When thinking of minorities, some people don't realize that homosexuals also fall into that category, much less minorities who are also homosexual, said Anthony Amstutz, internal vice president of Spectrum.
On Tuesday, panelists Joel Ray, Kim Gorman, Marshall Graham, Sharna Horn and Jennifer Miley shared what life is like as a minority within the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community.
Terry Fraser, assistant director of the Multicultural Center, moderated the discussion.
The topic for the panel discussion was the brainchild of Amstutz, who also organized the event.
"Most people don't think of this," Amstutz said. "They say, 'Oh, you can be black and gay? Wow!'"
But for Ray, a junior, it's his reality.
"Growing up, I knew then (that I was gay), but I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to be beaten up," Ray said.
Others on the panel also expressed the difficulty of coming out.
"I got various reactions," Horn said.
Horn, a sophomore, is both lesbian and Jewish.
"Sometimes I feel 'away' from others at Ball State, and it puts me in a spot where I feel alone and can't do anything," Horn said. "It eats away at you."
Both Graham, a sophomore, and Ray felt that stereotypes played a role in society's reaction to them.
"A lot of people have a preconceived notion of what a homosexual is," Graham said. "I didn't fit the stereotypes."
Graham said that sometimes people think that gay men are "loud" and "rambunctious," but he said he is rather quiet and reserved.
Ray found that people were more put off by his sexual orientation than his race.
"There was a lot more fear of my being gay than fear of my race," he said.
Sometimes, discrimination comes from not only heterosexuals but from within the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community as well, said Gorman, a psychologist at the Counseling Center.
"We live in a xenophobic society," Gorman said. "We live in a world where if we meet someone who is not like us, we don't know how to interact with them."
Gorman stressed that it is vital for society to take the steps to make people who are different feel comfortable.
"You start internalizing bad messages," she said. "You begin to be afraid of gay people, and if you're gay, then you're afraid of yourself."
In response to the prodding of a question from a student in the audience, panelists also revealed that their sexual orientation was not a choice.
"I believe it's genetic," Horn said. "I wouldn't choose to be a minority that is so hated you can lose your family and friends and not be able to maintain a relationship."
Graham explained the reasoning behind his decision to disclose his sexual orientation.
"I didn't choose to be bisexual, but I chose how to live my life," he said. "Instead of letting it drive me crazy, I decided to be open about it."
Some panelists suffered rejection after revealing their orientation.
After coming out, Graham discovered that his mother was trying to come up with ways to make him "totally straight."
"I've had more resistance to my sexuality come from inside my family than outside," Graham said.
Graham has chosen to not speak with his family because of the issue.
Like everybody else, Horn said, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people need acceptance.
"I like the days where I go to Spectrum and I don't have to worry about anything," Horn said.
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