LGB RPCV NewsLetter - August 2001

In This Issue
uQuestions for Director
Nominee
u Alone in the Caribbean
u Discoveries in Burkina
Faso

NewsLetter u Homophobic RPCVs

u Pride Events 2001
u Membership Increases

August 2001

A
ugust’s issue begins with an evolving story about the Peace Corps Director
Nominee. q A Peace Corps volunteer finds it lonely and homophobic on a
beautiful Caribbean island. q Another volunteer makes some unexpected
discoveries in Burkina Faso. q Suzanne Marks is exposed to some troubling ho-
mophobia among RPCVs in Atlanta. q Peace Corps’ involvement 2001 Pride Events.

Big Questions for Peace Corps Director Nominee

Late in July President Bush an-
nounced his intention to nominate
Gaddi H. Vasquez as Director of the
Peace Corps. Vasquez, a Southern
California energy executive and a
Republican fund-raiser, has a long
history of community and political
involvement, and is an influential
Republican in the Orange County
Hispanic community. He has received
political appointments from the last
three California governors and the
previous President Bush. From what
the White House, the Peace Corps, and
the press have written about him, it
appears that he has no applicable
international experience. In a message
to Peace Corps staff, Charles Baquet,
Acting Peace Corps Director, states that
Vasquez has admired the work of the
Peace Corps since his teenage years
and is deeply honored to have the
opportunity to serve as Director. Actual
nomination should occur in the next
few weeks with Senate confirmation
hearings likely late in the fall.
The nomination was greeted with
scathing criticism from many in the
Peace Corps community, both former
volunteers and staff. Criticism centers
on two issues, Vasquez’s lack of Peace
Corps or other transferable experience,
and the political nature of his appoint-
- Mike Learned, Editor
ment. Only two previous directors were
former volunteers, Carol Bellamy and
Mark Schneider, both appointed by
President Clinton. Anne Womack, a
White House spokesperson said that
“Pull out here”
Vasquez’s ethnic background had not
been a consideration. Others like Maria
Cardona of the Democratic National
Committee describes the President’s
decision to appoint a Hispanic candi-
date with limited international or Peace
Corps experience as “shallow window
dressing.”
As an NPCA affiliate, what should
our position be on this nomination?
The Peace Corps Director and 25 or
more top management jobs at the Peace
Corps are political appointments and
regardless of one’s feelings about the
closeness and outcome of the last
election, President Bush and the new
Director are the ones who will make
1
these political appointments. The
nominee’s party affiliation and lack of
Peace Corps experience are question-
able reasons to oppose him. Perhaps
the most respected of former Peace
Corps Directors, Loret Ruppe, was a
very partisan nominee (of Richard
Nixon’s) and had limited relevant
experience. Yet, she re-energized the
Peace Corps during very difficult times.
She was widely respected and is
considered one of the most important
of Peace Corps Directors.
Vasquez’s political record and some
current affiliations are troubling. In 1995
he resigned from the Orange County,
California Board of Supervisors during
a recall campaign because he and other
board members oversaw the financial
free-fall of Orange County finances that
resulted in its bankruptcy . The
following year the Security and
Exchange Commission blasted Vasquez
and the other Supervisors, accusing
them of misleading and defrauding
buyers of more than $2.1 billion in
municipal securities. Is this the kind of
experience appropriate for managing a
worldwide government agency with a
$275 million budget? The Boston Globe
reports that last year Vasquez contrib-
uted $100,000 from his leftover cam-
Continued on page 4
LGB RPCV NewsLetter - August 2001
Alone on an Island
- a Youth Worker PCV, Eastern Caribbean
Coming into the Peace Corps, I had no
worries that I would find people like me
among fellow volunteers, people who
shared my ideals and philosophies of the
world. Peace Corps is supposed to be a
bunch of bleeding-heart hippies, right?
Instead I was surprised to find that not
only was I the lone gay person, but that
the majority of my coworkers were rather
conservative-minded, even the youngest
ones just out of college.
I began to get an inkling about the
situation while still in training. During one
of many personal safety sessions, the
trainers (all PCVs from the previous class)
led a discussion on the hazards and
benefits of dating during service. Each of
the trainers related a personal story about
his or her own experience in fraternizing
with local people. When one woman
finished her story about a man she had
dated, I had to ask how common homo-
sexual relationships were. She immediately
answered that she knew a few gay people
but that they would never consider coming
out. The other volunteers added that non-
hetero relationships were not only rare,
but also dangerous. I was told it would
threaten a person’s position in their
community and that gay people were
considered outcasts due to the religious
nature of the island culture.
I had expected this kind of attitude
from the local people, but what took me
by surprise was the response from the
other volunteers. Half of training was
spent talking about setting up a support
system among your coworkers and I began
to feel more and more alone. Everyone
spent the lunch hour talking about
girlfriends and boyfriends left behind.
When asked if I was in a relationship (I’ve
dated the same woman for more than a
year) the conversation would become
quiet and awkward. On one occasion, near
the end of training, a Peace Corps trainee
sidled up to me at an party and said, I’ve
been watching you all week and gave me
that look. The next day, she made sure to
tell me about her boyfriend back home.
As the weeks and months passed, I
grew closer to some of the volunteers.
However, the issue of my sexuality
continued to be an awkward, uncomfort-
able subject with the other volunteers. In
the beginning, I was faced with actual
disbelief from others about my being gay.
One volunteer told me of a conversa-
tion he had had with two other male
volunteers. He said that they didn’t
believe I was a lesbian, but thought I did
have something going on with a volunteer
(male) who had trained us.
It was so hard being away from my
girlfriend and I had no one to confide in,
no one who I could talk to without them
casting nervous glances to the floor and
shooting anxious smiles and nods in my
direction every three seconds. The only
person I could talk to was my girlfriend in
San Francisco, and without a phone or
Pullout
reliable access to email, that wasn’t as
frequently as either of us needed.
I’ve been here for a year or so now and
it’s just in the past few months that the
other volunteers are at the point where
they sometimes inquire about my
girlfriend and are able to offer some kind
of support. Still, there are times when I
wonder what they really think. At one
gathering of PCVs and some local people,
a local man was telling a volunteer about
all the derogatory names they have for gay
men. At each example she would crack up
and make comments like, “That’s a funny
one, and what else? Tell me another one.” I
was in the kitchen just a few feet away in
her direct view when I heard her say,
“What about lesbians? Do you have any
names for lesbians?” Either I had been in
the closet so much that she had forgot that
I was a lesbian or she just didn’t care.
Either way, it upset me. So what did I do?
I left the room, and wondered what had
happened to the outspoken person I used
to be.
A few weeks ago, my girlfriend came to
the island to visit, and we had a blissful
time. Its been like drinking from an oasis.
At the same time, however, I felt the need
to show some small sign of affection
toward her around the other volunteers to
prove that we really are a couple. They
2
repeatedly refer to her as my “friend” and
while they have been polite, it is clear that
they are uncomfortable with the idea of us
and unsure of how to relate to us together.
It is a strange thing to be out among
your friends and family and then have to
go back in the closet. I regret but under-
stand the need to disguise who I am among
the local people. What is harder for me to
fathom is why a group of young people,
Peace Corps volunteers, normally tolerant
and open-minded, dedicated to making the
world a better place, and coming from one
of the freest nations on earth, are so
uneasy with who I am.
I’ve left behind everyone I’ve known
several times before for new jobs, but this
time I feel isolated in a way that I never
have before. It’s a jolting feeling to realize
you are the ONLY homo you know in five
countries - male or female. Recently, the
LGB RPCV newsletter was sitting on the
table in the Volunteer Lounge in the Peace
Corps office. I picked it up to read it and
quickly thought that I should make a copy
to take home in case someone else wanted
to read it. Then I remembered I was the
only one who would have any interest in
it, or even the courage to pick it up. It
struck me again at that point how deeply
alone I felt.
I’m invested in my projects and I enjoy
living here most days. I’ve created special
friendships with the people of my village,
especially the children. I even enjoy being
around the other volunteers I know I have
made some life-long friendships. But
because of the loneliness that I feel, I’ve
been tempted to end my service early.
While I would feel like a quitter for
leaving, it seems like this could be the only
way to be true to myself and preserve my
sanity. It’s as though I have to hide myself
away almost all the time - not a happy
feeling. Equally important, it isn’t fair to
my relationship with my girlfriend. She
loves and needs me, and I’m thousands of
miles away with people who will never be
able to accept me as I am. We’re both
making an awesome sacrifice, and I
wonder sometimes if it’s really worth it.
Editors note: To protect the security
of the author, we have not included her
name. To contact her, e-mail the editor at
103571.2317@compuserve.com and we’ll
put you in touch.

The (Unexpected) Men in My Life
- a Peace Corps Volunteer, Burkina Faso
Imagine my surprise. Before accepting
the invitation to serve as a Peace Corps
volunteer in Burkina Faso, I had done
what research there is to be done on the
subject of homosexuality in West Africa.
The search results were unanimous (and, I
am now convinced, complicit): if homo-
sexuality existed in West Africa, it so only
in expatriate communities. Homosexuality,
or so I was told, did not “exist,” per se, in
West Africa; it was a social abhorrence, a
lamentable intrusion (an imposition even)
from The West - when it managed to slip
by airport customs officials, that is. True,
African men held hands, enjoying a casual
public intimacy, but nothing else.
Call me a glutton for punishment, or an
incorrigible idealist, or a dupe. I accepted
the invitation. And for nine months I
ignored my intuition and common sense
and hormones, all of which told me that
even if homosexuality did not exist as a
component of identity politics here,
homosexual acts surely take place
everywhere, as they have for ages. I
bought into to the propaganda: I held
hands with the best of them, kept a tight
lid on my mouth and pants, and accepted
that that was all there was to it.
So imagine my surprise when, after
nine barren months and way to many
calabashes of millet beer, I found myself
making out with a man in the health center
of a small, remote, impeccably traditional
village. Then it popped into place;
homosexuality in Burkina arranged itself in
some kind of bizarre order. During the
Renaissance, for example, homosexual acts
were a widespread, hush-hush social
norm, disruptive and demonized only once
they were identified verbally. It would be
kind of like instating a “don’t ask, don’t
tell” policy in a San Francisco bathhouse.
The same can be said, generally
speaking, for Burkina Faso in 2001. As all
the brochures promised, people here do, at
least verbally, abhor the very notion of
homosexuality. And yet, homosexual acts
are taking place in mud huts (and health
centers) across the country at this very
moment. Boys will be boys. Shame on me
for every doubting, eh?
Intriguingly enough, each ethnic group
has a unique, mostly unspoken code
dictating which acts fall short of the feared
homosexual dividing line. Draga boys
indulge in mutual masturbation, while the
Bissa have a strict above-the-waist rule.
LGB RPCV NewsLetter - August 2001
Men in the Gulimance district are very
hands-oriented and prone to kissing, and
pretty much anything goes for the chancy,
lucky Mossi, the nation’s ferocious,
predominant ethnicity.
The divergence between Elizabethan
England and twenty-first century Burkina
Faso comes in the form of a conversation
that is just beginning to unfold. For
starters, homosexuality is not an unheard
of or taboo topic of discussion here; in
fact, conversations about it are refresh-
ingly candid and frequent. And while it’s
true that most of the filth that people
spew about homosexuality here is worthy
of the most unforgiving fundamentalist
preacher, a handful of daring and intelli-
gent individuals are nonetheless unafraid
Pullout
of the queer sleeping giant. As one of my
colleagues demanded to know during a
heated debate (whose theme was “Free
Love”), “Why shouldn’t two men be
allowed to love each other? I’ve seen
donkeys do it.” Or take the man from the
health center (a brave soul indeed), who
declared frankly, “Homosexuality is a path
I’d like to explore more.” Extreme cases,
to be sure, but not necessarily isolated
ones. (In fact, the majority of the above
information about various homo-practices
among the different ethnic groups here
was gleaned from conversations.) What’s
important is that homosexuality is making
its way into the national vocabulary, and
the terms themselves are not always
sodomized.
All of this is not to say that there isn’t
an excessive amount of care to be taken
when determining whether or not to come
out to someone. It’s a choice I’ve made
3
twice in Burkina, and luckily to people
who possessed the courage, the kindness,
and the openness of spirit to look right
through the propaganda and straight at me;
and the discretion to keep it a secret. And
all of this is not to say that there still isn’t
a twinge of fear every time I feel safe
enough to become intimate with someone
here. Or that this uncharted “don’t ask,
don’t tell” hodgepodge doesn’t eat away
at the psyche of a young, liberated
American. But be it as it may, a quiet,
steamy revolution is underway in the
minds and beds of Burkina Faso. Just
make sure you don’t tell anyone. Yet.
Editor’s note: Once again we’ve not
included the author’s name for safety
issues. To contact him, e-mail the editor at
103571.2317@compuserve.com and we’ll
put you in touch.
PO Box 14332
San Francisco CA 94114-4332
info@lgbrpcv.org
http://www.lgbrpcv.org
Editor Mike Learned
Layout Kevin H. Souza
The LGB RPCV Newsletter is
published quarterly by the Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual RPCV Organization,
an affiliate of the National Peace
Corps Association. We exist to
promote Peace Corps ideals and
acceptance of gays and lesbians
throughout the world. Submission
of articles or graphics to be pub-
lished in the newsletter is encour-
aged. The right to use or edit
materials remains with the editor.
Copyright remains with the author.
Send submissions or inquires to the
above postal or e-mail address.
LGB RPCV NewsLetter - August 2001
Homophobia Among RPCVs
- by Suzanne Marks (RPCV, Togo 83-85)
“While I share Peace Corps support
of diversity, I think it is inappropriate to
support alternative lifestyles and
events,” was the response the Atlanta
Area RPCVs (AARPCV) received to a
request for RPCVs to staff the Peace
Corps recruitment table at Gay Pride in
June. Two years ago, AARPCV
received a similar, though angrier,
response from
another RPCV. Both
of these people are
Pullout
teachers in local
schools.
When gayness is
referred to as “an
alternative
lifestyle,” the hairs
on the back of my
neck stand up as if
someone had
grated their
fingernails on a chalkboard. To me,
living in a posh thirty room mansion
overlooking the French Riveria is a
lifestyle. Being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or
transgender is not. And, it certainly is
not posh, at least for most of us.
The battle for inclusion of sexual
orientation into the concept of diversity
was hard fought and finally won during
the Clinton Administration.
On May 28, 1998, President Clinton
signed an Executive Order, which
applies to the entire federal civilian
workforce, adding sexual orientation to
race, color, religion, sex, national origin,
disability, and age as categories against
which discrimination is prohibited.
However, Peace Corps had its own
agency nondiscrimination policy that
included sexual orientation in effect in
1994, long before Clinton’s order in
1998. This policy was advocated by
LGBT RPCVs like you and me.
It appears we have some more
advocacy to do to help purge ho-
mophobia among RPCVs. Personally, I
thought this an unlikely group in which
to find homophobia rearing its ugly
head. Didn’t we all go through cross-
cultural training, playing BaaFaa
BaaFaa without tearing each other apart
in frustration? Weren’t we all admon-
ished from religious proselytization and
neocolonialism? Didn’t we spend most
of our time trying to learn new cultures
and ways of doing things, accepting
how different people were, but realizing
that down deep we were all alike? Some
of the most accepting (of my homosexu-
ality) people I know
are RPCVs. My
former partner is an
RPCV. And, LGB
RPCVs number in
the thousands, as
evidenced by our
group’s large
membership.
It worries me
when RPCVs,
especially teachers,
are homophobic.
With LGBT children many times more
likely to contemplate or commit suicide,
teachers need to be supportive not
judgmental. They should be instilling
values of tolerance and acceptance of
diversity in all its forms.
RPCVs, whether gay or straight,
should see Peace Corps recruitment at
Gay Pride events as an opportunity to
recruit highly qualified persons to enter
Peace Corps Service. If someone
assumes they are gay because they are
at Gay Pride, they should not become
insulted. It is often a daily occurrence
for gay people to be assumed to be
heterosexual.
I am proud that Peace Corps
continues its presence at annual Gay
Pride events. It reflects the values that
we, or some of us, learned through our
Peace Corps service.
Suzanne Marks is LGB RPCV’s
Southeastern Representative. She can
be contacted at
suzmarks@mindspring.com.
4
Peace Corps Director
Nominee cont.
paign war chest to the Republican
Party. Is this nomination a pay-off? It is
widely discussed in California that this
appointment’s purpose is to give
Vasquez high visibility so that he can
run against Member of Congress,
Loretta Sanchez of Orange County who
has twice defeated former Congress
member Robert Dornan, an outspoken
homophobe.
From our perspective as an organiza-
tion of lesbian, gay and bisexual
RPCVs, Vasquez’s position on the
rights of gay people is a crucial issue.
From what I’ve been able to learn, there
are three situations about which he
should be closely questioned during
his Senate confirmation hearings.
In 1989 when Vasquez was on the
Orange County Board of Supervisors
he voted with the majority of a bitterly
divided Board against a measure that
would have barred discrimination
against people with AIDS in employ-
ment, education and housing. William
E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton) and Rev.
Louis P. Shelton, of the Traditional
Values Coalition spoke before the
Board urging that it defeat the measure.
In January 1992 a broader measure was
brought before the Board that would
bar discrimination in business, employ-
ment, education and housing against
those infected with HIV and AIDS
sufferers or those perceived to be
infected. Explaining his unchanged
position, Vasquez was quoted in the LA
Times as saying, “There are already
laws on the (federal) books and
nothing’s changed as far as I’m
concerned.” So, how does this political
position (and in fairness, his position
could have changed since) affect his
ability as Peace Corps Director to lead
the HIV Prevention, Education and
Health projects that involve hundreds if
not thousands of Peace Corps Volun-
teers?
Vasquez has always been very
involved in community affairs. He is
active in at least two organizations that
Continued on page 5

Peace Corps at Gay Pride Events 2001
Again this summer many Regional Peace Corps offices
set up Recruiting and Information tables at local Gay Pride
events. We provided newsletters and article as handouts,
and LGB RPCVs helped staff tables in most locations.
Here’s what we’ve heard so far.
Atlanta:
Recruiter Shaney Williams reports that the Atlanta Pride
festival enjoyed perfect weather this year (there was rain
last year). The Peace Corps table was staffed for one of the
three days of the long weekend event. Lots of people
stopped by and recruiters talked to several potential
applicants. Eight LGB RPCVs helped staff the table
throughout the day. There were questions about partners
serving together, and applicants who are HIV positive.
Shaney tells us it was a successful and fun day.
Chicago:
Here’s a report from Recruiter Michael Tajchman. “The
Chicago Peace Corps Recruitment office participated in the
biggest two day street festival in the Midwest again this
year, right in the heart of Chicago’s vibrant North Halstead
commercial district. The area, also known as “Boys Town”
is ground zero for gay life in Chicago. Among the drag
queens with wigs to thick and hot for the weather, Chicago
Peace Corps Recruiters and other former Volunteers raised
Membership Renewal
Efforts Succeed
Over the last couple of years, LGB RPCVs paid member-
ship has slowly eroded to about 200 paying members. We
have a large number of “comp” members including about
30 active Peace Corps volunteers overseas. The Steering
Committee set a goal of increasing paid membership by
25% during 2001. We’re close to that goal and we still have
several months to go. So a special “thank you” to those
who answered our February or June reminders or who
renewed their NPCA memberships assigning us affiliate
status. The cost of printing the newsletter has almost
doubled in the last 18 months. While we’ve been able to
keep other expenses stabilized, the overall costs of running
a “not for profit” group like ours continues to rise. We’ve
decided not to increase membership dues, but to increase
membership levels to meet these increased financial
demands, and so far that’s working.
5
LGB RPCV NewsLetter - August 2001
awareness about the need for more volunteers and
diversity within “the corps.” Recruiter Sophia Kamp said,
The reception was phenomenal! We all had a great time!”
San Francisco:
Peace Corps Public Affairs Specialist, Dennis McMahon
worked with our local LGB RPCV chapter to provide written
materials and the help of RPCVs to staff the table. Recruit-
ers and RPCVs rotated throughout the day. This was the
fifth year that the San Francisco Office has been at the San
Francisco Gay Pride Festival. So many people stopped by
that many brochures and materials were gone by mid-
afternoon. Peace Corps reports a successful recruiting
effort.
Seattle:
Peace Corps Recruiter, Amy Webbeking reports that the
event ended up being a great success.
120 people walked by the recruiting table to say hi and
ask questions.
Seven took applications.
Amy and Regional Manager, Josh Fliegal were there all
day, and enjoyed themselves despite some rain. Quite a few
RPCVs stopped by and some offered to help staff the table
next year.
Peace Corps Director Nominee cont.
fit nicely with the responsibilities of a Peace Corps Director.
He serves on the Advisory Board for Habitat for Humanity
and is a Board Member of Orange County’s Public Broad-
casting Station. But, he also sits on the Advisory Board of
the Salvation Army and he serves on the Board of Directors
of the Boy Scouts of American - Orange County Council.
As an advisor to the Salvation Army, what is his position
on the recent attempts of the Salvation Army to exempt itself
from local anti-discrimination laws as they relate to the rights
of lesbian and gay employees? As a Board Member of the
Boy Scouts, what is his position on that organization’s
discrimination against (their removal) gay scouts and staff ?
As Suzanne Marks points out in her article later in this issue,
sexual orientation has been an included category within
Peace Corps’ equal employment opportunity statement since
1994. Since 1998 sexual orientation has been included in the
EEO statements of all civilian federal agencies. As Peace
Corps Director, Vasquez will be responsible for the enforce-
ment of Federal Agency and Peace Corps anti-discrimination
policies that protect the employment rights of lesbians and
gays. Does he accept and support these anti-discriminatory
policies?
These very pointed questions must be asked and satisfac-
torily answered, if he is to be confirmed.
LGB RPCV NewsLetter - August 2001

Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
Who are we?
We’re an organization of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and others who are former Peace Corps
volunteers, current volunteers, former and current staff members, and friends. Founded in Washington
D.C. in 1991, we have several hundred members throughout the country and around the world who
have served in the Peace Corps since its beginning in 1961.
We are composed of a national steering committee, together with regional chapters. We currently
have local chapters in San Francisco, Southern California and Washington D.C. We are an affiliate member
of the National Peace Corps Association.
What’s our purpose?
We promote Peace Corps ideals and acceptance of lesbians, gays and bisexuals throughout the
world.
What do we do?
u Provide support to our national members and current volunteers.
u Facilitate the creation of regional chapters.
u Actively involve ourselves as an affiliate of the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA).
u Promote policies and projects that support Peace Corps ideals and the acceptance and active
involvement of lesbians, gays and bisexuals within the Peace Corps.
u Take an active part in Gay Pride events around the country encouraging gays, lesbians and bisexu-
als to consider the Peace Corps experience.
u Offer our members as informational resources and mentors for lesbians, gays and bisexuals who
have been offered a Peace Corps assignment.
u Host social events for our members.
u Communicate regularly with our members and others through a quarterly newsletter and our web site.

New Membership * Address Change Form

New Member
Name: Change of Address/Renewal
I would talk with applicants
Street:
about my experience.

City: State: Zip:

Phone/Fax/E-mail:

Country of Service: Years:

PC Project: Current Work:

Membership: $15 for LGB RPCV Affiliate Only or FREE to Current Volunteers
$40 for LGB RPCV Plus the National Peace Corps Association 8/01

LGB RPCVs; PO Box 14332; San Francisco, CA 94114-4332

E-Mail:
E-mail: info@lgbrpcv.org ** Web:
lgbrpcv@yahoo.com http://www.lgbrpcv.org
http://www.geocities.com/lgbrpcv
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