My Sophomore year of college, I had a roommate who dropped out because he played Madden 2002 all day (this was new at the time.) I went away for the weekend, came back, and had already been given a new roommate. As I walked in, he looked at me nervously and said “Hello I’m Ryan have you checked your e-mail you should,” just like that, no pause. “Um.. Alright.”
This is an excerpt from that e-mail, which I will never delete.
Hi, I’m being moved into your room this weekend (Saturday
morning around noon I’ll be bringing my stuff by van…)
I thought I’d e-mail you and let you know a few things about
me and some of the stuff I have which I can bring with.
[…]
I enjoy lots of different things, I like movies, my favorites
include Dancer In The Dark, The Crow, Interview With The
Vampire, Lord of the Rings, Indochine (a French film), and
many others. I also enjoy music, and my tastes range greatly
but usually include everything except extremely hard rap and
twangy country. I also like playing on my computer and
hanging out with friends.
[…]
Another important thing to tell you is that I am a
homosexual. If you have any concerns about this, please let
me know, I will not be offended if you just ask me straight
out.
I look forward to living in Garner [our dorm’s name] and to being your
roommate… please let me know about what stuff I should move-
in with.
Now, what I didn’t know at the time was that Ryan was chased out of his old dorm because someone found out that he was gay (the guilty party was expelled). What Ryan didn’t know is that I’ve had extended family members who have been out since before I understood the concept of sexual orientation.
But that’s a pressure I won’t understand, and a persecution many have to face. And if I support my friends and family, I should probably learn more about how one goes about approaching an issue of equality. So when I see a book called The Lesbian and Gay Movement: Assimilation or Liberation? by Craig A. Rimmerman, I imagine it is time for a self-education. This takes on the different movements and issues as a collective, trying to discuss two different viewpoints: Is being accepted part of assimilating oneself into the mainstream, or is it to liberate their rights from oppression? Ideally, the end goal is to make issues a non-issue in society, but the angle one uses when getting their point across is of great inerest and debate.
The book focuses on the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy and the military ban of “outed” homosexuals, the AIDs epidemic, and same-sex marriage. It is a book with fully cited sources, and unlike many works about Gay Rights, focuses more on opposing camps of Gay Rights advocates than it does of a pro- or anti- rights stance. I’m not saying you’ll get all the answers, but maybe you’ll get a better shot at the different questions.
