaum '98, a former co-chair of Girls Spot.

Girls Spot is focused on providing emotional support rather than championing political causes, say Tattenbaum and co-chair Diana L. Adair '98.

"The BGLSA is more politically oriented and not so focussed on discussion of the issues," says Tattenbaum. "Political stuff is important, but our purpose is more as a social forum."

"The main purpose of Girls Spot is to provide a community for women on campus, straight women as well," Tattenbaum adds.

Although Girls Spot was formed with the concerns of gay women in mind, it has several straight members, who contribute meaningfully to the group's weekly meetings, Tattenbaum says.

In the meetings, discussion topics range from safe sex to current literature.

Role of Gay Alumni

Although the gay alumni community cannot provide extensive support to its students because it tends to be comprised only of younger people, it still plays an important role in providing resources to undergraduates.

The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus has been active for more than decade and is made up of both gay and straight alumni, according to co-chair Diane E. Hamer, who works at the Schlesinger Library.

Like the BGLSA, the caucus has worked to foster greater inclusion of gays into the College community through political means.

It has helped rewrite the Harvard Statement on Non-Discriminations to include lesbians, gays and bisexuals, helped to organize protests and sponsored events aimed at fostering awareness of gay issues.

"We support students with Open Gate grants, a gay and lesbian studies caucus and a lecture or two a year" says Hamer.

Hamer says the scope of the caucus programs are large enough to appeal to a wide range of people.

"We usually sponsor two literary and two scholarly events a year, including a dinner during commencement week," says Hamer.

The Caucus also publishes the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Newsletter and The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review.

Oppenheimer, however, is quick to point out that the caucus is not a campus organization and, thus, cannot directly provide support to students.

"The caucus isn't a community into which we come out," Oppenheimer says.

"They do provide the BGLSA with a lot of resources though, including Open Gate grants like the one used to found the Resource Center in Holworthy," he says.

In the past, the caucus has sponsored several programs aimed at undergraduates, including a mentorship program, but it has since been eliminated.

"We started putting on events before it was being brought up, but now [lesbian, gay and bisexual issues] are more common, so we don't do so much anymore," Hamer says.

Randomization

BGLSA members say the full randomization of the housing lottery has made the need for support of gay students all the more urgent.

"Adams was really a gay and lesbian house; a de facto resource center and focus of gay life that will be lost with randomization," says Oppenheimer.

Croes adds that the BGLSA will be left to play a critical role once the results of randomization are felt by students.

"After randomization, Adams [House] won't be such a safe haven," Croes says. "A lot of students will feel displaced."

But Oppenheimer says the issue of randomization is an indicator of a set of much larger problems faced by the College administration in dealing with lesbian, gay and bisexual issues.

"Randomization is supposed to be about integration, but it only benefits those other than the minority. If people are choosing to live together, there's a reason for it," Oppenheimer says. "The University doesn't want to find the root of the problem, they just want to attack the symptoms."

Oppenheimer suggests that the administration "undertake a study of gay and lesbian student needs."

MacKay-Smith volunteered to conduct such a study several months ago, Oppenheimer says, but the project never got underway.

"We need an assessment of how things are. Is there adequate training for proctors? Are the AIDS awareness groups effective? We think the answer is no and we need a study to resolve it," Oppenheimer says.CrimsonJay L. AbramovitzJOSHUA L. OPPENHEIMER '96-'97, political chair of BGLSA, speaks about the need for gay studies at Harvard at a recent panel.

But Assistant Dean for Coeducation Virginia L. MacKay-Smith, who acts as a liaison to the College for gay students, says she has helped develop a tutor structure that is aimed at reaching out to students.

"We consider it to be working toward a community which is welcoming to bi, gay and straight students," Smith says.

Getting Support From UHS

The two new support groups for gay students that are run out of UHS are part of this broader effort by the College to provide support for its gay community.

The groups, which were developed in response to student requests, are led by three members of the UHS staff: Psychology Fellows Greg Buchanan and Xiaolu Hsi and social worker Deb Cohn.

"Members make a commitment to come and it's confidential," says Cohn of a group for graduate students that was formed in December.

Cohn, with the other two facilitators, says she is now developing a group for undergraduate men.

"But if enough women showed, we would form one for them too," Cohn says.

Unlike student support groups which are aimed at buildings a sense of community, the UHS program focuses on providing gay students with clinical counseling.

"It's therapy, not a drop-in group like Contact," says Cohn. "We see the same people each week."

But Oppenheimer criticizes the new UHS groups because their institutionalized approach at dealing with gay students' concerns makes many students hesitant to attend meetings.

"The University doesn't see that it's intimidating," Oppenheimer says. "People are led to believe that [being gay] is a disease because it's in a medical institution. That actually stops a lot of people from getting involved."

Gay Life in the Houses

Students, like Oppenheimer, who say they feel uncomfortable with the formal treatment offered at UHS, are afforded a more informal option in their houses.

MacKay-Smith supervises the Designated Tutors for Sexual Orientation Committee that trains house tutors to deal with gay issues.

"What I do is mostly advising," MacKay-Smith says. "Any student can talk confidentially to me about [their] sexuality."

"Sometimes students need to talk to someone who understands the issues as well as college infrastructure and the administration," she says.

House tutors do not necessarily have to be gay themselves in order to advise gay students, but they must attend a series of regular training workshops.

"You don't have to be gay to be a good advisor," says MacKay-Smith, who chairs the workshops. "But [gay] students may need the advice of another gay person."

Tutors that attend the workshops are included on a list that is available in each house, as well as in the pamphlet, "Living in a Community of Equals," which is available at the Freshman Dean's Office.

Carla R. Imperial, a designated tutor in Currier House, says the role of the tutors is critical in providing advice to gay students.

"There are professors who are out...but tutors tend to know what's out there. We share what we know at meetings and help get information to the students," says Megan E. Jewett, who is also a Currier House tutor and is Imperial's partner.

"Since we are an openly gay couple, I think students definitely feel comfortable coming to us [for advice]," Imperial says.

"Open and out gay tutors may be the first out people students meet," Jewett adds. "It can be really reassuring to both gay and straight students, especially straight students who might have been uncomfortable before."

Jewett says that tutors try to foster a variety of activities for students to make them more familiar with the issues facing gays.

"We plan dances, film series and discussion groups for gay students," she says.

Jewett adds that many tutors also maintain resources for gay students in house libraries.

But Imperial says that the effectiveness of the designated tutor program rests on the dedication of individual tutors.

"It depends on how available tutors make themselves," she says.

BGLSA

In place of the treatment offered by UHS or the informal support available in the houses, Oppenheimer suggests that the BGLSA offers gay students the kind of support they really need--a community in which they feel safe.

"Because our community is not one that brings up children, for 95 percent of the people it's where they come out," says Oppenheimer. "The Harvard community is just coming into itself here and it's difficult without an older community to provide resources and make it less scary."

BGLSA co-chair Nadia P. Croes '96 says her organization provides both social and political support for students by increasing the visibility of the gay community.

"[The BGLSA's] purpose is to provide, not just a safe, but also a social environment and political outlet for students," Croes says.

One of the major initiatives pursued by the BGLSA this fall was their petition to the College administration for a new gay student center.

After a lengthy debate among administrators who initially claimed that they did not have space for such a center, a basement room in Holworthy Hall was designated for the purpose of serving Harvard's gay community.

"Next year people will be able to pick up books, find out about events...but right now we're still setting everything up," says Croes, of the center that is currently under construction.

In addition to its lobbying of the College, the BGLSA also sponsors a series of community events aimed at promoting social awareness of gays.

"We use organized groups to have political and social events like poetry readings, a five speaker symposium and Bisexual Gay and Lesbian Awareness Days, (BGLAD) in April," she adds.

The visibility of events like BGLAD are important in helping students feel more comfortable as members of the gay community. And they send a signal of acceptance to students who are thinking of coming out of the closet, Croes says.

"Our dances make the BGLSA a presence on campus," Croes says. "Straight students come who wouldn't be involved otherwise."

Increasingly, straight students have felt more comfortable attending BGLSA meetings, Croes adds.

"A lot of straight students are involved," she says, referring to the BGLSA's three straight board members. "[In general there is] a lot of support...that doesn't mean Harvard is or is not gay friendly. Things in the houses are pretty mixed."

Croes also points to the BGLSA's efforts to create programs for first-years as a sign of their broadening base of support.

"Some proctors tried to get a group of freshmen together but not much came of it," Croes says. "[But] freshmen take a while to come out of their shells. We try to target freshmen and let them know there's a safe place for them."

Girls Spot and Other Groups

Croes says that there are several groups on campus that complement BGLSA in providing services for the gay community.

Organizations, such as the newly-formed Girls Spot and Contact, focus on students' specific needs that a larger group, like the BGLSA, cannot address.

"If we divide ourselves to meet the needs of individual groups, which the [BGLSA] board has actually discussed in the past, it would be counterproductive," Croes says. "There would be constant overlapping of interests."

Oppenheimer says he agrees with Croes that the BGLSA is over-burdened by the number of issues it must address.

"The burden is now entirely on the BGLSA and Contact. More services need to be offered," Oppenheimer says, referring to his group and Contact, a peer counseling organization that deals with issues of sexuality and sexual orientation.

Girls Spot, a forum for women, was formed last spring in response to the overwhelmingly male membership of the BGLSA.

"The all female environment is important [even though] there are a lot of women at the BGLSA," says Jennifer T. Tattenbaum '98, a former co-chair of Girls Spot.

Girls Spot is focused on providing emotional support rather than championing political causes, say Tattenbaum and co-chair Diana L. Adair '98.

"The BGLSA is more politically oriented and not so focussed on discussion of the issues," says Tattenbaum. "Political stuff is important, but our purpose is more as a social forum."

"The main purpose of Girls Spot is to provide a community for women on campus, straight women as well," Tattenbaum adds.

Although Girls Spot was formed with the concerns of gay women in mind, it has several straight members, who contribute meaningfully to the group's weekly meetings, Tattenbaum says.

In the meetings, discussion topics range from safe sex to current literature.

Role of Gay Alumni

Although the gay alumni community cannot provide extensive support to its students because it tends to be comprised only of younger people, it still plays an important role in providing resources to undergraduates.

The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus has been active for more than decade and is made up of both gay and straight alumni, according to co-chair Diane E. Hamer, who works at the Schlesinger Library.

Like the BGLSA, the caucus has worked to foster greater inclusion of gays into the College community through political means.

It has helped rewrite the Harvard Statement on Non-Discriminations to include lesbians, gays and bisexuals, helped to organize protests and sponsored events aimed at fostering awareness of gay issues.

"We support students with Open Gate grants, a gay and lesbian studies caucus and a lecture or two a year" says Hamer.

Hamer says the scope of the caucus programs are large enough to appeal to a wide range of people.

"We usually sponsor two literary and two scholarly events a year, including a dinner during commencement week," says Hamer.

The Caucus also publishes the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Newsletter and The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review.

Oppenheimer, however, is quick to point out that the caucus is not a campus organization and, thus, cannot directly provide support to students.

"The caucus isn't a community into which we come out," Oppenheimer says.

"They do provide the BGLSA with a lot of resources though, including Open Gate grants like the one used to found the Resource Center in Holworthy," he says.

In the past, the caucus has sponsored several programs aimed at undergraduates, including a mentorship program, but it has since been eliminated.

"We started putting on events before it was being brought up, but now [lesbian, gay and bisexual issues] are more common, so we don't do so much anymore," Hamer says.

Randomization

BGLSA members say the full randomization of the housing lottery has made the need for support of gay students all the more urgent.

"Adams was really a gay and lesbian house; a de facto resource center and focus of gay life that will be lost with randomization," says Oppenheimer.

Croes adds that the BGLSA will be left to play a critical role once the results of randomization are felt by students.

"After randomization, Adams [House] won't be such a safe haven," Croes says. "A lot of students will feel displaced."

But Oppenheimer says the issue of randomization is an indicator of a set of much larger problems faced by the College administration in dealing with lesbian, gay and bisexual issues.

"Randomization is supposed to be about integration, but it only benefits those other than the minority. If people are choosing to live together, there's a reason for it," Oppenheimer says. "The University doesn't want to find the root of the problem, they just want to attack the symptoms."

Oppenheimer suggests that the administration "undertake a study of gay and lesbian student needs."

MacKay-Smith volunteered to conduct such a study several months ago, Oppenheimer says, but the project never got underway.

"We need an assessment of how things are. Is there adequate training for proctors? Are the AIDS awareness groups effective? We think the answer is no and we need a study to resolve it," Oppenheimer says.CrimsonJay L. AbramovitzJOSHUA L. OPPENHEIMER '96-'97, political chair of BGLSA, speaks about the need for gay studies at Harvard at a recent panel.