Letter: AQUADuke can change only through new ideas

I was surprised at Lucas Schaefer's Feb. 25 column on the state of the "gay community" and the inability of AQUADuke to program events that create "an environment where people feel comfortable coming out," mostly because the only word he said at the meeting he attended was his name. The point of this response is not to defend or validate AQUADuke or its programming or even the so-called "community." None of this response represents the views of AQUADuke as a whole or any of its members.

When I first got to Duke, I was already out but still put off by Gothic Queers (the former name of AQUADuke), its members and the programs the group put on. I refused to officially join or participate and had similar opinions as Schaefer does now. I thought that all those out people were giving all the other gay people a bad name; that was the impetus for me to join. I began attending sophomore year and started making my voice and opinions heard. I also put on my first event, which attracted a good mix of gay and straight people.

Last spring, I was elected president, and since have striven to program events that could help foster a more accepting campus climate. Whether things have changed is up for debate, I suppose, but I think they have a little. But what cannot be debated are the following. First, there is little any gay organization can do for outreach. LGBT people aren't readily identifiable by physical characteristics as other minorities are. So, the only approach is education, visibility and time. Second, change, whether it occurs in an organization or throughout an entire campus culture, will only be achieved through the introduction of new ideas and opinions.

It is easy to sit back and criticize the actions of a group. Creating change, however, is a bit trickier. Therefore, I would like to issue a call to all those who feel similarly about the issues presented by Schaefer: Make your voices heard. Join mailing lists and participate in dialogue, attend an AQUADuke meeting and speak up, or simply talk to your friends about "gay issues" at Duke. Only then can change be created (or continued, depending on your own perception of the situation). As for Schaefer, I hope to see him actively participating at the next meeting.