Gay, lesbian, bisexual couples also celebrate Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is a popular occasion for couples to profess their love. Today, guys often surprise their girlfriends with long-stemmed red roses or stuffed animals, and girls may give their boyfriends cards or candy. For members of the University's gay, lesbian and bisexual communities, the observance of Valentine's Day is not much different than those just described, even though their partners are of the same sex. Robert Schoenberg, coordinator of the Program for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community at Penn, said lesbian and bisexual couples who are "out" are free to celebrate Valentine's Day in much the same way that heterosexual couples do. However, for lesbian and bisexual couples who feel they must conceal their relationship, celebrating Valentine's Day is a more private matter, Schoenberg said. Jodi Bromberg, co-chairperson of the University's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Alliance, echoed Schoenberg's sentiments. "I like Valentine's Day," the College senior said. "It's a fun holiday." Bromberg added that Valentine's Day does not make her more aware of the fact that she is bisexual. "Whether I hold my girlfriend's hand, or kiss her goodbye before class, Feb. 14 doesn't change that," she said. In terms of Valentine's Day traditions, Bromberg said she either buys a blank card and writes her own personal message, or goes to Giovanni's Room or Afterwords, stores which carry "gay-friendly" cards. She also placed an advertisement in the Daily Pennsylvanian's Valentine's Day insert, and might send her girlfriend flowers or go out to dinner with her this evening. College junior and LGBA co-Chairperson Stephen Houghton, who is also a Daily Pennsylvanian columnist, said he shares Bromberg's view of Valentine's Day. "I don't think it's just a heterosexual holiday," he said. "Heterosexuals don't have a monopoly on love. "It's a great holiday if you're inclined to being romantic, it's fun," he added. "I've gone to dinner with my boyfriend on Valentine's Day." But in general, Houghton said he feels Valentine's Day is a bad holiday for any single person, whether gay, straight, bisexual, or lesbian, because it implies everyone should be part of a couple. "[Coupling] is great if it works," he said. "Not everyone wants to be that way." Engineering sophomore Chris Berry, another gay student, said Valentine's Day just provides an opportunity to spend time with a special person, regardless of one's sexuality. And Wharton sophomore Sam Chandan, who is in charge of advocacy for the LGBA, agreed. "I think that gay relationships are about love and intimacy in the same way that heterosexual relationships are," he said. "In that sense, Valentine's Day is just as much an occasion for us. "There's always a fragility to gay relationships in that the social constructs that support heterosexual relationships don't exist in such abundance for us as they do for our straight counterparts," Chandan added. He also said the marketing of Valentine's Day can make homosexual couples feel alienated. "Being bombarded by images of happy heterosexual couples at times likes Valentine's Day can be a strong reminder of the exclusion we feel from society as a whole," Chandan said.

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