A Friday Wall Street Journal "Outlook" column titled "Straight Talking" looked at politically correctness run amok (again) at Harvard, where even liberals fall prey to the sensitivity police.
In this latest incident, African-American singer/actress Jada Pinkett Smith, in accepting an award from the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations, spoke about overcoming the disadvantages of being the child of teenage heroin addicts, offering her success as proof that if you follow your dream "and don't let anybody define who you are" you can succeed. She added, "Women, you can have it all - a loving man, devoted husband, loving children, a fabulous career.... To my men, open your mind, open your eyes to new ideas, be open."
This motivational message, however, didn't sit well with Harvard's Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters Alliance, or BGLTSA. The group, which in the past brought to Harvard's attention that "bathrooms labeled 'men' and 'women' can create an atmosphere of hostility and fear for some people," complained that Pinkett Smith's speech was "extremely heteronormative, and made BGLTSA members feel uncomfortable." Last week, the BGLTSA announced a victory of sorts, noting that the sponsoring foundation "will make a statement of apology about the incident," acknowledging that it "had not reviewed Pinkett Smith's speech in advance and was not responsible for her words." The BGLTSA also said the foundation "pledges to take responsibility to inform future speakers that they will be speaking to an audience diverse in race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender and class."
Maybe it would have been warm and fuzzy if Pinkett Smith had said, "Women, you can have it all, a loving partner" instead of man, but gays (excuse me, BGLT-ers) are a minority, and the majority discourse isn't always going to construe itself to avoid every possible linguist "exclusion" that hyper-sensitive grievance collectors are on the lookout for. And making an issue of such incidents only furthers the impression that gay activists are all little commissars-in-waiting, red pens in hand, yearning for the day when they can dictate beyond the walls of elite academia what will henceforth be acceptable speech.
Update: On Tuesday, a BGLTSA spokeswoman was
grilled on Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor," where she seemed unable to
explain why her comrades were so offended. Actually, it was like
she had never had her views challenged before, and given her
Harvard haven, that's quite possible.