May 1996, Vol. 2, No. 3

Urvashi Vaid Speaks on Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights
By Joe Anthony Perez, first-year student and co-chair of LesBiGay Student Association at SSA.

On April 19, 1996, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration LesBiGay Student Association sponsored a speech by noted author, lawyer, and former director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Urvashi Vaid. Vaid spoke on the future of the gay and lesbian political movement. As an increasingly visible movement, the gay and lesbian struggle for civil rights serves as a vivid example of how people can affect policy.

Urvashi Vaid began with a bold assertion about the current situation of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered. She stated that the movement is in a state of "Virtual Equality" (from her latest book,Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay & Lesbian Liberation). Like computer generated virtual reality that presents an image to the viewer that makes them believe that what they are seeing on the computer screen is real, the gay and lesbian movement's acceptance by the larger population is also only on the surface. Vaid believes that gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered and even the heterosexual community have been fooled into believing that gays and lesbians have acceptance. A more in-depth look at the reality of the situation reveals that gays are really only marginally accepted (politically, economically, and legally). She believes that this type of inequality is holding the movement back. Therefore, she believes that society's acceptance should be more profound, such as homosexuality being treated as a "moral equal to heterosexuality."

Urvashi Vaid then gave a brief historical perspective of the movement. She cited three major "victories" or turning points that helped legitimize the movement for gay and lesbian civil rights: 1) the 1973 decision by the APA to remove homosexuality as a disorder; 2) the AIDS epidemic as a catalyst for organizing the movement; and 3) the most recent massive cultural visibility of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered in the media, art and other cultural venues. However, these turning points are not only considered catalysts for positive attention, but are also considered as possible anti-victories because of negative attention they brought to the movement.

Vaid also presented the major ways in which anti-gay perspectives have manifested themselves throughout the history of the movement. The Religious Right has strategized to oppress the gay and lesbian movement through: I) Anita Bryant's 1977 "Campaign to Protect Children" and its view of homosexuals as recruiters, perverts and deviants; 2) promoting the idea that AIDS is punishment for homosexuality; and 3) the idea that gay rights are "special rights." She likened these setbacks to "waves," that continue to crest over society long after the actual year that they occurred. She cited the myths that continue to pervade social consciousness about gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered persons as evidence of these perpetuating "waves."

Vaid then spoke of the direction she believes the movement should take. She emphasized the need to access the political power of large numbers of gay and lesbian voters which is currently underutilized. She also said that, at times, she believed that the movement would not be able to achieve its goals alone and that there was a need for the gay and lesbian movement to broaden its focus to include other movements seeking equality (ie. race, gender, class, etc.).

At this point, the audience helped her strategize about coalition building with other civil rights movements. The discussion focused on racism, homophobia, and classism (among other -isms) within the gay and lesbian movement. There was also commentary on an additional barrier coalition building: that many gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered do not "stick up" for these other groups because of previous disenfranchisement that those communities have imposed upon sexual minorities. Vaid suggested that "the movement should decide if they want to be a "gay" rights movement or an "equality" movement.

Other thought provoking topics covered included pedophilia, progressivism, racism, classism, the future of our economy, the state of older gays and lesbians, funding for gay and lesbian causes, coalition building among equal rights organizations and the need to address a "post-gay rights movement." Most of these topics can be found in her recent book. Vaid is an excellent speaker and her lecture gave SSA students, among others, a great opportunity to learn about the dynamic process and struggles of a growing civil rights movement.

Joe Anthony Perez is a first-year student and co-chair of LesBiGay Student Association at SSA.
His field placement is at Horizons Community Services.

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