MOQA opens door to college community

Most of the campus hears and sees the action powering Middlebury’s Open Queer Alliance (MOQA) in April, with the dynamic Gaypril programming, and in October, during “Coming Out Week.”

But behind the door of Chellis House and on the rest of campus, MOQA is still working, advocating and having fun the rest of the academic year.

Whether through larger activities like the New England Small College Queer Summit at Williams College or with cookies and movies on Valentine’s Day, MOQA is launching into spring semester with fresh ideas and exciting events for students to try out. The organization is also hoping to become a more welcoming resource for questioning students.

“I understand that physically crossing the doorstep into Chellis House and attending a MOQA meeting can be extremely intimidating for a questioning student,” said Jean Lin ’10, co-president.

Lin is working on the Web site (go/moqa) with the goal of shaping the site and the organization to provide better resources for conflicted students. She also encourages anyone who wants to talk confidentially to contact her or co-president Wayu Niederhauser ’12 through e-mail.

The membership of MOQA is composed of individuals who “make up the entire spectrum of outness, from being totally closeted, or out to the world, to somewhere in between,” they acknowledge on their Web site.

This spectrum houses over 100 affiliated members, who also range in their roles: some are regular members and some attend larger events, while others want to stay on the mailing list to keep informed about the organization’s events. Still, some students are wary of coming to Chellis House, fearing that membership has certain connotations.

“Forget everything you’ve heard about MOQA,” said member Chelsea Guster ’11. “If you’re at all interested, just stop by. I feel like MOQA has a stigma as being cliquey or unwelcoming, as if by going to a meeting, you out yourself. Don’t let those things stop you from dropping in.

Though I can’t say everyone’s experience with MOQA will be like mine has been, I’ve found it a great place to get the ball rolling on certain projects, or even just to take a break and have a silly conversation. And with MOQA as part of the Middlebury community, it’s generally a good place to meet new people, just because.”

MOQA is planning to organize and set up a PostSecret, a public display where students can post their thoughts anonymously, focusing on LGBTQ issues and to host an international panel about cultural differences relating to queer topics. In the fall, David Leavitt, a renowned professor and author, came to speak and this spring MOQA will welcome back musician Ezra Axelrod ’08, as its featured speaker.

After studying voice, composition and piano at the College, Axelrod moved to London, where he was well received as a singer/songwriter. In 2009, along with Soho promoter Aubrey Dobson, he launched The Menagerie, a record label, management company and performance series all in one, which is now the only venue in Central London for cutting-edge performance art and music.

Axelrod describes his own music as Vernacular and Realist, and many of his songs raise queer, or more specifically, gay, issues.

MOQA’s membership will also be setting up a booth with information on the Food and Drug Administration policy that discriminates against gay men at the spring Red Cross Blood drive, and, per usual, partaking in the national Day of Silence — a student-led event that raises awareness about the silencing effect of bullying and harassment of the LGBTQ community.

On March 6, about 10 members will be traveling to Williams College for the first ever New England Small College Queer Summit, where there will be sessions on identity, organizational leadership, and policy and activism on campus.

“I think one of the most important steps for GLBT youth up through college students and adults is to know that they’re not alone,” said Jason Mooty ’12.

“A Summit is a great way to congregate with like-minded individuals.”

Though political activism is explored and enforced at such conferences, there is often debate when it comes to MOQA’s political role on campus. Some believe the organization should exist as a resource and space to meet people, work out issues and find support, while others stress action and advocacy for important issues.

Last fall, members spent a night calling voters in Maine to prepare for the casting of the same-sex marriage ballot, working to rally support.

Meanwhile, the organization also hosted tea nights and had plenty of meetings that evolved into simply interesting discussions among students in an open environment, so some members would agree that MOQA maintains its balance.

The organization also balances how it spreads awareness — sometimes it is through non-structured advocacy as opposed to more formal events such as hosting well-known speakers or running politically concentrated booths.

The members will hang random posters dispelling myths and misconceptions about stereotypes, queer issues and other LGBTQ “Fun Facts.”

Other activities will include Colors Week, during which students can show their support for those struggling with their sexual identity by wearing a different color of the rainbow each day of the week.

As for how these events and demonstrations are received on campus, members of MOQA range in their perspective on Middlebury’s level of acceptance: some are both grateful for the climate of tolerance at the College and still pushing for changes, while others find the atmosphere isolating and separate.

“I think GLBT students are very welcomed and integrated in the community, and we are very thankful for that,” said Mooty.

“It’s hard to remember sometimes that the rest of the world isn’t as accepting as this place. I’ve heard that there was some very homophobic behavior the year before I came here, but during my time at Middlebury, I haven’t received anything but support and love.”

On the other hand, acceptance does not always mean comfort and ease to some.

“While the climate for GLBTQ students at Middlebury is accepting, I think there is no real cohesion among the queer community,” said Tony Huynh ’13.

“It can be quite frustrating and isolating, especially as a first-year, to find out that there are not as many out students than expected at a liberal institution in a state that has marriage equality.”

“I feel that the queer community as a whole is more or less invisible,” said Lin.

“Sometimes I worry that there’s a rift between the straight students and the queer students — not necessarily on a daily basis. What I mean is, when MOQA comes together to host events on campus (especially during April), my hope is that eventually, no one will think, ‘Oh, there go the gay kids complaining about discrimination, again’ or ‘Why do they have to flaunt their sexuality?’ A person’s sexual identity is just one part of the whole picture, and it doesn’t make him or her any more or less intelligent, tolerant, liberal, conservative or anything else.”

Mooty expressed his commonly shared vision “to see MOQA as a place for discussion among all students, not just the queer minority.”

MOQA meets every Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in Chellis House, where the membership continues to foster a friendly, welcoming atmosphere open to any interested student.

As Huynh explained, the organization can exist as both a “goal-oriented group and informal way to meet other queer students to find support transitioning into college.”