K-School Hosts Gay Activism Forum

A Queer Politics Conference, sponsored by the Harvard Queer Student Leadership Network, brought together students and gay rights activists, leaders, and elected officials on Saturday at the Kennedy School of Government's ARCO Forum to discuss issues related to gay rights.

The day-long conference, "Gay Rights, Equal Rights: Defining the course of the Gay Rights Movement," was composed of three panel discussions.

The purpose of the panels was to "get students involved in the gay rights movement," said organizer Jane I. Aceituno '98.

Panelists included leading figures from two top national organizations, legal advocates and lobbyists, and openly gay state-level officials who all discussed current issues facing the gay rights movement.

The conference attracted "individuals who have been on the front lines of the battle for queer equality in Congress, the courts, the White House, and in electoral and state initiative battles across the country," according to a press release.

"We brought in some top-notch people, some of the leaders of the gay rights movement," Aceituno said.

According to Jan Carl Park, a student at the Kennedy School, the panelists provided important, first-hand knowledge about the gay rights movement.

"They're on the cutting edge of where the movement is going," Park said.

"They're really in the trenches and have a keen eye for where the movement is today."

Several of the conference speakers and student attendees gathered in Dunster House Saturday night to chat over coffee.

Overall, Park said he felt the conference was a success because it accomplished the purpose of Queer Harvard Month, taking place this April, by "increasing the visibility of the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgendered community.

"They're really in the trenches and have a keen eye for where the movement is today."

Several of the conference speakers and student attendees gathered in Dunster House Saturday night to chat over coffee.

Overall, Park said he felt the conference was a success because it accomplished the purpose of Queer Harvard Month, taking place this April, by "increasing the visibility of the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, and Transgendered community.