Letters to the Editor | Drugs or not, party sent wrong message

Since the controversy surrounding the Queer Coalition of Vassar College’s (QCVC) KryStal party last weekend has mostly subsided, I’d like to discuss some things that bothered me initially and I feel were never properly addressed. Although I’ve never been personally involved with this organization, I do think as the primary vocal representative of LGBTQ persons at Vassar QCVC has an obligation to the community which has been neglected with the promotion of this event.

Before seeing the anti-KryStal fliers, I had my own concerns about the messages of the party’s publicity and QCVC’s sponsorship that subsequent altering and explaining cannot erase. My first objection was when I noticed the “local charity” this party supported declined to have its name printed on advertisements, which I assume is because of an unwanted association with KryStal’s proclaimed legendary substance, endless sex, and reliance on body image. I wondered why QCVC felt it suitable to align themselves with this.

Besides featuring material that seems inappropriate for any student group to support, these three advertised qualities are all stereotypically associated with the “promiscuous gay-male lifestyle,” which should be dealt with much more carefully by a group such as QCVC. The campus-wide e-mail from QCVC further linked crystal meth specifically with gay men and argued this club culture is “actively suppressed,” calling it a “reflection of a legitimate and thriving gay culture that is absent from Vassar and that deserves recognition.” To me, this absence suggests attempts to eliminate prejudiced associations, not stifle gay experience: the concept of hyper-sexualized, image obsessed, drug-abusing gay club culture (as seen on “Queer as Folk”) has achieved recognition to the point of making others in the LGBTQ community invisible.

Perhaps the absence of this culture at Vassar is because others like me find it undesirable to unite within this stereotype—and I doubt that its perpetuation will lead to any improvements in the quality of life for LGBTQ persons in the larger world. While sharing many sentiments with the anti-KryStal fliers, they too maintain the stereotype of attributing the abuse Crystal Meth to “gay male club culture.” Additionally, the drug connotations QCVC dismissed were obviously inherent if they were interpreted as such by most of the campus. The use of party drugs like Crystal Meth or Ecstasy, promiscuous or unprotected sex, and the extreme emphasis on body image are negative practices that affect all members of society and should never be promoted, especially at such a socially-minded institution as Vassar.

As a gay male, issues of representation often prevent me from participating in or joining LGBTQ groups because I fear they isolate and symbolize these communities with a limited number of members (whether or not intentionally) who tend to already be comfortable with their sexual orientations and identities, thus causing those not open or comfortable to feel less included. Despite the pervasive belief that everyone at Vassar is out and comfortable with their sexual orientation, this is completely untrue; our community may be more tolerant and accepting than much of the world, but there are many students who are can’t be open precisely because Vassar is so different than the outside world. Rather than simply assuming a captive audience and playing on select stereotypical representations, groups like QCVC need to actively support tolerance and events that are as all-embracing as possible to help eliminate the fears, discomforts, and apprehensions of those who haven’t been able to openly express themselves.

While I often support QCVC’s programming choices, such as the LGBTQ prom or Gender-Bending Seder, I feel that allocating money and sole sponsorship to KryStal was inappropriate. Instead of emphasizing unhealthy choices, we should focus on events that work to be more inclusive and promote the LGBTQ community as one of differentiated individuals with diverse tastes, many of whom have no desire to invoke the stereotypes of previous generations.

—Hunter Oatman-Stanford ’07