Gay Students Protest BGLTSA's Approach

Several students dissatisfied with a "sensationalist" publicity campaign for National Coming Out Day will blitz the Yard today with posters advocating an alternative group to the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters' Alliance (BGLTSA).

Clifford S. Davidson '02, who is helping to coordinate today's effort as well as organize this new group, said the BGLTSA claims to represent all members of the gay community, but their tactics actually alienate many students.

"By putting up obscene posters and declaring themselves as queer political radicals, they don't help anyone," said Alexander A. Boni-Saenz '01, noting that the BGLTSA recently used several sexually explicit posters. "Not everyone wants to be identified as that."

Boni-Saenz, who is currently a member of the BGLTSA, plans to help in today's postering effort and in the group Davidson hopes to start.

And while BGLTSA officers said yesterday that National Coming Out Day is designed to celebrate visibility, encourage openness about sexual orientation and to reaffirm the pride and strength of the gay community at Harvard, Davidson said the organization's poster choices are unrepresentative and counterproductive.

"It alienates members of the gay community who don't agree with those kinds of things," Davidson said. "And there's a lot of them."

Davidson added that he left the BGLTSA in part because of the offensive posters.

"I realized I wished to be no part of an organization that would condense my entire romantic nature into a trite, sensationalist, anatomical marketing slogan for the purposes of a poster," Davidson said.

The various alternative posters read: "I don't like the BGLTSA posters I've been seeing. Is there a group I can join with different values?" and "Want to join a new supportive straight-gay alliance?"

An e-mail address for the group appears at the bottom of the flyer.

BGLTSA co-chair Michael A. Hill '02 said his group recognizes the diversity of the group's constituent population but did not intend to represent all students with the posters.

"Our current position is that we do not censor the speech and expressions of our constituency," said Hill, who noted that he did not want to restrict members' freedom of speech during a poster-making session last Thursday.

"We have had a number of poster campaigns and the only ones that have been successful are the ones that are sensational," he added. "Harvard students look at what catches their eye, and sensationalism catches their eye."

The alternative organization Davidson plans to start will be one that focuses more on the social rather than the political questions and issues surrounding homosexuality on campus.

He said that the purpose of the group was "to provide a safe space for those questioning their sexuality"

He said that he wants the proposed group to be one that fosters discussion between both straight and gay students, "where labels are not necessary."

Davidson stressed that he does not want the group to be seen as a competitor of the BGLTSA.

"It is not our intention to form a rivalry with the BGLTSA," he said. "We just think the sensationalist approach is a bad idea."