Affirming Gay Rights

Gaypril--the Harvard queer community's pride month--arrived with a flurry of rainbow colors, provocative posters and pink triangles. Most of us will smile and nod at (or ignore) this little bout of activism and visibility and go our merry way. But, as with other waves of activism, Queer Harvard Month presents an opportunity for all members of the community to make a stand for something greater than ourselves--justice.

A significant number of Americans--26 percent, according to a 1997 Newsweek survey--think efforts devoted to protecting gay rights have accomplished enough. Forty-two percent said they thought those efforts have gone too far.

Let there be no doubt, the need for continued work is great. Only 10 states have anti-discrimination laws that protect gay and lesbian persons. The federal government does not. No state recognizes gay marriage. And the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a Congressional bill that would protect against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, is making slow progress through committee.

Moreover, the surveys and legislative record fall short of accurately conveying the extent to which gay and lesbian persons are marginalized from mainstream American dialogue and culture. In most of this country, gay and lesbian persons cannot go on a date without reaping weird looks or even harsh words. And woe to the homosexual adolescent who risks being thrown out of the house in coming out to his parents.

There is a great deal of work to be done, and that work needs an active, vocal, visible community. It also requires, and deserves, the support of the entire community, both queer and straight.

The rationale for supporting gay rights is simple. First, sexual orientation is a fundamental characteristic of one's identity, just as race, gender or upbringing. Second, those aspects of our identities which we cannot control, cause no harm and are not relevant to doing a given job ought not be the basis of discrimination. Third, as a society we should pass those laws that turn what ought to be into reality, and live our lives accordingly.

Injustice is a matter of community concern, and the struggle for political equality is one that all members of our community--in the largest sense--ought to care about. To stand by and do nothing is to be complicit in the wrong.

It wouldn't take very much to make a valuable contribution. Sign a petition. Call or write your representatives in Congress, urging them to support ENDA, gay marriage and other progressive legislation. Most importantly, support your gay and lesbian friends and acquaintances as they struggle to make peace with themselves and this world.

As for the rest of Gaypril: It should be a month of rainbow colors, but it should also be a time for debate. Those who oppose gay and lesbian rights are often not vocal in proportion to their numbers. That opinion is held close to the vest, often unconsciously. But only superficially is this silence of the opposition desirable. Without intelligent argument, laws and minds cannot be changed. For this reason, we urge conservatives to come out of the closet, so to speak.

We vigorously affirm the political and social equality of gay and lesbian persons--and the rational dialogue that is necessary to actualize it.