This Saturday, Bowdoin will be hosting a queer conference that will give all students, gay or straight, the chance to see and appreciate the kind of community action that has changed the course of American history.
Much has been made of the occupations of the keynote speaker, Conner Habib, whose career has included work as an adult film star in gay pornography. Though it may be an obscure and controversial industry, it should be noted that pornography also generates millions of dollars.
Some critics, particularly within the gay community, fear that this kind of speaker somehow perpetuates stereotypes of gay Americans; they might very well be right. But isn't the whole point of a community to engage in a dialogue on the matter and perhaps counter its argument?
If there is one thing critical to the gay American experience, it's an ability to overcome fear in order to express oneself frankly and openly.
Since the Stonewall Riots in 1969, the position of gays and lesbians in America has, for the most part, steadily improved. LGBTIQ Americans now enjoy many rights and privileges long taken for granted by their heterosexual counterparts.
Yet there is still much to be done in the march toward equality. To this day, gay Americans remain relegated to a second-class citizenship status in critical areas like marriage equality and employment non-discrimination, because of a government unwilling to defend its belief in liberty rather than challenge the values of Christian fundamentalists.
Precisely because the government has been so obstinate about granting equal rights for gays, it is remarkable that any progress has been made at all. What's most impressive is that gay Americans have been able to achieve so much within just a 40-year time span. It is a significant accomplishment for a minority group to be able to dramatically change the hearts and minds of the heterosexual majority.
Such progress, however, did not come about magically. It is a mistake to believe that the change in societal discourse towards gays and lesbians was the natural order of things and that its time had come.
In reality, gays began to develop solidarity and celebrate their sexuality in accepting and embracing communities.
This sense of a gay community, of which I am proudly a part, is largely responsible for the tremendous progress that has been made in the fight for gay rights.
It's important to realize that the phrase "gay community" is far more extensive then a purely geographic definition permits.
The term refers to many aspects of the gay experience in America; one not just afflicted by oppression, marginalization and AIDS, but also made stronger and more united because of such adversity.
Gays live and work in every neighborhood and occupation across America.
Gays are doctors, lawyers, painters, actors, teachers, and—something often overlooked—parents.
Despite the integration of gays into the fabric of American culture, this historical oppression that gay Americans have endured has given way to particularly gay-specific cultural norms and perspectives.
Most gays are familiar with the experience of coming out. This process is often intense, nerve-wracking and potentially disruptive if one has unsupportive family and friends.
Going through the coming out process, however, forces one to learn to be comfortable with one's identity and desires.
In this way, coming out is just one example of how gay Americans have experiences entirely different from those of heterosexuals.
One other arena where the gay perspective alters from the hetero-normative discourse is—perhaps not surprisingly—on the topic of sex. While gays are just as diverse as the heterosexual population, with many different views, it's not unreasonable to argue that many gay Americans view sex as a form not just of sexual satisfaction, but also as a means to relate and bond with one another.
Being able to openly and freely talk about sex in a way heterosexuals take for granted provides a sense of safety and is different from the predominant heterosexual experience, though by no means exclusive to gays.
Clearly, then, the gay community is defined by many types of discourse that are inextricably connected with the fight for equality.
For Bowdoin students and many of our peers at other NESCAC schools, the opportunity to connect with our community beyond that of our own college can be difficult to achieve.
To miss tomorrow's conference and dismiss a valuable opportunity to participate in a dialogue with the gay community would be a mistake.
Being "accepting" means far more then wearing a yellow shirt; it means educating yourself about how your friends, neighbors and coworkers are being marginalized in their own country.