The message from Urvashi Vaid, activist and leader in the LGBT community, to Tuesday’s crowd in Rudder Theatre was clear — LGBT movements are at a turning point, but there is still more to be done.
The Women’s and Gender Studies program welcomed Vaid to campus to host a seminar titled, “Beyond the Wedding Ring: Is There a Future for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Movement?”
Vaid’s presentation explored the advancements of marriage equality and the establishment of its critical predecessors. Her talk focused on three main conversations occurring within the LGBT community, covering current legal and legislative progression and the issues that follow.
“The dominoes seem to be toppling after the Supreme Court Windsor decision,” Vaid said. “Every day brings some news. However, there is an existing fallacy among supporters and opponents that marriage is the turning point at which all other rights will be simply be undeniable if not fully realized. It is much more than that.”
“The fight is far from over,” Vaid said. “Despite all of this positive news, the landscape is still very mixed for us. With cultural change there will always be a cultural reaction.”
Joan Wolf, associate professor of women’s and gender studies, said she agreed with Vaid’s ideas there has been a lot of progress made, but undeniable problems in marriage equality in general still exist.
“There’s been a stupefying shift of cultural attitudes across a relatively short historical period,” Wolf said. “But the reality is that there is tremendous inequality even within the LGBT movement itself.”
Wolf said the understanding of critics such as Vaid’s is important everywhere, including on the Texas A&M’s campus.
“There is a lot happening here and there is a lot to be done like anywhere else,” Vaid said. “There is a lot of faculty and staff engaged in thinking about these kinds of things.”
Mariah Brandyburg, senior sociology major, said she liked how Vaid covered the racial dimensions of LGBT equality as well.
“I realize now that there are so many racial barriers that contribute to everything, even marriage equality,” Brandyburg said. “And I think when someone is for example, African American and in the LGBT community, it’s just another trial or tribulation to go through.”
Vaid concluded her speech with predictions concerning the advancement of marriage equality and the multiple aspects it involves.
“What lies ahead is justice,” Vaid said. “Not just domestic tranquility.”