Frederik Schoenfeld
Contributing Writer
A new club, Queer People of Color (QPOC), is currently in the process of being chartered for the 2014-2015 school year. (The term “queer” is used here, and by the group, as an umbrella term for all LGBTQIA+ people.) The prospective founder of QPOC, Jen, whose last name was withheld upon request, feels that there are currently several issues with the queer support groups already on campus, which include k(NO)w and Spectrum.
Jen believes that the current support environment, led officially by Spectrum, is too often overpopulated by “allies” — people who are not queer but who are nonetheless passionate about supporting queer people. The goal of QPOC would be to “create a community and a safe space for queer people of color” on the Wooster campus, said Jen.
While conceding that a time and place for allies is necessary, Jen said that “allies can often overrun a space and potentially drive away queer people who are in need of a supportive community.”
Allies, Jen argued, can have that effect for many reasons, but at the core of the issue is the idea that, to a certain degree, “straight white men can never really understand the unique experiences which queer people, or queer people of color, to a greater extent, must endure at our primarily white, heterosexual institution.”
Jen also feels that a group specifically tailored to queer people of color is necessary because there is an element of secrecy sorrounding the queer community at the College. There are many people who are not yet out, said Jen, and for people of color who are in that situation, a smaller group of people who are going through similar daily experiences has the potential to comprise a much more supportive community.
QPOC hopes to have three meetings a month: one specifically and exclusively for queer people of color, one open to all queer people on campus and a final, all-inclusive meeting.
This plan to exclude people of certain races and/or sexual orientations from some group functions has garnered a degree of “pushback,” as Jen described it, from the College administration, particularly from the Center for Diversity & Global Engagement, because it appears to be in violation of a College policy set forth in the Handbook of Selected College Policies.
This policy states that “The College of Wooster does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, color, race, creed, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation or political affiliation in the admission of students or their participation in College educational programs, activities, financial aid or employment.”
MarTeze Hammonds, the assistant dean for retention and academic engagement and associate director of the Center for Diversity & Global Engagement, had a few words to say on the matter. He supports the formation of QPOC as he believes that there is a serious need on campus for a group that acts as a support community for queer people of color. However, Hammonds cautioned that “we need to be careful and mindful not to create a sense of exclusion. … We need to make sure that the group is fostering inclusivity.”
Hammonds indicated that College policy states that funds, which come from student fees, cannot be allocated toward groups that have majority exclusive events and discriminatory membership policies.
As of press time, QPOC and the Center for Diversity & Global Engagement were still in the midst of the negotiation process.