RUSTY KENNEDY Kilian Kréll 01 requires more energy than is often imagined. Non-hetero- sexuals are still seen as the Other and as deviating from the Havernorm. And sexual orientation is often viewed in terms of a heterosexual-homosexual binary, ly intimidates and ostracizes those wh their sexual orientation as well as those who do not identify with either of the two categories. Once one comes out to the whole community there is always the danger of being ignored or disregarded by one’s former straight-identified friends or to be iconized as the token gay spokesperson, both inside and outside the classroom. Some of these issues are bein realm, where there is currently a view which particular- 0 are still questioning g addressed in the academic a push (following many of our peer institutions) to create an official Gay & Lesbian or Queer Studies program. The increasing number of classes with queer themes and content in the Tri-College communi- ty makes it possible for current students to independently concentrate in Queer Studies. With the help of interested students and professors, particularly in the English and Span- ish departments, such a program will hopefully be made off- cial in the near future. What is currently cess is the overall lack of personal interac hindering this pro- tion between stu- dents and queer or queer-friendly faculty members. Sadly enough, it seems that faculty and staff members are re to be open about their sexuality at Haverford, which make their access rather limited to students who would like to discuss concerns about life after college, being out 1n the workplace, establishing families, and creating academic paths suited to their personal interests, Recently, the Admissions Office has been doing more recognize the needs of queer applicants to Haverford (including, for example, a brochure on queer life at Haver- ford). Simultaneously, the openly queer student population has visibly grown in the past few years, particularly the number of out men in the first-year and sophomore classes- This increase in numbers has been immensely valuable for the whole Haverford community, which is now able to se¢ how diverse the queer community really is. However, an these students arrive on campus, they are not always greet with active support from the administration. As of now; there is no queer-identified advisor to help students figure out their own personal concerns, to help coordinate and Sponsor queer events, or to represent queer interests . —_ lege policy making processes. In addition, the administra- tive definition of “diversity” generally does not include sex- ual orientation; when it does, it is dealt with separately from race and gender. Yet the queer are eciee includes people of color, people with disab! ities, people who are non-male, people A various national, religious, cultural and pol ical backgrounds, and those whose voice 4 will never be heard because they are force to hide their sexual orientation. Administrative support needs to cater to all of these students in order for our community to advance as a whole. Even though queer students face many struggles at Haverford, events like Taste the Rainbow provide the reas- surance that there is the impetus to make queer voices heard and readiness of the community at large to listen. , Haverford has great potential — we are all trained to absor process and challenge voices other than our own. It is now time to act on that potential — with a concerted administra : ‘ . ; ime tO tive effort towards all-emcompassing diversity — and tim change. Kilian Kroll 01 is an English Major from Vienna, Austria, with an independent concentration in Gay & Lesbian Studies. He is the co- head of inQUEERy, an on-campus queer activist group involved, ; among other things, in creating an official Queer Studies Concentra tion and increasing resources for queer students. He can be contacte at kkroell @haverford. edu 30 E