Conference Connects Race, Sexuality

A dozen students in Union Parlor B last night discussed the proposition that race, gender and sexual orientation are inseparable.

"You can't separate race from gender, gender from sex or sex from race," said Royce C. Lin '96, co-chair of the BGLSA.

The conference, billed as "a discussion on Bi/Gay/Lesbians of Color: Intersections of Sexuality and Race," was sponsored by Radcliffe Education for Action (EAA) and the Harvard Bisexual Gay Lesbian Student Association (BGLSA).

"I wanted to talk about race and sexuality," said second-year Divinity School student Daniel J. Lee. "Whenever there's a discussion about this, it's important to show up."

Much of the discussion centered on the subject of discrimination--especially homophobia and racism--through subtle rather than overt means.

Conference participants said they believed that discrimination is often vocalized through established institutions.

"A lot of it is couched in intellectual debate," said Joan R. Chang '95, conference co-coordinator. "Students feel threatened but can't do anything about it."

Lin said he was surprised at some of the opinions aired in yesterday's debate between Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield and Stanford Law School Professor Kathleen Sullivan during a Justice class.

"Mansfield basically said that racism doesn't exist at Harvard," Lin said. "I was shocked that a professor at Harvard would say these things."

Those at the forum also said they are sometimes disturbed by articles in Harvard publications.

"Peninsula once devoted an entire issue to blasting gays, lesbians and bisexuals," Lin said.

Cecelia Chang '98 said she took offense at a recent editorial in the Crimson discussing white acceptance of Asian-Americans.

"It was upsetting because it said that Asian-Americans should stop trying to be different from white people because they've almost been accepted," she said.

The forum also focused upon the attitude of parents and ethnic communities toward sexual orientation.

John A. Frazier '95, a Black student who said he has "been out for three years," said his mother still does not talk about his homosexuality. She thinks there are already many obstacles in life, he said, and being gay just makes it harder.

"But what's even harder is to ignore it," he said.

Some Asian-American students said their parents see homosexuality and bisexuality as white phenomena.

"My parents say that no one is gay in China," Cecelia Chang said.

"From my experience...in the Asian community, [being gay] is not talked about," Joan Chang said. "Everyone is just de facto straight."

And many Asian-Americans see homosexuality as something people choose, Lin said.

"A lot of Chinese-Americans think [homosexuality] is a voluntary behavior," Lin said. "My mom thinks it's a fad, like MTV and ripped jeans."