This blog post is in response to one of the movies that we
watched yesterday- Sarah Bacot’s film about LGBTQ life at Rhodes. Just as a
refresher, the film profiled seven or eight different queer Rhodes students
about their experiences in coming out and finding an accepting social group on
campus.
I thought the movie was well made; the interviews were well
prepped and thought out and the interviewees themselves were interesting and
personable. The one thing that stood out to me as strange about the film, however,
was the positivity shown by the interview subjects themselves about the nature
of queer life at Rhodes.
What caught me off guard was that these conclusions (“It’s
been a good experience,” “I haven’t experienced anything too bad,” etc.) seemed
to contrast the characterizations of friend groups as “support groups,” and the
general consensus among the interviewed that Rhodes is not an openly queer-friendly campus.
I realize that this is a weird sort of distinction to make,
and as a heterosexual, cisgender, male, perhaps I am out of place in doing so
(if that’s the case, then I’ll apologize here), but I couldn’t help but think
that the film in general was shedding an unusually positive light on the nature
of Rhodes as the school deals with social and political issues regarding gender
and sexuality.
That was a long sentence.
Did anyone else feel this way about the film? The part of
the film that rang most true for me was the conversation between, excuse my
forgetting their names, the short-haired brunette and the black,
glasses-wearing male. For a brief moment, the two vented about some of their
frustrations with Rhodes’ attitude towards queerness, and for some reason that
segment seemed extra genuine in comparison to the “Rhodes isn’t that bad”
answers.
The fact that one student simply sent a letter, and the written
reason for his/her choosing not to appear publicly in the film as a gay Rhodes
student, was also indicative of what seemed to me to be a more understandable
reaction to the social structures of our college.
Let me know what y’all think!
I'm so glad you wrote about this! I totally agree, specifically about the venting conversation you referenced above. I've seen people react to other topics in a similar fashion, and it's always about things that get them riled up, either in an excited or angry manner. I felt like the two students were showing their actual feelings in that moment. I think the general tone towards Rhodes is one of passivity and general acceptance because of the need for preservation and diplomacy. Like someone said in class, when you put a camera in front of a person, opinions are bound to be altered.
ReplyDeleteI also think that for some LGBT members at Rhodes, the attitudes here might actually be better compared to what they've encountered in the past (high school, general public, etc). So it becomes a lesser evil - still not ideal - but better than what they've experienced. I have no idea if any of that is even remotely true, but it came to mind!
That struck me as odd as well, especially given my conversations with a few LGBTQ friends about the Rhodes community as well as my experience witnessing homophobia.
ReplyDeleteI think most of us constantly hear microaggressions, the daily derogatory ways we communicate -- intentionally or unintentionally -- disregard, against LGBTQ folk. For example, most of us have probably heard a friend say (or ourselves have said) the word "fag" in a way that equates homosexuality to the lesser, an insult that (at the very least) establishes a hostile climate where some LGBTQ folk do not feel comfortable expressing public affection to their partner or taking their partner to a party.
Have you seen a gay couple hold hands walking to the Lair? I haven't. Have you had a friend that said he or she would be uncomfortable if he or she saw that -- "although they're fine with homosexuals"? I have. Other instances include basic assumptions of heterosexuality, like how during my first day at Rhodes my RA assembled the dorm hall's residents and asked each guy his name, hometown, and "whether or not he was a tits or ass man." Because heteronormativity.
During my time I have also witnessed more aggressive actions that I am surprised were not mentioned; for example, some students tore down posters advertising the Cabaret Drag Show. I have heard people attack Safe Zone trained folks as "overly sensitive politically correct faggots." I have also read campus climate surveys where some heterosexual folk indicate that they think Rhodes's community is too queer for them and they cannot wait to graduate. I am surprised that such stories were not expressed.
As shared in the video, however, many of these comments are generally expressed in the company of other assumed heterosexual people (especially male heterosexual folk); therefore, some folks interviewed who are openly gay and celebrate their sexuality -- as seen in folks like the author of the Sassy Lesbian Column -- may not hear these types of comments as often as they are generally expressed on campus, especially in settings I -- as a white, male, cis, hetero person in a fraternity -- am likely to find myself in.
I agree with this, I think that it is strange that they all said that it has been a good thing for them, but that it still isn't nearly as open as what it should be if it actually was a good thing. I would have thought that the people would have said more negative things about the Rhodes community, because even though I think that it is trying to do a decent job, I don't think that it is that accepting of a community. There are definitely programs and support groups and other things out there, but I don't think in general the campus is that accepting of LGBTQ lifestyle. I definitely have not seen any openly homosexual couples walking around holding hands, and have heard remarks that are homophobic thrown casually around campus. I think that it is a pleasant surprise that they say that it is a good experience for them, but I would have thought they would have been more critical of the campus.
ReplyDeleteI definitely expected more accounts similar to the "venting scene" and the letter, and felt like maybe some of the other accounts were sugarcoated. Like we said in class, Rhodes seems to be more of a queer-tolerant campus than a queer-positive campus, especially when there are remarks like the one Ian mentioned about it being "too queer." I think the camera played a role, but I also hesitate to discount people's own reports of their lived experiences, as we can only guess about the influence of the camera or any other factors that might play a part in how they represent their ideas and experiences.
ReplyDeleteHenry,
ReplyDeleteI am glad you posted about this, because like everyone else on here, I had a similar reaction. I was initially hesitant to comment because, as a white, cis, hetero female, it is largely not my place to critique how others articulate their experiences at Rhodes. One thing that did strike me, however, was the similarity between the responses in Sarah's video and some of my conversations with friends of other marginalized identities on Rhodes campus, i.e. students of color. Many students of color that I have talked to, including several of my friends who presented at a Brown Bag lecture a couple of weeks ago about their research on being black at Rhodes, expressed similarly positive views about their time at Rhodes. Most said that, despite the exclusive, often hostile, climate, they would do it all over again if asked. When pressed to explain why, many said that (fortunately and unfortunately) Rhodes has prepared them for the harsh reality that they will undoubtedly face in the "real world" by allowing them to learn to overcome discrimination and to become stronger from it. Several of my friends said things like, "There will most likely be a time when I will be the only black woman in my office, and Rhodes has prepared me to deal with that." While this is not an ideal way for anyone to have to develop their world view, I wonder if some of that comes into play for LGBTQ students in the video and otherwise. Maybe they have survived and thrived, in part because of Rhodes, but largely despite the hostility and because of the network of friends they were able to form here.