New Object

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



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