I have followed with increasing interest the opinions relating to the purpose and nature of Spectrum Alliance. I am disheartened to see the organization accused of marginalizing any group of people, but more specifically the GLBT population itself. In columns written by Mr. Chris Berresford and Mr. Sean Phillips, specific allegations were made regarding Spectrum’s attitude towards the campus community. It is my desire to refute those claims and to reiterate that Spectrum’s sole purposes are those of advancing the GLBT community and fostering its ties to the student body.
Spectrum Alliance is an organization founded on the tenets of respect and inclusiveness for all. The charter of the group is set up in such a way to allow it to adapt to the needs and desires of its members at any given time. Thus, Spectrum’s programming is always a direct reflection of the members that comprise the group. Since its inception, the club has encouraged members and guests alike to make their own contribution to the programming by offering them an open forum through which to voice their opinions.
I find that I must dissent with Mr. Berresford’s view that Spectrum Alliance “contributes to the marginalization of gays on this campus.”
In the first place, it is terribly unfair to base one’s opinion of a group of people upon the perception of one comparatively insignificant event: in this case, the Big Gay Picnic. The breadth of services that Spectrum offers to the university community is far-reaching, including supporting AIDS research and awareness, promoting safer sex, fostering the Safe Zones program, and offering advising to questioning students. In recent years, the organization has dealt hands-on with topics such as coming-out issues at home and on campus, activism, our role in the political arena, and the promotion of the general welfare of GLBT students. To focus unnecessary negative attention on what was intended to be a lighthearted social event is to undermine the group’s many undeniably positive effects.
Secondly, and perhaps more significantly, no one’s rights or privileges should be abridged just because we do not find them palatable. Indeed, providing for the free exchange of ideas and knowledge is what makes Washington University the excellent institution that it is. If someone wants to wear a shirt proclaiming their gay pride, it is within their rights as a citizen-much in the same way others would choose not to do so. To imply any wrongdoing of that person is censorship in its purest form. I concur that the majority of gay people wish to lead ‘normal’ lives, but how we define normality is an individual expression.
The leadership of any campus group is faced with the challenge of creating dynamic and exciting programming that will not only satisfy the needs of its members, but also advance the group’s cause in the eyes of outsiders. This is an arduous task for the most veteran of student leaders, and Spectrum’s current leadership, despite being newly installed, is doing a commendable job of balancing social and outreach activities. Further, Spectrum has always funded special interest groups that cover issues important to its membership; these have included such diverse arenas as political activism, topics in coming out, and expanding the straight-ally community.
Spectrum Alliance is a well-rounded student group organized by well-intentioned people who genuinely care about the prosperity of the students they serve. I implore the student body of WU to ignore the hype and ill-informed opinions surrounding this threadbare controversy and to focus instead on the positive, tangible benefits Spectrum affords the community as a whole.