Guilfordian, March 26, 1982
A personal challenge
How can you let
By Joe Albright
"How can you let people starve
in India?" Have you ever asked
yourself that? I have, most of us
have. Why do you let people
starve in India?
You and I are enjoying three
meals a day, more than adequate
clothing, shelter, and health care,
and don't think twice about it.
What we do think about is
whether or not we have enough
money to buy albums, go on trips,
and put gas in the car.
Beyond food, shelter, clothing,
and health care anything we own
is a luxury, and certainly not a
necessity.
Media coverage of World
Hunger comes in spurts, either in
wartime or in famine. Today
reports are almost non-existent,
yet today people are starving in
Gay minority emotional needs explored
By Mark Gurley
The emotional and
psychological health needs of
Guilford's gay minority concern
Lucy Austin, one of the college's
counselors. "Frankly, it amazes
me that gayness is something
that is just being opened up as an
issue on this campus," com
mented Ms. Austin. As a onetime
resident of Chapel Hill (a North
Carolina University town with a
traditionally large and open
jWRAMBfE
The warmth and beauty of the first few spring days have touched
me, even in my torrid pace. In one of those brief moments of ap
preciating nature it occurred to me how we often forget to take a mo
ment to reflect upon ourselves and nature. By doing so we can expose
ourselves to the ills of a superficial reality, day to day existence.
With the end of school near, many of us have thoughts of succeeding
responsibilities; for instance, summer jobs, graduating (graduate
school). These concerns do grate nerves at times but they are only
minor compared to the responsibilities and decisions that we will face
in the future. Such as family, career and death for those who choose
not to accept life's challenge.
However, for those of us that will accept the challenge the road
ahead is demanding. A looming economic catastrophe and a morally
degenerated society are two harsh realities that await us. For those
who have gone before us, although sad, have in many cases became
cynical and callous in their hearts.
We cannot allow ourselves to get caught up in this vicious cycle if we
are to lead our society forward from its present state.
"You can have good ideas but you must also eat and sleep; to do so
you need money, and as you struggle to survive you lose sight of your
idealism" said one Guilford adminstrator when discussing the issue.
He hdd once been an idealist. I trust that the main stream of society is
a sobering experience, but I fear like those that have gone before us,
we may lose the inner warmth and sensitivity I cherish today. In
discussing this issue I am reminded of a philosophical work which
states in part, "Beyond a wholesome discipline be gentle to yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the stars and the trees you
have the right to be here...be at peace with yourself...strive to be hap
py".
As we prepare for the end of school and the rest of our lives, we
should remember this philosophy. By David Davenpo rt
India, Africa and Cambodia.
These are people denied the
necessary, minimal food intake.
We can't stop caring when the
media stops coverage.
Three Guilford students, tired
of their own inactivity, challeng
ed each other to each put up a
substantial amount of money to
help the starving of the world.
Our checks for SIOO each are
waiting to be sent out.
We would like you to think
about the issues raised here for
five minutes. Can you give an ac
ceptable reason for allowing the
death of even one person? Can
you really say that you need to go
out tonight more than another
person needs a meal to survive?
We are challenging each
Guilford student and faculty
member to put up SIOO of his own
money to stop hunger.
Yes, that means more than the
population of gay people), she
said that Guilford's relative
silence about the subject of
homosexuality is a big change for
her.
Drawing on her experience as a
therapist, Ms. Austin discussed a
number of problems which gay
students might encounter here at
Guilford. Loneliness, she stated,
can be a serious problem. Find
ing other gay people is especial
ly difficult, for the Greensboro
gay community is "almost invisi
ble". She stressed that "one of
$3 you gave to the dance-a-thon.
We are not saying it will be easy.
In fact, we hope it won't be.
Maybe by giving enough to
really have to sacrifice
something, we won't forget so
quickly that there are people suf
fering terribly around the world.
And maybe we will realize that
that album we thought we
"needed" we didn't really need
after all.
We are in the process of ac
cumulating information on the
present world hunger situation
and deciding which organization
to send our money to.
If you are thinking of accepting
our challenge or just want to be
better informed, contact us
through Jim Keith in the Housing
Office, 854-2319, or Dick Dyer.
We will be glad to talk with you.
Thank you.
the things therapists will try to do
if a lonely gay person comes to us
is to help him or her find the gay
community. In Greensboro,
however, the gay community is
really hard to find if you're not
already in it." (Author's note: A
future Guilfordian article will
suggest some places in the
Greensboro area where gay
students can go to meet other
gays for friends, worship, recrea
tion, etc.
Ms. Austin also recognizes the
desire of many gay students to
keep their sexual orientation
secret. "Being open about
gayness is not tolerated in many
areas of our society," she said, "I
don't know any gay person who
doesn't hide it at some time in his
or her life.' The lack of sym
pathy and support which gays
often experience at the hands of
family, friends, and the church
contributes to the wish for
anonymity. Ms. Austin argued
that the effect of the church's
condemnation of homosexuality,
for example, is particularly
devastating to religious gays,
because it cuts them off from an
extremely important part of
themselves."
Not surprisingly, Ms. Austin
said that the relationship be
tween gay students and the
heterosexual majority can be a
source of problems. Increased
communication is the best way to
prevent misunderstandings, Ms.
Austin stressed. Since "its
always true that the minority
knows more about the majority
than the majority knows about
the minority" Ms. Austin sig
gested that heterosexuals should
not be afraid to question gays
about their sexuality. Moreover,
she urged heterosexuals to in
clude gays in their conversations
about sex.
"I think we are all generally
1 iK
i ■ ■
Though media coverage comes and goes, the problem of hunger in the
world remains. Three Guilford students challenge the community to
recognize this problem and act to help solve it.
curious about sexuality," Ms.
Austin said, "and we certainly
shouldn't stifle that curiosity
when it comes to the sexuality of
gay people. Gays should also be
able to talk without fear to
straight people about who they
have a crush on, or about lovers
or about who they think is good
looking, etc. We often think that
gays can't relate to these things,
which just isn't true."
The two gay students who were
interviewed for this article ex
pressed concerns which were
similar to those mentioned by
Ms. Austin. The wish to avoid
hurting parents was a common
theme in their remarks. One stu
dent, who allowed us to print his
initials, J. C., said that "if I told
my parents, I was gay, it would
cause them a lot of agony." The
other student was also adamant
in his unwillingness to tell his
parents. My parents grew up in a
Senate supports
peaceful
We, as members of the Guilford College Senate, wish to speak out in
support of nonviolent solutions to social problems and self
determination for nations while condemning military intervention by
any nation as a response to internal conflicts. We see the escalation of
U.S. military involvement in El Salvador as contributing to continued
violence while only offering an unclear solution to the social and
economic conflicts within that country.
Furthermore, we view the training of Salvadoran troops at Ft.
Bragg as a contribution to the escalation of U.S. military involvement
in the international affairs of El Salvador. Support for a negotiated,
peaceful solution to the conflicts in El Salvador comes from our allies
in Western Europe as well as international and domestic authorities
such as the United Nations and a growing number of our Congress
members. We encourage the U.S. to consider and seek a negotiation
rather than a military solution to the current Salvadoran conflict.
very fundamentalist religious en
vironment. They would never be
able to understand my homosex
uality. They can understand me
as their son, but they would never
accept me as their gay son.
Because of this, I will never be
able to share with my parents one
of the most important parts of
myself. That really hurts..."
Both students also mentioned
their need for intimate love rela
tionships with others but asserted
that our society's oppressive at
titude towards homosexuals
poisons the very atmosphere
which such relationships require
to take root and grow. The
anonymous student described the
effect of this oppression on his
search for intimacy and compa
nionship. "I want a relationship
with a lover who will always be
with me; I don't want one night
stands. But straight society
See Gay Health Page II
Page 3