Another social locus for the lesbians and bisexual women student population is supplied by activities such as women's discussion group 7th Sense and the feminist magazine The Rag.
"Politically, [gay men and women] are a some-what cohesive group," says BGLSA Co-Chair Season N. Ray '93-94. "[But] socially women are pretty separate from men....I think a lot of out women hang out together."
The co-ops are a part of of gay social life as well. Students say the population of gay and bisexual women is especially strong at the Dudley co-ops, although one woman resident says that such perceptions are not as true now as they were last year. They supply a friendly atmosphere but are not a "rolicking scene," says Ray.
Gay, lesbian and bisexual students who frequent gay bars and clubs are another subgroup of the gay community. Clubs like Club Cafe and Indigo can be a place of escape for homosexual people, Dougherty says, since it is "still very taboo for men to walk hand in hand," even at Harvard.
"There are certain places in Boston where gay men can go and have anonymous sex," he says, adding that some students use these place for escape.
Bisexuals are also a distinct group, both within and outside the gay community. They face issues that are unique. For instance, bisexuals are often blamed for the spread of AIDS, Ray says.
Bisexuals are also perceived as less threatening by the straight community, says Ray. This may be why, within the gay community, some bisexuals are "asked to prove their queerness more," she says.
Despite all of these perceived cliques, gay students stress that no generalization can cover the social life of a gay population which is as diverse as Harvard's straight community.
As with straight students, gay relationships range from long-term to brief one-night stands, say gay undergraduates. Gay students, like their straight counterparts, spend time with friends they met through shared interests and activities, they say.
"Most of my social life is hanging out with small groups of friends whether they're gay or straight," says David L. Duncan '93, who is president of the Harvard Democrats.
"In one sense, I'm part of a gay social life, but in another sense I'm not part of it at all," says Joel L. Derfner '95, who is treasurer of the BGLSA. He spends a great deal of his time with friends met through theater and music, he says.
Harvard Can Do More
Yet, despite the diversity in Harvard's gay social scene, some students say the College can do more to make the University a welcoming place for gay, lesbian and bisexual students.
For starters, gay students unanimously call for strong opposition to the presence of ROTC on campus.
"Obviously [ROTC] is discriminatory and not compatible with what the University says its position is," Frazier says.
