To the Editor:
In last week’s Phillipian Sebastian Becker ’10 made a bold stand for his beliefs by denouncing the alleged lewdness of the GSA dance. However, close reading reveals that Mr. Becker’s article consists of logical fallacy after logical fallacy, and I have some responses to several of his comments. He began his article by professing his surprise and subsequent discomfort at arriving at the Ryley Room only to encounter people dressed in drag. His tone suggests that the GSA in some way sprang this feature of the dance on the unsuspecting student body; however, several of the GSA posters Mr. Becker acknowledged as being seemingly omnipresent around campus stated clearly that there would be a drag contest. The Weekender itself told students to “come in drag.” So I ask Mr. Becker, what did you expect? A formal garden party? Also, the cross dressing behavior Mr. Becker referred to as ‘transsexuality’ is in fact transvestism, an entirely different practice embraced by people of all sexual orientations. His fixation with the transvestite behavior exhibited by dozens of people at the dance clearly shows that he was missing the point of the dance, which was for students to have fun, be silly and challenge traditional gender roles. Definition of gender roles is extremely relevant to the gay civil rights movement and to gay culture. As for the exclusion supposedly felt by Mr. Becker, who complains that heterosexuals are not able to express their sexuality and culture, I view this complaint as nothing short of ridiculous. Straight people get the opportunity to express their sexuality every weekend. They had that opportunity this past Saturday at the Latin Arts Dance. They had it at the Video Dance on the first weekend of school. They will have it at every other dance this year, regardless of theme, because they are the majority and though a same-sex couple may occasionally find their way onto the dance floor, the heterosexual culture of the heterosexual majority will always be the dominant force in any school dance. Mr. Becker refers to GSA as arrogant, but I ask what is more arrogant: the desire to have one dance out of several dozen celebrating gay culture or the desire to do away with even that one? Mr. Becker also mentioned his discomfort with transsexuality and claimed that he never associates homosexuality with transsexuality. This is strange, as many homosexuals and their heterosexual allies do. You know that acronym, GLBT? That’s what the T stands for: transgender, an umbrella term that includes transsexuals. The overarching theme behind Mr. Becker’s article was that many people are uncomfortable with overt displays of sexuality, regardless of their being homosexual or heterosexual. If this is the case, then this article is several weeks late. Why was it not written in protest of the Welcome Back to School Video Dance, where numerous straight couples were grinding — a practice reminiscent of dry humping — on the dance floor? Why is it when the emphasis changes from “straight culture” to “gay culture” for one night, grinding and kissing (kissing is also a common occurrence at other dances) suddenly become lewd? This is a double standard of the most despicable nature. Furthermore, I am a three-year Upper and though Mr. Becker may be a newcomer to Ryley dances, I am not, and based off my experience, last weekend’s dance was fairly tame. It is unfortunate that some people were uncomfortable at the dance, as I feel the majority of people there had a good time and saw the dance as what it was meant to be: a chance to have fun and step outside of themselves to gain a new perspective. At least those who did not enjoy the event now know where to draw the line of their comfort zone, wherever that may be, and as no GSA event is mandatory, that comfort zone will be respected. These are my thoughts on Mr. Becker’s article, which I am very happy he wrote. I have stated before how important free speech is to me and people should be able to say what they want. I also value intellectual liberty, which in my opinion protects the right to hold and express any idea whatsoever as long as one does not act on that idea in such a way that infringes upon the life, liberty or property of another. If you are made uncomfortable by or dislike the GLBT community and are writing an op-ed article about an event sponsored by an organization representing that community, be a man and come out and say so. Do not hide behind false professions of acceptance and open-mindedness, especially flimsy ones. You should be comfortable being yourself, because the cross-dressing lacrosse players certainly are. Sincerely, Chase Ebert ’09
