DSAGA seeks home for sexual diversity at JHU

DSAGA, the Diverse Sexuality and Gender Alliance, is a student group that has been providing a place for the gay community and its supporters at Hopkins since 1989.

Although the group was originally founded as the Gay Caucus, it eventually changed its name to DSAGA in 1993 to open up the organization to people of all sexualities.

Since its founding, DSAGA's function has been to provide education, counseling and social opportunities to those interested on campus. However, as a student group, it is still confronting issues regarding its open-mindedness towards sexual diversity.

Last year, DSAGA invited gay pornography director Chi Chi LaRue to Homewood campus. LaRue was asked to speak particularly about her activism in promoting safe sex in the early years of the AIDS epidemic.

The talk, however, raised some controversy, spurring the self-described conservative newsmagazine The Carrolton Record to publish an inflammatory article about both LaRue's visit and DSAGA.

Since then, little has been done to inquire further about the place sexual diversity holds on campus. Despite this, DSAGA continues to be a dynamic club that is open and accepting to all sexualities, creating a modestly sized, close-knit community in the heart of Homewood.

The following is an exclusive interview with DSAGA members past and present. Interviewees include former DSAGA secretary Liz Eldridge, Director of Administration Matthew J. Viator and general supporter Zabecca Brinson.

News-Letter: What do you feel is the importance of DSAGA?

Liz Eldridge: I think it's really important to create and foster a supportive and an actively, even radically, welcoming community that recognizes and supports those with sexual and gender identities that may deviate from the social norms of our society, particularly within institutions such as Hopkins.

NL: How does DSAGA "fit in" at Hopkins in comparison to other clubs?

Zabecca Brinson: At Hopkins, I feel there is a lack of awareness about how much harassment and abuse sexual minorities face in society. As a result, the Hopkins community has sometimes been insensitive about protecting the identities of DSAGA members.

Matthew J. Viator: We're a bit of a dark-horse candidate sometimes. Hopkins has many communities and individuals who are publicly accepting of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered) community for whatever in-vogue reason exists at the time, but who in private are very unsure, uncomfortable, or not approving of it. We try very hard to reach out to the Hopkins community.

NL: What are your feelings about Carrolton Record incident last year?

MV: The issue's primary objective was to incite hatred against the LGBT community and specifically DSAGA students. It intimidated outside DSAGA supporters to fight back against this sort of hateful rhetoric. It also illegally obtained private photographs of random individuals, many of whom were not even affiliated with DSAGA, and published them without permission.

LE: First, I called my mom and told her, "I'M ON THE COVER, MA! I'M FAAAAMOUS!!!!" Frankly, it is still difficult for me to imagine anyone taking that article seriously. It was such obvious slander. In the end, I was actually encouraged by the experience. So many people, some I barely knew, and some fairly unexpected, were extremely supportive. It became clear that much of the student body would not stand for the queer community getting singled out, and that definitely gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

NL: Upcoming events that you are excited about?

MV: We are bringing Dr. Charles Silverstein to the 2007 Awareness Days Program at the Great Hall on April 6. He is the psychologist who successfully petitioned to remove homosexuality from the list of official mental disorders in 1977. He is also the founding editor of the Journal of Homosexuality, and the acclaimed author of The Joy of Gay Sex. We will also be having a very fabulous Drag Dance on Friday, March 23, in Levering. I'm hoping Jered Ede [author of the Carrollton Record DSAGA article] will be my guest of honor.

To find out more about DSAGA, visit http://www.jhu.edu/~dsaga.