There is something to be said for being able to hide in plain sight. For me, a semi-out gay man in college, I could probably pass as straight by donning the right amount of jock-wear, facial hair and Axe deodorant. And as long as no one overhears Adam Lambert’s Queeny screech coming from my headphones or takes a gander at my Facebook “About Me” section, my double identity would, for the most part, be a comfortable costume. Luckily, I’ve never needed to assume an alias at Northwestern. Yes, on the simplest levels, NU is a nurturing environment for the gay community.
If I were on a campus tour and asked about NU’s gay community, I would guess the meticulously trained tour guide would say something about our active Rainbow Alliance. “Gender open housing was just approved!” “There’s a Rainbow Week! And a drag show!” And so on. But, needless to say, the gay “community” at Northwestern is hardly that-and it raises an interesting question. How many of us are hiding in plain sight? Or what are we hiding?
At NU, to be gay is to have a double major in gay. It’s a network filled with familiar faces and newbies switching in from the other side. There are lessons to learn, rites of passage to experience and events to attend. There are gay leaders of both the campus world and the social world. And because too many gays in a group can be overwhelming in the same way too many Medilldos in a classroom makes it burst with ego, it’s more likely we’ll play with the other major, i.e., heterosexuals. Indeed, gay acceptance at NU probably makes us more ubiquitous, rallied together as a legitimate group by our fearless Rainbow leaders. But after some time, wouldn’t it be nice to have a community voice outside of ASG?
In the coming weeks I hope to open the closet door on what flies under the gaydar and doesn’t get talked about outside of our Lauren-and-Audrina Starbucks dates. Things like dating a gaybie, what it’s like being gay or lesbian in a fraternity or sorority and deciding whether to out yourself when interviewing for an internship or job. We are a fabulous slice of the pie and there’s plenty to go around. There’s no reason for any of this to hide in plain sight. And since everyone loves their sassy gay friend, let’s have some fun while we’re at it, you stupid betch.
