Letters to the Editor: LGBTQQI ‘safe spaces’ necessary, not exaggerated

The undersigned affiliated faculty of The University of Montana's Women's and Gender Studies Program are writing this letter for two reasons: 1) to thank President Royce Engstrom for his recent statements about the importance of creating "a welcoming learning environment that celebrates diversity" (See President Engstrom's October 5th email to the Campus Community), and 2) to respond to a recent problematic Letter to the Editor by one of our colleagues, Michel Valentin, which suggested that LGBTQQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, and Intersex) students, faculty, and staff at UM had no need for "safe spaces." We contest Professor Valentin's claim and join President Engstrom in promoting a welcoming, safe, and diverse learning environment at The University of Montana.

As President Engstrom recently stated, our campus community needs to come together "to combat behavior that detracts from our core value of celebrating diversity."  This need is especially pressing given the current state of this campus for LGBTQQI students, faculty, and staff.  Our campus has made great strides in moving towards that "welcoming learning environment," but there is still work to be done, and Professor Valentin's letter unfortunately demonstrates that. Professor Valentin states that the Student Affairs Diversity Council is "positing a campus. . . in a war situation where islands of safety have to be created for LGBTIQ people" and contends that this is an inaccurate perception of UM. Many WGS faculty are resources for the UM Allies Program and, as such, we understand that our campus is, in fact, all too often an unwelcoming and even violent space for LGBTQQI students.  We hear stories of professors' office doors being egged and LGBTQQI students being spit at, called names, and threatened on a regular basis.  Some of our students have told us about hearing comments directed at them around campus like "If I only had a shotgun"—certainly an indication that our campus is analogous to a war zone.  And none of us should ignore the recent suicides of LGBTQQI youth who have been bullied throughout their lives.

In addition to discounting the lived experiences of LGBTQQI individuals, Professor Valentin's letter accuses them of creating their own oppression through their own misunderstanding of their psyches.  Students who have been beaten and raped for being gay (as some of our students have) do not create their own oppression by acknowledging it.  Reading the works of the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan may help them understand some part of their experiences, but it will not erase the violence they have experienced and continue to experience.  By acknowledging the importance of their lived experiences, they are rather opening up spaces (both real and metaphorical) where they can work together to put an end to hatred and oppression.  In her piece "Not By Degrees: Feminist Theory and Education," the lesbian feminist activist and scholar Charlotte Bunch argues that such theoretical readings as Lacanian psychoanalysis are important to understanding our experiences.  However, she argues, we cannot stop there, and it will never be enough to just read or hand our oppressors a copy of a book by Lacan.  We must take our efforts to the next level by 1) describing what exists; 2) analyzing why that reality exists [it is here that Lacan and especially the French feminists who follow him may help]; 3) determining what should exist; and 4) working to change what is into what should be.  The students and staff working at Student Affairs are doing just that—they are determining what should exist (safety for all students) and they are working to make that a reality through events like the Day of Dialogue and continuing discussions about the lived experiences of marginalized communities on our campus.  

The Women's and Gender Studies Program's mission is as follows:

Women's and Gender Studies encourages the production, discussion, and dissemination of knowledge about women's experiences, oppressions, and achievements in Montana, the United States, and the world. In the last decade this focus has broadened to include the study of gender, sex and sexualities. By fostering awareness of cultural and international diversity, as well as of the circulations of power mediated by race, class, age, and sexual orientation, Women's and Gender Studies encourages students to think critically and to envision justice for all peoples.