More Oppression

I attended a forum last evening on cancer and I'm not sure if I'm annoyed or simply disappointed. The forum was sponsored by the Lesbian Cancer Initiative which provides information and referral; short-term counseling; support groups for survivors and caregivers/partners; and community educational and social event. I had not heard about the group before but agreed to attend when my partner asked me to. I went with the thought in mind that it was more for her than for me because she really needs support. While cancer has left me on empty it has left my partner less joyful. And to make matters worse her mom was recently diagnosed with cancer so I knew that this was important. This would be one selfless act that I could perform for someone else than myself.

The title of the keynote speech was, "Whose Life Is It Anyway?: Navigating the Cancer Journey On Our Own Terms." From this title I made the assumption that we would be given information on "navigating" our way around the health care system, securing treatment that was me centered, etc. Well, I'm not sure if the keynote speaker read the title but my expectations were shot to hell. I knew that it was not going to be a good presentation when her introductory slide stated something like this, Overcoming Oppression based on sexual orientation, gender and race. This is not the exact title but you get the drift. From the first to last slide Dr. Gelo launched into a dissertation on how sexual orientation, gender, race etc., influences the kind of treatment you receive and how important it is to talk up. She also included discussion on the Tuskegee experiment to bolster her argument that race was as prevalent a roadblock as any other factor.

As I was squirming in my seat I tried to remember why I was there, my partner needed to be there to connect with a support group. This helped me to keep sitting through this nonsense and to be quiet at the end when Dr. Gelo asked for questions. I sat through this anthropological thesis and wondered if it would ever end. I sat through it when she kept beating up on Western culture and medicine. I kept listening when she reminded us that we were subjects of the white patriarchy. I kept listening even when I realized that assumed that her audience would be in lock step with her presentation. I couldn't be more disappointed. The really sad thing about this was that it reinforced the oppression theory of gays and lesbians. This is truly unfortunate because some if not many in the audience bought into this theory especially coming from a "professional." Dr. Florence Gelo has her D.Min which is a doctor of ministry. She is not a health care provider but a behavioral science coordinator for the Family Medicine residency program at Drexel University. She is also a pastoral psychotherapist in private practice specializing in grief and loss and chronic illness. Based on her background, Dr. Gelo was probably well suited for her talk last evening but not for the assumed goal of the program. On a positive note, my partner made the connections she needed for a support group.