Comedian conveys message of openness, tolerance
Caitlin Gray
Issue date: 10/14/05 Section: News
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Scott Kennedy, cofounder of the early-nineties touring act The Gay Comedy Jam, spoke to students Oct. 11 in Behrakis Grand Hall as part of National Coming Out Day.
The crowd of approximately 40 individuals listened to the openly gay comedian discuss everything from his family to his experiences while performing for troops overseas.
Throughout the evening, Kennedy addressed stereotypes and labels commonly attributed to gays. He explained that people often assume he is straight since he does not fit the mold of stereotypical gay men. Raised in Texas, football was a big part of his life and in addition to being an athlete, he attended military school. He also refuted that all gay men have a keen sense of fashion using examples from his own life to illustrate common misconceptions that the public holds.
"If we said 'Hey, there's a guy coming to talk' we could get frat boys and baseball players and people who would sit through my show and then at the end of it when I tell them I'm gay, it changes their mind a little bit-that's what drives me," Kennedy said. "These guys who think they are homophobic, after meeting someone whose not skipping and singing show tunes-though there's nothing wrong with that at all-kind of go 'Oh, okay, that's cool.'"
Kennedy encouraged students to ask questions and was very open and honest about every aspect of his life. He gave his opinion to people on subjects ranging from where homosexual singles can meet new people to what age is common for 'coming out of the closet.'
In the past, the University has not sponsored events that raise awareness about sexual orientation. The Campus Activities Board noticed that the gay community at Drexel was being overlooked.
"What CAB tries to do is connect to all audiences," Director of Marketing for CAB Deborah Bobich said. "We're just trying to provide entertainment options for everybody on campus."
Many students expressed approval towards the University for finally holding an event that promotes equality among different sexual orientations.
"It's such a diverse campus. The issues need to be talked about because diversity is not only race or religion, it is also orientation," an anonymous student said.
"I think it is significant because the city of Philadelphia does have a very large active gay community and it's important that Drexel, being in Philadelphia, reflect that in its activities," Elissa Goldberg, a graduate student majoring in library and information science, said.
The strongest message that Kennedy tried to convey to his audience was that labels do not accurately describe people. "Philly is such a great town and Drexel is such a good university. There are all different walks of life. Gay, straight, lesbian, transgender-those words mean less and less because we just get to know people as people."
The crowd of approximately 40 individuals listened to the openly gay comedian discuss everything from his family to his experiences while performing for troops overseas.
Throughout the evening, Kennedy addressed stereotypes and labels commonly attributed to gays. He explained that people often assume he is straight since he does not fit the mold of stereotypical gay men. Raised in Texas, football was a big part of his life and in addition to being an athlete, he attended military school. He also refuted that all gay men have a keen sense of fashion using examples from his own life to illustrate common misconceptions that the public holds.
"If we said 'Hey, there's a guy coming to talk' we could get frat boys and baseball players and people who would sit through my show and then at the end of it when I tell them I'm gay, it changes their mind a little bit-that's what drives me," Kennedy said. "These guys who think they are homophobic, after meeting someone whose not skipping and singing show tunes-though there's nothing wrong with that at all-kind of go 'Oh, okay, that's cool.'"
Kennedy encouraged students to ask questions and was very open and honest about every aspect of his life. He gave his opinion to people on subjects ranging from where homosexual singles can meet new people to what age is common for 'coming out of the closet.'
In the past, the University has not sponsored events that raise awareness about sexual orientation. The Campus Activities Board noticed that the gay community at Drexel was being overlooked.
"What CAB tries to do is connect to all audiences," Director of Marketing for CAB Deborah Bobich said. "We're just trying to provide entertainment options for everybody on campus."
Many students expressed approval towards the University for finally holding an event that promotes equality among different sexual orientations.
"It's such a diverse campus. The issues need to be talked about because diversity is not only race or religion, it is also orientation," an anonymous student said.
"I think it is significant because the city of Philadelphia does have a very large active gay community and it's important that Drexel, being in Philadelphia, reflect that in its activities," Elissa Goldberg, a graduate student majoring in library and information science, said.
The strongest message that Kennedy tried to convey to his audience was that labels do not accurately describe people. "Philly is such a great town and Drexel is such a good university. There are all different walks of life. Gay, straight, lesbian, transgender-those words mean less and less because we just get to know people as people."
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