In response to concerns over inclusion and identity within the Dartmouth gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, many organizations and institutions are debating over whether to change their official names.
Focus of this debate centers around the currently entitled LGBTQA Resource Room in Robinson Hall, whose acronym could possibly expand to LGBTQCIA to represent gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, questioning, queer, curious, intersex and ally. The Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance is also considering renaming itself.
However, the ongoing debate is representative of an discussion taking place at Dartmouth and beyond about how best to create an all-inclusive gay community.
The proposed changes would serve to explicitly include those who do not consider themselves represented by current or traditional labels for the different branches of the gay community, possibly resulting in expanded recognition for these minority groups.
"The multitude of gender identities continues to expand, " John Brett '00, a member of the Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance, said. "We try to remain sensitive so that everyone is included and no one is made invisible."
Others affiliated with the Dartmouth gay community believe that adding more terms only fragments the community.
"I think it's a mistake to make a community unpronouncable," women's studies Professor Alexis Jetter said. "We need an all-inclusive name rather than an all-including name."
Pam Misener, assistant dean of student life and the advisor for GLBT students, worries that ambiguous language could muddle the intent of gay organizations.
"When you're not intentional with your language, you may send the message that someone's not welcome." Misener said.
By including "curious" and "questioning" in the new name, the resource room would also invite those even slightly unsure of their sexual identity.
"'Curious' allows people a different mode of entry. Saying that you're curious is even less committal than questioning sexuality," Brett said.
"Queer" functions as a label for those uncertain of their entire sexual preference, although many people disagree with this meaning as it was formerly used as a pejorative against gays.
"Queer can be good because some people aren't one hundred percent gay or lesbian, but it's bad because you're not exactly sure what it is. Just because two people might be queer does not mean they have anything else in common," Andrew Leone '03 said.
Formerly, the LGBTQA Resource Room was used solely as the meeting place for the DRA and was entitled the Rainbow Resource Room, which is also seen as an option for the new name.
"The idea of the rainbow has been around for a long time," Allyson Wendt '02 said. "I think it's a very good symbol because it includes many different types of people within it."
.A name change for Dartmouth organizations involving gay community issues is far from unusual. Such organizations have evolved significantly over time, corresponding to cultural shifts.
The Students for Social Activism was founded in 1976 and was followed by the Gay Student Support Group in 1977, the Gay Student Association in 1979, Dartmouth Gay and Lesbian Organization in 1990, the Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance (DRA) and Gay Student Association in 1996.
According to Leone, the co-chair of the DRA, members of the DRA have also proposed name changes.
"Many people in the DRA think the name change isn't really necessary to do, that it's just part of how the organization develops over time. However, many think the DRA needs something to change and energize itself," Leone said.
Due to the increased acceptance of the gay community at Dartmouth and across campuses nationwide, the need for an organization catering specifically to gays has decreased. Current campus organizations are much less likely to refuse someone because of their sexual preference than their predecessors, which, ironically, limits the DRA's functions, Leone said.
