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The annual Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Forum, held Tuesday and Wednesday, discussed the importance of LGBTQ+ representation for young people growing up.
The forum, which was themed “This Is Our Story,” opened with a discussion session between Van Bailey, owner of equity-centered firm Van Bailey & Co. and a former director of the college’s Office of BGLTQ Student Life, and Safara Malone ’27, a transgender youth activist and co-chair of TransHarvard.
Bailey started the discussion by talking about how art and storytelling played an important role in their exploration of gender and queerness during high school.
“I got into musical theater and started becoming a theater kid, I noticed that there were more queer kids in theater,” Bailey said. “And I was like, ‘These are my people.’”
“I started understanding there wasn’t really language for transness then, for me, but I understood myself to be able to play with gender a little bit more there,” they added.
Malone spoke about the inclusive nature of storytelling by immersing people of all backgrounds into the stories of trans and queer people.
“Art, media, and storytelling just has the ability to make something that will make people feel seen but also, it transports people who don’t have the same experiences,” she said.
Bailey and Malone also discussed the pressure young queer and trans people face to take a public stance on important topics.
“There’s the idea that trans people have to put themselves on display a lot and sort of become this DEI expert, become this activist person,” Malone said.
Bailey said that there is extra sensitivity attached to topics revolving around gender identity and sexuality.
“I do not believe that we should be forcing people in spaces that don’t want to be in those spaces to begin with. I think it’s really dangerous,” Bailey said. “We need to allow kids to just be kids.”
Bailey said that the world is currently living through a “dangerous” political climate for LGBTQ+ people.
“Authenticity comes with the costs,” they said. “I know that’s kind of a heavy share, but I think it’s an important share.”
“Truth telling is important,” Bailey added.
Bailey said that during their time leading the Office of BGLTQ Student Life, it was important to prioritize building relationships with Harvard affiliates.
“We knew that the money and the sponsorships, and all of that was going to come,” Bailey added. “But if we didn’t build relationships and coalitions and community with each other, and learning and gatherings with each other, then all of that other stuff was for naught.”
—Staff writer Anna Feng can be reached at anna.feng@thecrimson.com.
—Staff writer Nicole L. Guo can be reached at nicole.guo@thecrimson.com.
