These are some of the questions that brought a group of students together to form a discussion group for the Columbia-Barnard lesbigay community. Recognizing the absence of a forum for both personal discussion and education about the community, members of a panel during Bisexual Gay and Lesbian Awareness Days (BGLAD), titled "Young, Queer and Proud," decided to extend the discussion to the rest of the queer student body.
While LBGC addresses many student needs, that group remains for the most part organizational and political. Other smaller groups address specific needs of students, such as the Bisexuality Discussion Group and Queers of Color, but no discussion-oriented group served the needs of the greater queer community. Therefore, on Tuesday, November 15, approximately 20 students--from first-years to graduate students--met to find a common ground for future discussion.
The goal was originally to rotate a schedule of alternating focuses. One week would incorporate personal experiences, such as what it is like to come out on campus. Another would deal with the more theoretical and political topics, such as the dynamics of queer sex or the role of bisexuals in the queer community. What was discovered, however, is that the two are not mutually exclusive: One person's personal experience can be a lesson for the rest of the group and a theoretical topic can transcend into personal discussion, allowing for sharing of experiences and feelings.
Discussion during the first meeting ranged from concerns of coming to Columbia as openly queer to coming out on campus, from being a first-year student unsure of position within both the queer community and greater Columbia community to being an out graduate student.
Respect and listening characterize the group's environment, a safe space for all queers, regardless of their level of "outness" or age. Considering the reactions of the first participants, it appears that the original idea of "Young, Queer and Proud" will be the basis of a supportive and energetic discussion. For more information, call 854-1488.
- Darren Cohen
CC '98