Panelists ponder racial, sexual issues

(NOTE: This article originally appeared in the October 3, 2008 edition of Central Michigan Life.)

Many people may vote for Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama because of his policies, but Martin Curry asked whether something else could play a role.

"How many people will vote for (Barack) Obama because of 'white guilt'?" the Saginaw-Chippewa Indian Tribe representative asked Thursday in the Bovee University Center Auditorium as part of "Speak Up, Speak Out: The Current Event Series."

The theme of the forum, which was the second of five scheduled forums to discuss the 2008 Presidential Election, was "Race, Class, Sex & Orientation: The 2008 Election," and the event was facilitated by Ulana Klymyshyn, director of the Multicultural Education Program.

The format of the event consisted of specific clips selected to deal with the issues of the forum. The clip that ended up generating the most discussion was from a CNN and Youtube-sponsored Republican presidential candidate debate in November 2007. It dealt with the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy", which deals with sexual orientation in the armed forces.

The clip featured a retired Army general who came out as a homosexual after his military career ended.

Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain said he supported what the leaders in the military say: "That Don't Ask, Don't Tell" worked. Panelist and CMU alumnus C. William Westerfield, who is a homosexual, disagreed.

"'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' which was signed by a Democrat, has been an utter failure," Westerfield said. "Gays and lesbians face the last legal discrimination in this country on a state and national basis."

Another major issue was how race will affect Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama.

Panelist and Detroit senior David Peeples said Obama may face problems with black voters.

"A lot of black voters are asking, 'Is this mixed man black enough?'" Peeples said. "There is a question whether minorities will vote for him because of how hard he is going for middle-class voters."

The potrayal of women in the campaign was also a major issue.

"Hillary Clinton cries and she's considrered fragile, yet the House Minority Leader cries and nobody considers him fragile," Belleville sophomore Earle Crosswait III said. "We only think of women as cold and miliatristic or sexy."

The next forum in the "Speak Up, Speak Out" series, "Foreign Policy: The Candidates and Their Platforms" will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 14 in the UC Auditorium.