University of South Carolina Libraries
Gay at USC Students discuss gay stereotypes CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 sauce. Every burner is running, and there’s bread in the oven. They’re gourmet lesbians. They watch a lot of the Discovery Chan nel together and take field trips to the dollar store. Angie is matter of fact about ex pressing affection. “I don’t care where I’m going, Wal-Mart, Bi-Lo. If I’m having a moment and look ing all starry-eyed at my woman — these things happen,” she grins. “There’s nothing like hearing the crash of the buggy behind you in Wal-Mart.” The alliance Within USC, BGLA is the re source for gay students. There were no groups like this when faculty ad visor Ed Madden went to college. “One of my best friends was turned in to the dean of women her senior year for having a rela tionship with another woman. She was given the option her last se mester of either leaving school or undergoing mandatory counsel ing,” he remembers. “I admire students who are out and in BGLA because when I was their age, I had neither the guts nor the support to come out, to be honest,” Madden says. Madden doesn’t worry about his sexual orientation at USC. He describes Columbia as an oasis in a very conservative state. He wish es there were more openly gay fac ulty. He says students need a choice of role models and need to see more people who can show them ways to be gay or lesbian and adult. “I admire students who are out and in BGLA because when I was their age, I had neither the guts nor the support to come out, to be honest.” ED MADDEN FACULTY ADVISER FOR BGLA Resisting stereotypes Jeff Crews, third-year english and political science major and current president of BGLA, artic ulates the hardest thing about be ing gay at USC: “Resisting stereo type. Having the freedom to trust oneself when people have the abil ity to name and label.” Sam sees this problem mani fested at USC. “You either got the big dykes or the really effeminate guys,” she says. “We don’t have the diversity the Northern schools have. We don’t have the strength in numbers they have. Growing up by ourselves, we’ve developed into the kind of stereotypical gay because of our environment.” Angie describes the wider pic ture. “As far as I was concerned when I first came out, there was gay and lesbian. End of story. Now, I know there’s bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgendered, two-spir ited, transsexual, female-to-male, male-to-female, bigendered —” She runs out of fingers to count on. Some gay students on campus find themselves in situations that are not so easy to laugh off. Angie describes some bad incidents that BGLA dealt with last year: broken bottles in doors, angry signs, lost roommates. “The worst scenario so far to me was a male student who was raped by another male student be cause they perceived him to be gay,” Angie says. “He was. But he never affiliated himself with BGLA or any of the gay students that I knew. Of course, he left the university and didn’t come back. But the university doesn’t want to put that sort of label to it, because then they’d have to start really dealing with it.” The political climate BGLA has sponsored an initia tive to have sexual orientation added to the university’s anti-dis crimination clause. This is what they can do on a local level. Currently, sexual orientation is listed on student government’s anti-discrimination clause but not on the official university docu ment. “Two words,” Sam exclaims, on the porch at Beezer’s. “If you would just give us the basic.” She moves the larger scope, out of col lege, into life. She thinks about her girlfriend of four years. They talk on the phone every night. Neither is out to her parents. “In my mind,” Sam says, “I have a wife.” She gets frustrated. “The prob lem is, you can be just as damn committed as you want, but no body else considers you commit ted. Nobody else treats that per son you’re with like they’re some body. I would be the best parent. She would be the best parent.” Glenn says he doesn’t want to have kids — not because he’s gay, he says — hut he goes on, “I don’t know if I’d want my kid to have two dads. Especially in the South. At some point, you have to realize that people have preconceived no tions, and it’s going to make life for your child a little harder.” “I like the South,” he says. “I’m a Southern kid. Because I think there are good people every where. To say that moving to the North would solve my problems — no. It would just be a new place. These social constructs take so many people willing to make big steps.” “You know, marriage has been ATTACK BRIEFS Chicago reports suspicious trading CHICAGO (AP) - The Chicago Board Options Exchange said Tuesday it is investigating reports of unusual trading before last week’s terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. The exchange often investigates reports of suspicious trading linked to possible advance knowledge of takeovers or mergers. “As is usual, CBOE is conducting an investigation of trading prior to the news event, ” said spokeswoman Lynne Howard, declining further comment. Spokesmen for the Securities and Exchange Commission also refused comment. The statement from the world’s largest options market comes amid international efforts to determine whether terrorists tried to profit from stock and option trading before the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. Germany’s stock market regulator is looking into claims of suspicious short-selling just before the Sept. 11 attacks. Washington and several other governments have identified alleged terrorist Osama bin Laden as a prime suspect. The Chicago exchange trades options on the stocks of about 1,400 companies along with 38 stock based indexes, including the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100. All fell after the attacks, which would have meant substantial profits for anyone who had bet on their decline. That could have been done through short-selling or through the purchase of put options, which guarantee the right to sell an asset at a specified price before a certain date. Grand jury convened to examine attacks NEW YORK (AP) - A federal grand jury has been convened to investigate the suicide hijackings that destroyed the World Trade Center, authorities said Tuesday. The grand jury was convened in White Plains, a suburb north of New York, and will issue subpoenas. The grand jury began meeting last week, a law enforcement source said on condition of anonymity. The scope of the White Plains grand jury was not immediately clear, but New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik said similar investigations will be undertaken nationwide. “You’re going to see things like the grand jury in White Plains,” he said. “You’re going to see grand juries around the country, perhaps, looking into matters pertaining to this investigation.” White Plains is part of the federal court system’s Southern District of New York, which is based in Manhattan. But the Manhattan courthouse is open only to court employees because of the devastation at the Trade Center a few blocks away. Acting on 47,000 potential leads, authorities have detained 49 people for questioning or on immigration violations, and as many as 200 others are wanted for questioning. The FBI is keeping a tight hold on its witnesses, jailing an unspecified number of them to keep them from fleeing. Courts have sealed all information about those arrested. Four people are being held as material witnesses. IT HAPPENED NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED HOPEFUL MARKET: Wall Street staged a modest rally Tuesday afternoon as the Dow climbed back above 9,000 a day after its biggest one-day point drop in history. PAPER PROBLEMS: The New York Times Co. became the latest newspaper publisher to warn of lower profits Tuesday because of the expected effect on advertising from the terrorist attacks. The Gamecock. We’ve got USC covered. www.dailygamecock.com • ij >f' Glenn Prince, a new student at USC and a member of the debate team, says people have “preconceived notions” about gay life, photo by sarah hammond around for 3,000 years,” Alan says, “and see what we’ve done in 20. So, when people are acting osten sibly homophobic, then I have no problems. It’s just a matter of them adjusting. I know in fifty years, we’re the ones that are go ing to rule the world, and they’re not.” Glenn laughs and responds, “We’ll be old and rich and gay at that point.” Afghanistan Many Pakistanis pledge to fight US. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 of the attacks, but said it woulc have been impossible for bit Laden to carry out the as saults. Bin Laden lacks the fa cilities for such an elaborats operation, he said. Since then, the Taliban’s leader, Mullah Mohammec Omar, who has declared him self head of the Muslims, has defended bin Laden and ac cused the United States o: . pointing the finger in his di rection because its investiga ' tors havfc been unable to corns up with a real suspect. Many Pakistanis living along the 1,500-mile bordei with Afghanistan promised tc join the jihad against America and possibly their own govern ment, if there are retaliatory strikes. On Tuesday, some 3,000 peo pie in the Pakistani city ol Karachi demonstrated near a mosque that runs a religious school many Taliban leaders attended, warning of more at tacks. Many carried posters oi *■ bin Laden portrayed as a hero “Until now, only one World Trade Center has been de stroyed,” demonstrators shout ed in unison in English. “Bui we will destroy all of America. We will die for Taliban. We will die for Islam. We will die for Osama.” Bin Laden and his alleged network of Islamic militants are the prime suspects in Iasi week’s airborne assaults on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It seemed unlikely the Unit ed States would agree to have bin Laden extradited to anoth er country for trial. Scoot Your Boots To / And Enter The USC * GREAT GAMECOCKS “Dream Game” Giveaway! Enjoy the freshest, thickest steaks in Columbia and register to win this fabulous dream Football Package: • 2 "Dream game " tickets to USC/'Alabama game • Stretch Limo compliments of Affordable Limo for the entire evening! • Legendary dinner (it TEXAS ROADHOUSE • $100 Spending Money • LIMO service after the game to your favorite hot spots THERE’S NO PURCHASE NECESSARY! Just drop by, register and enjoy the best, freshest cut steaks, ribs & chicken this side of the Rio Grande, PLUS ice cold beer and frozen margaritas! "If it doesn't say Texas, its not the right Roadhouse," Texas Roadhouse ★ 2 Locations to Serve You! 8304 Two Notch Road & 400 Columbiana Drive r ■■ - I vs. Mississippi St. Want to sco the Bulldogs got bit? Come watch with us. 7:30 pm Russell House Theater Sept. 20 sponsored by: the Russell House University Union tion or for persons needing special assistance-please call 777-8182