6A
Friday, April 11, 1997
UN I V E R S I T Y D A I L Y K A N S A N
Pride Week about more than drag queens
Event celebrates lives, identities
By Umut Bayramoglu
Kansan staff writer
When students think of Queer Pride Week, they most probably visualize men in drag dancing and singing in front of the Kansas Union.
But for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students, it is a time to cherish their identity.
"We are not always affirmed in
the society for whom we love. This week is a time to celebrate our lives, identities and relationships," said Christine Robinson, Lawrence doctoral student.
Robinson said Pride Week also served the purpose of educating the community and raising awareness about queer issues.
"Living in Lawrence as queers, in a lot of ways we are privileged," Robinson said. "But in a lot of ways, we are at a risk of being harmed by individual prejudice or institutional practice of discrimination," she said.
Kate Fawcett, Lawrence senior.
"Anywhere in the Midwest it could be an isolating experience, with no support or resources," Fawcett said. "In Lawrence, we have the advantage of being able to create these resources."
said that Lawrence was better than most places in the Midwest.
Robinson said that one of the advantages of living in Lawrence was the fact that the University had a non-discriminatory rule on the basis of sexual orientation.
"The fact that KU has this policy makes me feel more comfortable here," she said. "But there are several instances where queer bashing takes place."
Robinson said that one aspect of discrimination she faces as a lesbian is that the University does not have a domestic partnership policy.
"Many of us who are in long-term relationships are denied benefits everyday," she said.
Fawcett said that she and her partner faced discrimination at a local bank when they tried to open a joint checking account.
"Usually people come and talk to
you about opening an account. But when we went there, they just handed us a pamphlet and ignored us," she said.
Robinson added that there was another kind of discrimination she faced that was not obvious at first.
"People know that they are not supposed to discriminate against you face to face," she said. "That is the subtle discrimination, which is the worst."
Robinson, who also is a graduate teaching assistant, said she was out to all her students, but she worries about how it would affect her teaching evaluations.
"Who knows if some of these students end up giving me a low evaluation grade just because I'm a lesbian," she said.
Tony Phillips, Lawrence graduate student, said he had not faced serious problems on campus but was more concerned about problems after his graduation this spring.
Phillips said that, overall, his experience at the University and Lawrence had been good.
"I was looking for a job, and I wasn't sure if I'd be protected from discrimination, which added a little complexity to my job search," he said.
"The biggest drawback is the fact that there aren't a whole lot of social outlets," he said.
Professors try to increase refugee awareness at discussion
By Laurie Fletchall
Special to the Kansan
The plight of refugees from Haiti and Zaire was brought closer to home last night when two KU professors held an open panel discussion.
Bryant Freeman, director of Haitian studies and professor of African and African-American studies and Leonardo Villalon, assistant professor of political science with an emphasis in African politics, addressed the
issue of refugees in Africa and Haiti at 7 p.m. in the Jayhawk Room at the Kansas Union.
Twelve people listened for more than two hours to a lively discussion on the Haitian refugee problem in 1991 and 1992 and the current disintegration of Zaire.
"I was in Haiti as a United
Freeman emphasized the treatment of and response to the Haitian refugees who were flooding American shores after the Haitian military killed supporters of the elected government.
Nations political adviser during the elections when Titid Ak Nou won 66 percent of the vote," Freeman said.
Later when refugees were headed to the United States, Freeman was called away from teaching at the University to go to the American military base in Guantanamo, Cuba, he said.
Freeman interviewed the refugees, helping immigration officials determine who would be allowed into the United States and who would be sent back.
"We had 20 minutes with each one in which to decide the fate of their life," Freeman said. "The first week there, I was so devastated by the tales of horror and indiscriminative shooting that I would go behind a pole during breaks and weep." Freeman said.
"With the second week I just felt numb, and nothing affected me at all," he said.
Villalon said the same chaos was occurring in Zaire.
"Right this very moment the government in Zaire is falling apart."
Villalon said.
The infrastructure of Zaire is practically nonexistent, he said. Few roads can be traveled and even fewer hospitals are functioning outside the capital.
One of the driving forces of the collapse of Zaire and other African governments, such as Rwanda and Somalia, can be linked to a resistance to democratize, Villalon said. It is a chain reaction that is moving from one country another
*Refugees from Somalia fled to Rwanda, then refugees from
Rwanda fled to Zaire," he said.
Some of the Rwandan refugees have returned home because there is no help for them in Zaire now.
Rachel Wiese, Overland Park junior and Amnesty International member, said she was thrilled to learn that we have professors who are involved in wanting to solve the refugee problem.
"After hearing what a large part professor Freeman played in helping the Haiti situation, I was proud to know that they are a part of this University," Wiese said.
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