Panel examines sexuality issues

In an effort to promote visibility and support among lesbian and bisexual women of color, the Program for the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Community at Penn sponsored a panel discussion Tuesday, marking the seventh annual National Coming Out Day. A group of about 30 people gathered at the Greenfield Intercultural Center to hear a panel of three lesbian women of color and three facilitators lead an informal discussion about coming out in communities of color, and in the predominantly heterosexual community at the University. College senior Malika Levy, an associate director of the Program for the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Community, organized the event. "There is a lot of oppression facing lesbian and bisexual women of color due to the homophobia in ethnic communities and racism in homosexual communities," she said. "Most people are only aware of the issues facing homosexual white males." "Tonight we hope to extend visibility to gays that come from diverse backgrounds," she added. Panel members discussed the pressure of choosing between associating with lesbians and bisexuals or people who share the same ethnic background. The women all said they wanted to be seen as "whole." "It can be traumatic living in a heterosexual community that says gay is wrong," said Aishah Simmons, one of the panelists. "I am tired of choosing between my identity as an African American and my sexuality." Simmons, an independent media artist, showed an experimental narrative video, which she wrote and produced, entitled "Silence Broken." The video focussed on the racism, sexism and homophobia facing an African-American lesbian woman. Many panelists agreed that homosexual communities of color are very closeted, making it difficult for others to come out. "At Penn it's hard to decide whether to be a woman of color that's a lesbian or a lesbian, who is a woman of color," said College senior Maria Gonzales, who was also a panelist. The program was the first in a series of panels called Finding Our Voices.