COLUMN: Homos, Bi's, and Queers Oh, my!

From Stephen Houghton's "Ecce Queer," Winter '94 I'll be your gay columnist for this semester. Strike that. I will be your queer columnist this semester. Golly, I hope I am not the only one! I know there are many others on campus. Well, I'll assume that all of the columnists are non-heterosexual until proven otherwise. Sorry, I am not a nice gay man. Strike that, too. I do not want to apologize. Technically, I suppose that I am a homosexual, but I would much rather call myself a "FAG." Such strong words, huh? Not really, they are just letters forming sounds. My using them differs from when a bigot hurls them. When somone uses them with the intention of harm, they are powerless. When I reclaim them, I take the weapon out of the bigot's mouth and use it to empower myself. The word "queer" itself has other benefits. Lazy writer that I am, I would rather scribble those five letters than labor through the 1aundry list that denotes the sexual minorty community: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered – my hand starts to cramp. "Queer" does not have the ma1e connotation that "homosexual" possesses. Obviously. the word "lesbian" would not apply to me. And everyone forgets about (or ignores) the bisexual and transgendered populations. "Queer" is a label that, theoretically, unites us all. Unfortunately, it does not. Many people object to the use of a derogatory word. If you look at our own campus, we have a separate queer group and the plethora of different l/g/b groups. People can chose whether or not they want to be in Queers Invading Penn or the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Alliance. Some of us choose to be in both. Whereas some people love it, others have a problem accepting a word that they associate with slander and mockery. Understandable. Everyone has their own prerogative. I'll let you be bisexual if you let me be queer, O.K.? Let's not fight each other, there are more important battles to be fought. "Oh, no!" some of my het and homo readers shake their heads in disgust. "Another fag ranting about his oppresssion." Funny how that word is so freely used, isn't it? Well, I am not writing about my problems. You are the one with the prob1em. A closeted University student fears being caught reading this column, for fear that her sexuality be revealed. Guilty by association? A University employee walks down Locust Walk while a frat brother yells "Fag!" at him. People fear coming to LGBA meetings. Until these circumstances end, I will speak up. Why are queers at the University made to feel ashamed of their inclination towards members of the same sex? Something causes them to seal their lips while on campus. I see them downtown having the time of their life at a queer bar, sporting event, or church service, yet on this side of the Schuylkill River, I watch them suffer in silence from a prevailing, oppressive heterosexual attitude. Heterosexuality is not at fault here. It is not inherently evil. Hey, some of my best friends are straight. . . . humor aside, assuming that all are straight and that any variation is perverse amounts to assuming that Caucasian skin is superior. Heterosexual supremacy is my enemy, as is any assumption of greater worth by nature of race, class, or gender. This column is more than my soapbox, from where I will try to save the world. I want it also to be a security blanket for all queers, (gay, bisexual, and lesbian people) out there. At least once every two weeks you can see a fellow queer voice in print, however much you may disagree. I know as a first-year student, I would devour any piece of literature with the words "lesbian," "gay," or "bisexua1." It was nice to know that there were others besides myself, who could afford to and wanted to, be out. Think of this section of Page Six as a break from the everyday. You have just entered The Queer Zone. There will be no boy-and-girlfriend holding hands, no opposite-sex cuddling on the Green. You will not see toothpaste commercials with a mom and dad watching bro and sis brushing their teeth. Heterosexual people will be allowed, as long as they stay in their bars in their part of town. In other words, my column will be a respite from al1 of those blatant heterosexuals flaunting their sexuality. Golly, there are chidren around! "A whole new world/A special place. . ." Cut the Aladdin music. Welcome to my reality. I cannot see straight, nor do I want to. I hope you are willing to view the world through my eyes, because, heck, I am the one with the column! You can show me your thoughts in your letters and guest colomns. Queer or straight. No apologies. No shame. I am Stephen, hear me roar. I can only hope to be true and honest to my heart. I am happy being who I am. I wish everyone could find similar pleasure and comfort in their identities. Gee, I love being queer. Now if only keeping my grade point average was as simple. . . . Stephen Houghton is a junior Fine Arts and French major from Rocklegde, Pennsylania. Ecce Queer will appear alternate Wednesdays.