To the Editors:
I would like to commend George Aumoithe '11 and everyone else who helped organize the "Proud of My Whole Self: Intersections of Identity in the LGBTIQ Community" program last Friday. Faculty, staff and students came together in small discussion groups, over dinner with keynote speaker Rev. Irene Monroe, and at the film screening of "Pick Up The Mic," to explore the interactions of all identity markers, including, but not limited to, nationality, gender, ethnicity, race and socioeconomic class; we did not just focus on the LGBTIQ identity marker.
Following the disheartening defeat of gay marriage in Maine, the "Proud of My Whole Self" program offered the LGBTIQ community and their allies the opportunity to have a productive discussion. Attendees embraced our whole selves.
We did not seek to find common ground or common experience, rather, our greatest tool was empathy for each individual's identity and experiences. I would challenge the campus to follow Aumoithe's example and begin to explore the intersections of identity. I hope that the success of the "Proud of My Whole Self" program encourages more critical discussions about the intersections of identity here at Bowdoin.
Sincerely,
Elise Selinger '10