‘Queer Jeopardy’ Kicks Off BGLTSA Outreach

Under the “F-Words” category, name a slang term for a gay male inspired by the movie The Wizard of Oz.

Is it “fairy”?

No, for 300 points, the answer is, “What is a ‘friend of Dorothy?’”

James C. Augustine ’01, a Winthrop House non-resident tutor, came up with the correct answer in last night’s “Queer Jeopardy!” game in Winthrop House.

Six participants sat around a coffee table on leather chairs, reading off a neon orange posterboard with the categories and points taped onto them. Categories included the suggestive “F-Words,” as well as gay life-themed “Trans Trivia” and the more traditional “Geography.”

Last night’s home-made game show kicked off a new slate of bimonthly community meetings organized by the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters’ Alliance (BGLTSA).

“Last year we had a bit of a problem creating a sense of community among members,” said Timothy S. Caito ’04, vice-chair of BGLTSA. “I hope that these community meetings continue to grow and attract more people in the future.”

BGLTSA treasurer Andrew C. Karas ’05 said the next few meetings will be more like informal, social roundtable discussions.

“The community meetings will...focus on issues regarding the BGLTSA community,” he said.

For example, he said discussions about Reserve Officers Training Corps, gay adoption and civil unions are on the agenda—though he said the series of meetings is still in “planning stages.”

Caito hosted “Queer Jeopardy!,” leading the three teams of students through a set of questions that provoked conversation and brought newfound knowledge to most involved.

After he answered the Wizard of Oz question, Augustine gave the group an etymology lesson on “friend of Dorothy.” The point, he explained, is that any friend of Judy Garland’s is assumed to be gay.

“You live in New York for a year and you learn these terms,” he said.

Munching on Doritos and Pepperidge Farms cookies, participants also learned which major French city has an openly gay mayor (Paris) and how to spell the transgendered pronoun equivalent to him/her (it’s “hir”).

—Staff writer Maria S. Pedroza can be reached at mpedroza@fas.harvard.edu.