"GAY? FINE by Me" is not fine. The term "gay" is neither inclusive nor representative of the diverse sexual orientations and gender identities that make up what we commonly call the "queer community" at the University. Even more problematic, the phrase "fine by me" is condescending and implies that queer people asked straight society a question: "Is it O.K. to be gay?" We should never ask this question simply because it's not straight people's place to judge. Our community should not stoop to begging for approval from heterosexuals, rather we should demand equal treatment for ourselves and our partners. As a former member of the LGBT Resource Center's Operating Board who voted against bringing the campaign last year, I am disappointed that rather than create a more inclusive and accurate t-shirt slogan this year, my peers opted to pursue this exclusionary and patronizing campaign again.
Terminology is an obstacle to every social group, but "gay" has long been considered inadequate by our community. The LGBT Resource Center's own name indicates the t-shirt leaves out at least three groups: lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people. Though no acronym, LGBT or otherwise, is completely inclusive, the term gay definitely excludes more people in our community than it includes.
I don't mean to suggest that "gay" should never be used in a slogan but it depends on that campaign's goals.If the t-shirt were designed to combat the "not gay" chant, it could be appropriate. However, its goal according to a pamphlet given to participants is that "by participating in this project, you are supporting people of many identities," which is misleading at best though I'd call it disingenuous, even insulting. For instance, transgender people can have many different sexual orientations because gender identity and sexual orientation are independent aspects of one's identity. But the "Gay? Fine by Me" slogan conflates them and assumes that all transgender people identify as gay. In fact, the only openly transgender student at the University identifies as a straight male.
The campaign's use of the term "gay" means one of two things: The Resource Center has embraced a meaning of the word gay that inaccurately refers to everyone who identifies as LGBT or that in our effort to assuage heterosexuals, we've diluted our own identities and boiled them down to a single term, not surprisingly reflective of the sexual minority most often associated with upper-class white men.
According to the Campaign's Web site, "gay" was chosen because "while not everyone knows what LGBT stands for, everyone seems pretty clear on what "gay" means. When we use the word "gay," then, we're not referring just to gay men. Rather, we're using a word the vast majority of Americans associate with the LGBT community." Let's be clear, gay does not mean lesbian, bisexual, transgender or anything other than a self-identified male whose primary attraction is to other self-identified males.
I question if other communities agree that employing a commonly used but inaccurate term is the best tactic to increase support. For instance, would the Asian Pacific American (APA) community create a t-shirt advocating the acceptance for only a small segment of its community -- one that is most often recognized? It's an unfortunate reality that most Americans don't know the acronym APA and assume that all people of Asian descent are Chinese. Could you imagine a t-shirt reading "Chinese? Fine by Me"? Just because some people outside a community don't know an acronym doesn't mean that community should abandon its identity in favor of a more popularized yet inaccurate term.
I am profoundly disappointed by the decision to sacrifice the most marginalized segments of our community in favor of a slogan that is "short and snappy, [and] easily fits on a T-shirt." At a time when bisexual and transgender individuals voice concern about being excluded from our movement, we should take care to ensure they are adequately represented in this event. Yet we chose to further marginalize them by omitting any mention of their existence from the actual t-shirt and only included a small blurb about them in a handout. Furthermore, to preserve the polyvocality of our movement, any identity-based campaign should allow individuals to self-identify and not force a label upon them. For example, a t-shirt reading "_______ & Proud" would allow people to choose the term that best represents them whether it's "straight ally," "queer," etc.
Instead of perpetuating the incorrect use of the term gay, the LBGT Resource Center should have taken this opportunity to educate the University about the diverse segments of our community by reflecting that diversity on the t-shirt and thus avoid sending mixed messages to our allies about whom they are supporting by wearing a "gay" t-shirt.
Seth Croft is a fourth-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences.
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