IT'S WONDERFUL to see all the attention that our LGBT Resource Center t-shirt project has generated. One of the main purposes of the project is to serve as an opening for discussion, and it seems to have done a good job of that.
Criticisms of the "gay? fine by me." project are inevitable. There are many opinions about the language that should be used when referring to people with diverse sexual orientations and/or gender identities. This is a dialogue that the LGBT Resource Center welcomes, as long as it takes place civilly and respectfully.
While we are cognizant of the debate on language and inclusiveness, we cannot forget our community members who have yet to come to terms with their identity, whether it is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, ally or otherwise. Because of a myriad of reasons, including societal messages, family dynamics and internal pressure, many people in our community are questioning and closeted instead of out and proud. In fact, when we do Speakers Bureau panels around Grounds, we leave an empty chair to represent these members of our community who haven't found their voice.
This is where the t-shirt project can help. Thousands of "gay? fine by me." shirts across 10 Virginia campuses is a strong message to those struggling with coming out, and gives them a visual cue about supportive people they could talk to. This is crucial, as one of the most common things we hear about the LGBT experience is how isolating it can be. The allies are there, they just need a chance to publicly declare it. For some, that public declaration is the first step towards awareness of their heterosexual privilege, and can spur them to more progressive ways of fighting homophobia.
Looking at the t-shirt project itself, the results from a survey of participants last year are overwhelmingly positive. Two hundred and fifty-five people responded to the survey, and 85 percent thought this project was "effective" or "very effective" at raising awareness of the LGBT community. Ninety-six percent thought it was "effective" or "very effective" at giving allies of the LGBT community an opportunity to visibly show their support. And 98 percent "recommended" or "strongly recommended" that the LGBT Resource Center continue the t-shirt project again in the future. Given that such small numbers of University community members are interested in our mission, these results could not be ignored.
From the same survey, we received many comments, such as:
"I got certain knowing glances and one or two frowns of disapproval, but otherwise, I received signs of support. I would like to take part in something like this again, especially since I found myself answering people's questions and informing them -- their questions were sparked by the shirts."
"I loved making eye contact with a sea of comrades throughout the day.
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