LGBT panelists relay tales of hate, isolation at ‘You Are Not Alone’ panel
Tiffany Steinwert urged the audience to repeat her words in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
‘You are not alone,’ students timidly chanted.
Steinwert, dean of Hendricks Chapel, pushed students to continue.
‘You are not alone,’ the students repeated, building in strength with each utterance.
Monday’s chanting crowd members were attending a panel discussion lending support for those coping with their sexual identification, as well as offering an arena for open discussion regarding sensitive LGBT topics in Gifford Auditorium.
The event, hosted by the Syracuse University LGBT Resource Center in honor of National Coming Out Day, kicked off the ‘You Are Not Alone’ initiative, which aims to prevent suicides within the LGBT community.
Heart-wrenching stories from audience members demonstrated the necessity for broader visibility of LGBT concerns, especially in light of the recent suicides of gay teens across the United States, such as the Sept. 22 suicide of Tyler Clementi at Rutgers University. Audience members voiced personal experiences of discrimination and troubles they felt needed more open discussion.
Panelist Amit Taneja, associate director of the LGBT Resource Center, reiterated concerns uttered by multiple audience members when he recounted a story of discrimination within the LGBT community. Taneja, a minority, attended an undergraduate institution run by, in his account, ‘rich, gay, white men.’ Taneja said he felt alienated, despite his identification as a gay man.
‘When you wait your whole life for a space to be accepted (and you’re not), it’s double the hurt,’ Taneja said.
Taneja and fellow minorities who experienced similar instances of alienation by their colleges’ LGBT community rallied together and intervened during his campus’ Pride meeting. Their mere presence incited disbelief and confusion among those hosting the meeting, he said, a detail that drew applause and cheers from several audience members Monday night.
Elliott DeLine, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences and a panelist, cited other instances of prejudice inflicted by individuals outside the LGBT community. DeLine is a transgender student. After a botched suicide at age 15, DeLine eventually found refuge in books and music composed by relatable figures like James Dean and Morrissey. Still, DeLine, who does not identify as Jewish, remembers hurting from unrelenting taunts of ‘Jew fag.’
Elizabeth Payne, an assistant professor of cultural foundations of education, denounced these kinds of offensive words and phrases said in passing.
If ‘you’re not in the box, you have no worth,’ Payne said of society’s mentality.
This gender policing, or making sure people fall into prescribed gender roles, not only hinders creativity and self-expression, but also limits the availability of power and prestige to the individual who does not conform to gender norms, Payne said.
An audience member offered insight into the potential for a campaign against LGBT prejudice by citing her personal experience of high school mobilization. Her five-member group blossomed into a 65-person effort after receiving sponsorship and increased visibility in her small rural town.
The combined comments of panelists and audience members reiterated the necessity for tolerance and understanding of the LGBT community, a fact the ‘You Are Not Alone’ campaign will try to accomplish.
As D. Chase James Catalano, director of the LGBT Resource Center, said in reference to the tragic suicides across the United States that have captivated that national conscience, ‘We have a portion of the spotlight, so let’s use it to the most.’
Published on October 11, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Contact Debbie: dbtruong@syr.edu | @debbietruong
