B-GLAD days get underway

Homophobia. The catch word echoes throughout television and movies, political campaigns and rallies. But it is also an issue that hits home on the University's campus. The purpose of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian Awareness Days, or B-GLAD, which began yesterday and run through March 30, is to celebrate the pride, diversity and achievements of the lesbian, gay and bisexual community and to educate the University at large about homosexual issues. But homophobia remains a widespread feeling that continues to thrive, despite the informative B-GLAD events. Kurt Conklin, a health educator for Student Health, suggests that homophobia is much more complicated than the term "gay-bashing" insinuates. Conklin advises the student-run peer health groups FLASH -- Facilitating Learning About Sexual Health -- and STAAR -- Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape. "Homophobia is not limited to physical violence or verbal harassment," he said. "It is also the fear that people will perceive you as gay, lesbian or bisexual." He explained that for this reason, many heterosexual students at the University spend enormous amounts of energy trying to distance themselves from people, ideas and activities that they perceive to be "gay-related." "A very simple example would be the anxiety that men have about expressing affection to male friends or family members," Conklin said, adding "from what I have observed and heard, many men would like to touch other men without the fear that it will be interpreted as a sexual come-on." College freshman Alex Gino, a self-identified lesbian, said that she considers the issue of homophobia a scary one. "There are just too many people who are closed and set in their ways," Gino said. "I have not had too many problems regarding homophobia, but I know way too many gay friends who have." Gino's main concern about homophobia is finding a way to reach out to people who are homophobic. "A lot of people joke about homosexuality without even realizing what they are engaging in," she said. "I wish that there was a way of getting through to people who would otherwise never attend a homosexual event." College junior Rob Faunce, a self-identified homosexual, said that although he is aware that homophobic attitudes exist at the University, he is secure enough to exhibit public displays of affection without feeling physically threatened. "I wouldn't say that the Penn community is necessarily supportive of homosexuality," he said. "But I don't come in contact with a lot of outward homophobia." Faunce explained that he does frequently encounter males on the campus jeering at homosexuality, but said that he does not consider it a personal attack. And he added that while he hopes programs such as B-GLAD will promote awareness, he believes mandatory freshman programs dealing specifically with discrimination would be a better way of combatting homophobia. College junior Ben Saul said even though he is not homosexual himself, the amount of homophobia he encounters on a daily basis disgusts him. "It amazes me how prevalent it is on the campus of an Ivy League institution," he said. "You would think that people are here to learn and be open, but ignorance is everywhere." According to one male College senior and fraternity member, who requested anonymity, "gay jokes" have been a part of his life as long as he can remember. He added that he would be regarded as an outsider if he did not participate in the homophobic activity. "It's ironic that Penn students are smart enough to know what's politically correct," Faunce said. "If someone stupidly said something homophobic to my face, I might subject that person to actually learning something."