Panel discusses evolution of Vassar queer life

On Monday, Nov. 16, the Campus Life Office's LGBTQ Center and the Queer Coalition of Vassar College hosted "Interrogating Mythologies: Queer Life At Vassar Since '69." The event, spearheaded by Associate Director for Campus Life and LGBTQ Programs Steve Lavoie '08, was well attended by students, alumnae/i and faculty. "Interrogating Mythologies" is the "first in a series of such events" organized to "highlight the richness and depth of queer history of Vassar," said Lavoie.

Lavoie introduced the event by stating that the history of queer life at Vassar is "based on rumors" and lacking in depth. Therefore, according to Lavoie, now is a good time to "start exploring it." To facilitate this exploration, Lavoie invited a panel of speakers—Peter Pope '00, Liza Campbell '07, Cait Field '05 and Chris Larkosh '87—as well as Professor of English Paul Russell to offer their opinions on "clarify[ing] myths about Vassar's queer history," according to Lavoie.

Through the panelists' statements, it was evident that each member had a uniquely positive experience being a part of the LGBTQ community during his or her tenure at Vassar.

Two of the panelists were open about their sexualities from the start of their careers at Vassar. "I was already out when I came on to campus," said Pope '00, explaining why his experience at Vassar was "healthy"—meaning that he was not discriminated against due to his sexuality. Pope attributed this to "all the work people did in the '70s" to integrate the queer community with the rest of the student population.

Describing the contrast between Vassar and other colleges, Liza Campbell '07, who transferred to Vassar from Claremont College, said that her interactions with the LGBTQ community at Vassar were extremely fulfilling. Campbell noted that one drawback to Vassar's LGBTQ community is the fact that participation in the community is a matter of choice. "[There was a] disconnect between those who wanted to be active and those who didn't," she claimed.

Offering a different perspective, Cait Field '05 said that she was still "in the closet" when she started at Vassar; even so, she applied to the College on account of its "gay aura." Now in graduate school, Field finds herself "missing Vassar," citing the extremely understanding and supportive faculty, and general "awareness about the complexities" of sexual orientation.

The question and answer period addressed the issues that the panelists brought up. Vassar students highlighted several concerns specific to queer life on the Vassar campus.

A major concern was that of an overlap between minority groups on campus. "[There was] very little interaction between [the Queer Coalition] and any of the other minority groups," says Pope; he found the existing interaction "condescending." Pope recalled a particular "Org Cook-Off," where different minority groups sold food from their own cultures. Upon being "invited," Pope was confused and during the panel discussion comically asked, "well, what should we have served? Gay food?"

"Most attempts to bridge the gap between different minority groups on campus were not successful," said Larkosh, citing the unsuccessful attempt to set up a "Queer People of Color" a cappella group back in the 1970s.

Vassar's perennially popular "Homo-Hop" Dance, for which Vassar was famous among college students across the country, was another topic of debate. Describing it as a "dark room in the College Center dedicated to celebrating sex and sexuality," Pope called the dance an attempt to physically establish a queer presence on campus. Although the Homo-Hop was later closed down due to its "devolving" into a "sex room," Lavoie maintained that it was people from outside the Vassar community who "brought unhealthy elements" to the establishment.
However, Pope contends that "[the dance] was, overall, a very positive experience."

HIV/AIDS awareness was another important issue that panelists had strong opinions about. In the 1980s, "there was no response from Vassar College about AIDS at all. Perhaps some of my friends would still be here today if Vassar had been more responsive," said Larkosh. Of course, the awareness on campus has improved, largely due to the efforts of organizations like the Queer Coalition and the LGBTQ community, as well as the Campus Health Organization for Information, Contraception, and Education, which provides students with information on sexual health. Students in attendance hoped for such improvements to continue, as well as to learn about this untold history. Kevin Choa '12 wanted to see if Vassar's "gay life was better now than it was before." Greg Shapiro '12 expressed interest in the subject as "a part of Vassar's history that is mostly ignored, but very much exists."

Describing this history as "important," Lavoie wishes to continue to have such events in the future. Whether it be "going through old Miscellany articles" or "teasing out" this history from the library's dossiers, Lavoie is optimistic. "The students who came here in the past four decades were committed to thinking of the world in a different sense—the LGBTQ community was a large part of that change, and so it shouldn't be forgotten" said Lavoie.