Perpetuating gay stereotypes

To the Editor:

Last week was Coming Out week at Western and as part of the week's events, the University Community Centre atrium was graced with the performances of local drag queens.

I was amused and entertained by the fraction of the show I managed to catch a glimpse of, but I'm left wondering – why drag queens?

Western is not a 'gay' community as such. I'm not so sure such an event is very good for the gay students of London.

What I'm saying is that having drag queens for Coming Out week only perpetuates gay stereotypes.

Not everyone who is gay dresses in drag – those are stereotypes. But when the ambassadors for gay and bisexual students at Western are a group of drag queens, those disheartening stereotypes are reinforced.

So, if you happened to watch the drag queens and made the connection between their performance and Coming Out week, take it only for what it is – a fabulously entertaining performance.

I don't think they are representative of the gay and bisexual students at Western.

Mandi Caputi

Women's Studies/Media, Information and Technoculture III