POLITICAL CORRECTNESS OR GENUINE CONCERN?

The vulnerability heightened by the recent crimes on campus was particularly pronounced for queer students of color, according to Miguel Garcia ’12, who started the group GLOW specifically for this reason early in the semester.

Garcia says that this group was much needed, as queer students of color often face additional marginalization due to belonging to multiple minority groups. He says that he is aware of individuals who have attempted suicide because of their struggles with their intersecting identities.

“All queer people and all people of color have different stories, so it can be hard to quantify oppression and struggles,” he says. “It’s hard for queer people of color to prioritize their experience based on layers of intersectionalities, as those intersectionalities can create complications in their everyday interactions.”

Garcia also collaborated with the Latino Men’s Collective, the Black Men’s Forum, and other cultural groups, and elicited letters of apology from the boards of these groups for having formerly contributed to discriminatory practices against their LGBT membership. He continues to work with these groups and others to ensure inclusive practices.

“It’s important to me that not only is this a gesture for political correctness, but a genuine concern for the inclusion of queer people within their cultural groups, and recognizing queer identity as part of that culture,” he says.

SOLUTION SPACE

Wang echoes Garcia’s sentiment that change ought to be based not on the desire to be politically correct, but on authentic aspirations to positive change. She says that she and other members of Harvard’s LGBT community have been frustrated at not receiving consistent and clear information from the College on problems involving the LGBT community, as well as how such incidents are being investigated on an administrative level.

“It should not be the responsibility of the student or student groups to search for particulars and clarifications, as this system leads to confused, incomplete information,” she says.

Wang, who participates in the BGLTQ Working Group, says that its creation comes at a good time and the LGBT community appreciates the work it is undertaking. But the current lack of resources has hit the LGBT community hard this semester, she says.

“Moving into solution space comes only with acknowledgement of the problems, and it is my hope that Harvard has the bravery to build where it is weak, and foster acceptance for people of all identities,” Wang says.

History and Literature Lecturer Timothy P. McCarthy ’93, who has been a vocal advocate of LGBT issues on campus, says he hopes that the problems encountered by LGBT individuals over the past semester can be used for positive change.

“Whenever homophobic incidents occur, we must come together as a community, find our allies, and redouble our collective efforts to eradicate any hatred, fear, or ignorance about LGBT people,” McCarthy writes in an e-mail.

“Ironically, instances of discrimination and violence can have a galvanizing effect on people of goodwill who are moved to act in the face of injustice,” he adds.

—Staff writer Alice E.M. Underwood can be reached at aeunderw@fas.harvard.edu.