Wesleyan Argus | Are you gay enough for DKE?

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My only major reservation about the fake DKE party poster was that I didn’t include “D*kes for DKE” in the tagline. Otherwise, I think it was completely radical – a decisive step in the crusade against organized hypermasculinity.

This past weekend, a poster promoting the DKE Pride Party was distributed around campus. It read: “Friday, October 6th, DKE PRIDE PARTY, sounds of DJ Joyful, Loud and Proud, 20C/14 Fountain Ave, requirements: great atmosphere.” Rainbows oozed from behind the DKE seal, which depicted a lion roaring on its hind legs.

As someone who has helped organize events for the Resource Center, such as bookbinding workshops for trans students, fashion classes, and queer interfaith discussions, I was impressed by the Canva-savvy poster.

For a second I believed it. I was already choosing a suitable outfit (gay, but not like yass queen-gay) and imagining all the cute encounters I would have, how I would look up to these stocky steroid men and ask what football players they dream about on their internet -leagues. .

I even started making cue cards for beginners, like, “Oh my God, have you seen Jimmy Butler’s new look, he’s so Demi Lovato.”

I’m an alumna, and yes, I was kicked out of Eclectic, so maybe DKE will finally satisfy my desire for an inclusive, queer, and holistic community on campus. Who knows? Maybe I’ll finally find community. Community is very important.

I told myself, “Just be yourself, they will love you!” And if they don’t, it’s their loss!”

I was ready to shoot.

Then my friend said to me: “Wait, you know this is fake, right?”

My dreams were shattered. It was as if, for a brief moment, all ideas about language, humanity, and creation had dried up and flowed out of my pores into a puddle beneath me.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.”

Who cares about a little flyer? To be honest, I liked the parody. Who doesn’t like a scam or a prank?

But I wonder who this ad was aimed at. Was his satire intended to be obvious, to humiliate DKE and expose them? toxic culture?

Who even knows if they are homophobic? Since I avoid large groups of men, I don’t know, but there is a world where DKE is just the Teletubbies.

Moreover, if some naive first-year student happened to show up at the DKE house on Friday, he might find himself in an alarming situation.

“Oh, hey, what’s this femboy doing here?”

“Um, hi, is this the DKE pride party?”

And then the boys started laughing and laughing, and the gay boy was crying, and he had to transfer to Smith College.

It was as if the flyer’s author had discovered that masculinity wasn’t just twinks in skirts having pillow fights at a slumber party and decided to delve into social commentary.

We don’t need Candace Owens or Milo Yiannopoulos to come talk to Wesleyan to know they’re crazy. And we don’t need a flyer to understand that DKE is historically a disgusting cult of men (or Teletubbies).

Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to speak up. As Audre Lorde writes: “Your silence will not protect you.”

However, the institutional context is important. I’m not sure it was necessary and I don’t respect the execution.

It’s pretentious, and I personally cringe when political statements only serve to embolden and inflate the egos of those making them. Like, do something useful. Learn to sew and stop yelling at your mom.