PRIZM President asks for a debate with Stadtlander
I am writing in response to Charles Stadtlander's guest commentary in last week's paper. In regards to the drag show, it is interesting that he did not once mention this year's show but instead continues to attack last year's show.
Not once has Stadtlander come to speak with me or any of my organization's leaders about the show. As stated by the university last year, all of the complaints in his letter were found to be inaccurate.
In addition, PRIZM has a U.S. Supreme Court case, the UM System mission statement, and two UM - St. Louis Student Government Association resolutions upholding our right to host this show. PRIZM will continue to exercise our constitutional right of freedom of speech by hosting such events.
Besides the redundant statements of Stadtlander regarding the drag show, I was deeply concerned by his attacks on drag queens and transgender individuals. PRIZM is an organization that represents all Queer culture, not just gays and lesbians.
As a diverse student organization, we feel it is appropriate to support all of those who are still fighting for equality in this country. To write off these individuals as radical and unrelated is completely false and detrimental to the entire community.
I remind Stadtlander that many of the rights he holds as a Queer individual started with the Gay Liberation Movement that began in 1969. The Stonewall Riots were one of the major events that ignited this movement.
In June 1969, Queer individuals were tired of police raids on gay bars and of the severe beatings that generally occurred during these raids. As a result, on June 27, 1969 a riot ensued between an estimated 400 police and 2,000 gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals.
Many major cities continue to have Gay Pride during June to commemorate this event. Drag queens and transgender individuals have always been a part of our fight for equality and will continue to be a part of the fight. I also find it disturbing that Stadtlander would suggest that Queer individuals should put forth an image of normalcy. I do agree that "we do have the choice as to how we present ourselves and for the message we deliver…" What we are fighting for is the right to be who we are, even if that is different, and the human right of equality.
Conformity is not an option for the queer community and fighting amongst ourselves will be our downfall. As the President of PRIZM I have become tired of Stadtlander refusing to have an open discussion with me or my organization. I do believe that an open debate should be had and that the public should be witness to it.
Therefore, Charles Stadtlander, I challenge you to a formal debate about GLBTA issues. If The Current is willing, they may function as the moderator, as I feel that they have remained fair to both sides of this issue.
If not, I am sure that a neutral moderator can be arranged. Let this letter serve to educate individuals and to serve as my public announcement that I am ready and willing to debate you, Charles Stadtlander.
Brian P. Rails Senior Business Administration PRIZM President
Drag show support
Concerning Mr. Charles Stadtlander's guest column, I wish to submit the following rebuttal. Based on previous items Mr. Stadtlander has written concerning the annual Drag Show at UMSL, I think it is reasonable to say he does not like the show.
I will not go into the details Mr. Stadtlander lists in his Oct. 23 column because they do not apply to this year's show. I have attended all three shows.
As a "straight," non-traditional (older), female UMSL student I found nothing offensive with any of these shows. To the contrary, being in such an exuberant environment allowed me to "let my guard down" and truly appreciate the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) community that thrives at UMSL.
Since Mr. Stadtlander spent the majority of his column referring to the 2005 Drag Show, I would like to update Mr. Stadtlander. At the 2006 Drag Show the following occurred:
1. Security was provided in the form of UMSL Police.
2. No minors appeared to be in attendance.
3. The hostess was entertaining, funny and respectful.
4."Mature Content" signs were clearly displayed at the entrance to the event.
5. A statement was read, prior to the event starting, which explained what the audience could expect.
6. In addition, after the officers of PRIZM read the opening statement, anyone who felt they could not support the event was invited to leave.
I challenge Mr. Stadtlander to offer an alternative to the Drag Show that he would consider suitable to allow straight and gay students to mix and mingle, and get to know one another.
Mr. Stadtlander, to you I say, if you do not like the Drag Show, please do not attend. But, please do not trample my view of equality and discrimination because you feel it is less politically correct.
The purpose of PRIZM is to provide a visible and positive voice to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and ally (GLBTA) community on campus.
Our membership is composed of all sexual orientations and is committed to defeating negative GLBT stereotypes and gaining GLBT equality by hosting social events, providing education to others about GLBT issues and being actively involved in the UMSL and St. Louis GLBT communities.
Mr. Stadtlander states, "Trans-sexuality, including transgendered people and drag queens, represent a fringe part of society that has nothing to do with being gay or lesbian and is not representative of our community as a whole." This quote represents the epitome of gender oppression.
Mr. Stadtlander has brought up the fact that money from student fees are used to fund the Annual Drag Show and he is correct.
However, PRIZM is one of many student organizations that benefit from student fees. The cost of this years Drag Show was $3,764 and there are approximately 13,000 UMSL students who pay student fees.
This breaks down to an average cost of 29 cents per student for the Annual Drag Show. Since this seems to be such a contentious issue for Mr. Stadtlander, I am offering to personally reimburse Mr. Stadtlander for his supposedly wasted student fees.
After all, I feel the Annual Drag Show is worth far more then the 29 cents I paid in student fees.
Mr. Stadtlander makes it very clear that he is president of the Log Cabin Republicans of Greater St. Louis. I fully support a person who chooses to participate in the political process. I must admit I was not familiar with the Log Cabin Republicans so I visited their national website. I found the website interesting and educational.
This quote from the "What we believe" section caught my eye: "We also believe all Americans have the right to liberty, freedom, and equality. Log Cabin stands up against those who preach hatred and intolerance.
We stand up for the idea that all Americans deserve to be treated equal-regardless of their sexual orientation." This is a terrific statement that I fully agree with but then I compared this statement to the following quote Mr. Stadtlander makes: "By giving this radical and unrelated group a launching ground for freak behavior associated with gays and lesbians is detrimental.
The gay community must recognize that either fair or unfair, we are the ones fighting for equal rights. In this role, we must always put forth an image of responsibility, diversity, and normalcy." Mr. Stadtlander, would you prefer this "radical and unrelated" group be forced back into the closest?
Further, talking point #6 from the Log Cabin website states in part: "choose fairness over discrimination, equality over bigotry, freedom over fear."
Mr. Stadtlander, I just do not see fairness, equality or freedom in your comments.
Anne L. Lornson Junior Criminology and Criminal Justice
We can't shut out groups whose politics we like
What will it take for certain supporters of ignorance to realize that this University is an institution which supports and cherishes diversity?
Two Student Government Association resolutions in the past two years have not done it, and neither has the official mission statement of the University of Missouri system. Drag shows, while being a form of entertainment for gay and straight people alike, are also a part of queer culture-which is to be celebrated and not swept under the rug.
As much as certain curators, politicians and students may wish organizations like PRIZM and events like National Coming Out Day and the concurrent drag show to disappear from UMSL's campus, the simple fact of the matter is that we are not going away and they cannot do anything about it.
As an UMSL student, I realize that there may be programs that I may not agree with. Example: while it may come as a shocker to some, I am not a Republican. I am willing to publicly state that I find some Republican policies and values to be setting back core American ideals such as freedom and equality.
Although I feel this way, I do not protest to the media and my political representatives when the College Republicans hold an event. In fact, I support their right as a student organization to put on whatever programming they wish, and for this programming to be however controversial they wish.
My point is that there may be events held on this campus that some do not particularly agree with, but this is no basis to spread their hateful remarks about university events. If the University were to censor queer programming, where would it stop?
Would it stop with the Muslim Student Association, or perhaps with the Associated Black Collegians? The disdain that has been expressed over the drag show is unacceptable. Hate only breeds more hate. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to watch Will & Grace.
Michele Landeau Senior History
Transsexuals aren't an abberant fringe in GLBT
In response to the article penned by Charles Stadtlander, I am faced with the decision to either baffle myself as to his self-loathing and derogatory attack on transgendered, transsexual, and drag-performing individuals or write this off as yet another attempt at a political platform.
My greatest hope is that it is the latter because we recently saw how well he's doing in that arena anyway. His assertion that the drag performers and transgendered and transsexual individuals are a fringe group that display freakish behavior aberrant to the gay community is interesting.
If this were the case, it would have to be aberrant that the majority of the gay-friendly, gay-owned, and gay-operated bars house regular drag shows. It would have to be aberrant that drag performers regularly take part in and/or host at community charity events.
Before his initial and fervent attack on drag, Charles was a regular at many drag shows and even shared a stage with Dieta Pepsi at a recent Pride Celebration. It seems that his hateful political platform against drag is largely based on his own past. I can't pretend to understand his reasoning and I certainly can't pretend to understand his attack on the individuals that put the 'T' in GLBT.
His tactics remind me a lot of the earliest homophile organization in the US, the Mattachine Society. The Society based its movement toward Civil Rights upon the assumption that you have to look and act like the preconceived stereotype to get the same rights as the norm.
That may have worked well in the 1950s, but it hardly applies to the era of Will & Grace. At any rate, Charles wasn't at this year's drag show and he has a very different recollection of how last year's show went than I do.
He is obviously welcome to his opinion and his perception, but I certainly hope that readers don't assume he holds a common view among the GLBT community. In fact, I would go so far as to say that he has placed himself firmly in the aberrant role this time.
Toby Shorts Student Services Adviser Student Life
Diversity Resolution
In response to last week's letter to the editor, "Curator's Comments." We do not need to focus on the statement made by the curator; we need to focus on the contents of the resolution. The Diversity Resolution passed the Student Government Association (SGA) was in response to Curator Wasinger's remarks but does not pertain to the curator himself nor specifically the Queer Theories course he questioned.
The resolution defends the rights of every program and course within UM-St. Louis. It is a diversity resolution. It protects the rights of every organization from PRIZM to the Accounting Club and every class from Queer Theories to Algebra.
The university policy reads "nondiscriminatory relative to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability or status as a Vietnam-era veteran." This resolution strengthens student support for UM policies.
During the October 13, 2006 meeting of the SGA each member received a copy of the resolution and the floor was opened for discussion. If any representative was unclear as to what the resolution was about they had ample time to question it.
When discussion was closed and the assembly voted the resolution passed with only one negative vote. Had the time been taken to read over its contents, anyone would find that it states "We, the students of the University of Missouri, do hereby support the creation and sustainability of diversity programming both inside and outside of the classroom." Nowhere does it personally attack Curator Wasinger or the homophobic comments made.
William Smith Freshman Business Administration SGA Parliamentarian
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