Big Gay Al’s Big Gay Game Show

Set-Up

A. Four long tables

B. Chairs for each panelist (8)

C. 1 microphone for both hosts, 1 per 2 panelists. Total: 6 microphones.

D. Panelists should each have two poster boards and two photos.

E. Crayons and/or pencils to vote with.

F. Facilitator handouts

G. Packets

H. Outlines for all volunteers (30)

I. Intro – 5 minutes

A. Hosts – 2 People

B. The only game show where we invite you, the audience, to guess the sexual orientation of our panelists.

C. Sponsored by Gay-Straight Alliance (a sub-group of Queer Coalition)

II. Disclaimer – 5 minutes

A. Panelists are only speaking for our own experiences and themselves. Within this group, we have many different perspectives that we hope to give you a taste of tonight. Please remember that attraction and desire cross all walks of life.

B. We have a few points for clarification:

1. Queer – queer has been a derogatory term and is being reclaimed by some. We use queer to include: gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and those who chose not to identify with any one label. Labels are sometimes very limiting, queer is meant to be a broad term. Because of some continued stigma around the word, some people do not use the word queer.

2. Transgender – someone whose gender expression is not dictated by their biological sex. This is another broad term to encompass a range of different experiences. It is an umbrella term including but not limited to someone who identifies as a cross dresser, drag queen, drag king, transexual, intersexual and bigender individuals.

3. Attraction – there are many traits or characteristics that people are attracted to: great sense of humor, sexy eyes, sparkling personality, long walks on the beach… the list could go on. You know that you are not attracted to everyone you meet, wether you are gay, straight, bisexual or something else all together. It is important to realize that gender and sex are just a few of the qualities we look for.

4. The terms gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer generally refer to someone’s identity, which can change over time. While many of our panelists have fluid orientations throughout their lives, we are focusing on their current concept of themselves.

III. Introduce Panelists – 8 people – 5 minutes

IV. Rules of the Game - 5 minutes

A. Through gender-neutral questions the audience is to figure out each panelist's current sexual orientation.

B. You can ask individuals or the whole panel

C. Panelists may decide not to answer a question they are not comfortable with.

D. If you know one or more of the panelists, please don't spoil the game.

E. Please feel free to ask the panelists any question that you think will help you in your detective work.

F. The panelists will not judge you based on the question you ask. The audience should not judge anyone.

G. Remember, questions like:

Do you hold the hand of the person you are seeing in public?

Are you attracted to people who wear jewelry?

…will be more helpful.

V. The Game! – 20 minutes

A. Open questions to the audience

(Don't worry about silence)

1. Try to avoid letting the questions turn to all yes/no questions.

2. Plants (to get more discussion questions):

a. Are you affectionate in public?

b. Are you comfortable talking about your sexuality with your parents?

c.

d.

VI. Post-Game – 5 minutes

A. Voting

1. Poster Board

a. 2 for each face (with picture)

b. 1 set will be under balcony

c. 1 set will be by the doors to 237

2. Vote for:

a. Gay

b. Bi

c. Straight

d. “This is too limiting—I can’t deal.”

3. Explanation – We realize that there are more than three categories, and that limiting you to just three is a problem. For the sake of simplicity and numbers we can count, we would like you to vote for the category that you feel the person is closest to at this point in their life.

4. In a few minutes you will get a chance to meet all of the panelists, find out the results of the vote, and learn how they identify themselves. Please vote here and here [point] and then go to a room. We have people who will be walking around directing you where to go.

B. Break up into rooms

1. Villard, Faculty, Gold, Jade, cc 237 and cc240 (6 rooms)

2. Helpers / behind the scene people move people along

3. Facilitators ALREADY in the rooms.

4. People located in four places (figure 1 - &&)

C. Withhold orientations of panelists.

VII. In the rooms (FOOD) 45 minutes

A. One or two facilitators

1. Jade Parlor (Panelists 1&2)

2. Faculty Parlor

3. Gold Parlor (Panelists 3&4)

4. 240 (Panelists 5&6)

5. Old Café

6. Villard Room (Panelists 7&8)

B. Introductions

1. Facilitators introduce yourselves: name, class, and major if you have one…

2. Say something like: Each of our panelists has a different way of identifying him or herself. They will explain shortly their orientation and answer any questions you have of them. They will all come around to our room for about 5 minutes. If you don’t get to ask one panelist a question, you can save it for a following panelist.

C. Open up for questions.

1. What did people think?

2. Why did they think that?

D. Panelists will come around.

1. Panelists, in the first five seconds after everyone is in the rooms will count their respective votes.

2. Panelists will go around to each room separately or with one other person, if they so chose.

3. Rotate every 6 minutes.

4. Disclose votes and real orientation.

a. When the panelists explain their orientation, they can explain their own personal concept or theory. This way, the audience members get a full expectation of the different view points we’re trying to represent.

E. Questions: (some suggestions, in no particular order)

Do you know anyone who identifies as neither gay and nor straight? Do you think [bisexuality] is for real or is it just a phase?

What do you think about words like “flamer,” “femme,” and “butch?” Be honest. Are they ever true? Have you ever met someone who fit into these categories? How about a queer person who didn’t? What do you think that means?

Do you think labels like “gay” and “straight” and “bisexual” are confining? Why or why not?

Do you think that sexuality is a continuum or is sexuality more polar? Why?

Did anyone have problems with the word queer?

Can anyone think of any problems with this presentation?

Did you think anyone on the panel was transgender?

Do you think that being gay is a race specific thing? Is it just a American thing? Is it just a college age or generational thing?

People are attracted to other people: some prefer blonds, some prefer baggy pants, some prefer a specific gender. We have many preferences. Why do you think that sexual orientation is so stigmatized?

F. Give them a few minutes to think and talk.

G. Define queer, continuum, fluidity, heterosexism, transgender

H. You've Got Questions... We've Got Answers

(Challenge them to keep it for four days, and to read it!)

1. Campus resources

2. Terms

a. Queer, Heterosexism, The Continuum, Transgender, Lesbian, Dyke, Gay, Faggot, The Holocaust, The Kinsey Scale, The Mccarthy Era, Stonewall Riots, The Pink Triangle, The Black Triangle, The Rainbow, The Red Ribbon, Lambda, Unearned Privilege, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Sexual Orientation, Sexual Minority, Coming Out, Invisibility, Drag Queens Or Kings, Cross Dressers, Transexual, Intersexed Persons, Bisexual, Attraction, Biphobia, Identity, Bigender.

3. Queer Symbols

4. Vassar’s Queer History

5. Truth

6. Six Suggestions

7. Heterosexual Questionnaire

8. Hints for the Hetero