‘We Can Do Better’ discussion tackles bias present within the LGBTQ+ community

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Even within a marginalized group such as the queer community, inequalities can remain prevalent, said Elliott Hickey, program coordinator for the LGBTQ Resource Center.

“You have to look inward, and look at your own issues and problematic tendencies in a community in order to progress,” Hickey said.

The LGBTQ Resource Center, part of the Intercultural Collective located in Schine Student Center, hosted the first of a monthly discussion series, “We Can Do Better,” on Monday. The series aims to address issues within the LGBTQ community, and will usually be guided group discussions, Hickey said.

This past Monday, the discussion focused on racism within the LGBTQ community. Hickey said that a lot of queer culture is derived from the culture of people of color, which they stressed the importance of recognizing.

“Even though we are a marginalized group, it doesn’t mean that we don’t have our own cultural biases in other intersecting areas,” Hickey said.

The conversation centered around specific examples of overlooked roles people of color have held in the queer community, such as the history of the trans women of color that spearheaded the pride movement.

Hickey said pride began as a protest against police brutality. Relating the past to the present, Hickey discussed modern intersectionality and brought up topics such as marginalization in healthcare, housing and social experiences. They talked about the 2018 redesign of the pride flag to include black and brown stripes to commemorate people of color in the community.

The conversation then shifted to the privilege that white members of the queer community experience. Attendees discussed the idea that queer white people continue to benefit from white supremacy, and that they can take accountability by using their voices to support underrepresented communities. Junior Shirley Chen made a comparison between the media’s perspective on Lil Nas X and Harry Styles, and that their feminine presentations have been received very differently.

Chen also brought up the discrimination that marginalized groups, such as Black female sex workers, face when interacting with the police. Intersectional racism — in this case, sexism, racism and transphobia — amplifies the issues marginalized groups encounter, Chen said.

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“All systems of oppression are intertwined, whether that be with socioeconomic status or the patriarchy,” Hickey said.

The event featured a video, “A Discussion About Racism,” which focused on the experiences of four Black queer men with the current political climate. The men in the video talked about their frustration with a lack of change, their hopes for the future and how different generations can feel the same anger.

“We’ve been talking about it for so long, since before my generation was even alive,” Chen said. “We need to come up with a new system.”

The attendees said that uncomfortability about discussions of racism can be difficult for people because they don’t want to confront their internal issues. Senior Sonja Nassur said white fragility, or defensiveness from white people on the topic of their privilege, can be a factor, along with biases ingrained by society.

Nassur said she valued the open discussion on these topics, and said it’s important to have events that put a spotlight on these issues.

At the end of the meeting, Hickey encouraged participants to attend other programs and utilize the Center’s resources. They emphasized that the programs, including Safe Zone and Trans 101, are intended for all students, staff and faculty and are not limited to SU undergraduate students.

Hickey said that they work to provide many affinity groups and monthly events to offer educational opportunities and support for the LGBTQ community and their allies, and they hope to continue this.

“I really appreciated this event taking place, because I’m a junior and I’ve never heard of an event like this before,” Chen said. “It’ll be the first step in moving forward with these intersectionality issues.”

Going forward, the LGBTQ Resource Center hopes to garner more attendance at their events directed towards allies, not just members of the LGBTQ community, Hickey said.

​​”When we get numbers for those (programs directed at allies), that shows that people are being proactive and trying to build that community,” Hickey said.