Institutional Racism in LGBTU

To the Editor:

This letter is being written with great humility to not only the queer community on campus, but also to all students of color with open regard for the wrong-doings of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Union during and following this past weekend’s Queer Party. At said party, which was open to the entire queer community on campus, two radical, queer women of color were asked to leave the party. They were asked to leave by members of the LGBTU that support a straight, white, male officer who has been open about his anti-safe space, racist and misogynistic politics. By supporting this officer they were also supporting his views which are inherently in opposition to those of the LGBTU. For this we, concerned members of LGBTU, would like to apologize for both the events at the Queer Party and the e-mail conversation which followed.
We are angry and disappointed to report that most of the people involved in the events of that night and the conversation that followed have refused to be accountable for their behavior or even participate in this apology. However, the LGBTU is still accountable for allowing this to happen. No member of the queer community should have been asked to leave, and when two members of the community were asked to leave, every member of the community should have challenged that. Additionally, when the event was discussed via e-mail between hosts of the party and involved members of LGBTU, racist stereotypes and factual discrepancies were used to defend the behavior of the hosts of the party. In that e-mail discussion, an officer of the LGBTU felt entitled to suggest that this conflict somehow compromised the leadership role of these women in Zami. Although all but one of the people involved in that conversation have chosen not to apologize for it, we, as members of LGBTU would like to state publicly that we do not support or condone racist behavior in our community. The idea that LGBTU has any right to affect the autonomy of any other queer organization is unacceptable. Furthermore, the idea that any white member of LGBTU should have a say in the membership or leadership of Zami is racist.
The events of the past weekend and the ensuing e-mail discussion were racist. The LGBTU was not only complacent in the happenings of these events, but also supportive. This is an example of how the institutional racism of the LGBTU manifests and reproduces itself. The LGBTU, as a primarily white organization, has made claims to be open to all queer people, often relying on the existence of satellite groups such as Zami to prove its welcomeness, or claiming to have attempted to become more inclusive of queer people of color. Regardless of such claims, LGBTU still suffers from racism and there is no acceptable apology for that. 
Oberlin is a strange place in that people claiming gay and lesbian identities are not as greatly stigmatized here as in the outside world. White gay and lesbians are not confronted with homophobia in the same constant manner as people of color are confronted with racism. The LGBTU reflects and reinforces this. The LGBTU has not addressed its own racism and there is no acceptable apology for that lack of action. We, as members of LGBTU would like to hold ourselves, the organization, and our fellow members accountable for our racism as a part of an ongoing process to transform LGBTU into an anti-racist organization.

–Myrl Beam
College first-year
LGBTU co-chair 

–Jessie Carr 
College first-year
LGBTU member

–Bacilio Mendez II
College first-year
LGBTU co-treasurer