It has come to our attention that, in its March 1985 edition. The Salient printed several derogatory remarks about the Harvard-Radcliffe Gay and Lesbian Students Association (GLSA). We have chosen to address this in an open letter to The Crimson because we fell that, even if The Salient did print it, it would reach only a very limited number of people and we feel that the issues raised by The Salient's insensitive statement are very important and need to be dealt with by the entire Harvard community.
The Salient, in its appropriately titled "Cheap Shots" section, printed the following statement:
The Things We Do for Love
Recently, the knock around Harvard Yard have been papered with signs advertising a comp for the Harvard Gay Lesbian Association. As we thought this organization was open to all interested parties, we were distressed to see that it appears that the club is considering limiting its membership by competitive exclusion. A cursory look about campus shows that the comp for The Crimson select the best writers, and the comp for WHRB select, the best announcers. One can not help but wonder what qualifications HLSA selects in its comp.
The truth in this paragraph consists in the fact that in a literal sense such a poster did exist. It announced the first meeting of the spring semester and was intended merely to be eye-catching and humorous. In light of the apparent willingness of certain segments of the Harvard community to exploit any potentially suggestive statements made by the GLSA in order to denigrate the gay community, such a poster was perhaps unwise. In is distressing, however, to feel the need to take such idiocy seriously, but it is more distressing, and also frightening, to know that there are Harvard students who would not only think of taking a poster like this seriously, but who also lack the editorial ethics to refrain from printing such distortions. GLSA (note that the writers of The Salient have not even bothered to learn the correct name for an organization they are attacking) is open to all Harvard students of whatever sexual orientation or political perspective. The idea of a comp for GLSA is so ludicrous that to take it seriously shows their eagerness to deprecate Harvard's gay community.
The attitude evinced by The Salient demonstrates a distorted perception of gay men and lesbians, focusing its attention on the sexual aspects of homosexuality and not on the social and political ramifications of identifying oneself as a gay man or a Furthermore, it implies that the GLSA functions as some sort of dating service or a place to make sexual connections when, in reality, GLSA functions as a support groups and political organization advocating human rights. The Salient, by implying that GLSA is interested in 'recruiting' new members one the basis of their sexual prowess, shows that they have accepted as truth a pernicious and blatantly false stereotype. Even if there were a comp for GLSA, the qualifications would not be sexual but rather would include qualities such a open-mindedness, tolerance and a belief in the equality of all people.
On this same page of "Cheap Shots" The Salient' printed another paragraph which questioned the necessity and validity having the GLSA office phone number in the front of the Harvard-Radcliffe Student Telephone Directory. The ignorance and lack of understanding of the needs of approximates proximately 10 percent of the Harvard community displayed in this instance are absolutely astounding.
It is our belief that these statements constitute a violation of the Faculty's and lesbian harassment policy as stated the Handbook For Students. We hope that through education and contact with gay people the kind of bigotry and insensitive expressed by The Salient will be eliminated. The GLSA Executive Committee
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