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April 12, 2005
Editorial: Stop with the hate-speech writings
Just stop. Stop, and think about what you’re doing. What it is that makes you feel the need to act out in such a puerile, angry fashion? We are, of course, referring to the five acts of hate speech against the GLBTIA community in the last two months. The chalkings, the sticker-tearing, the scrawled whiteboard messages. Five times in less than two months. This is a pattern of intentional, malicious behavior.
We know who some of you are. We saw the sign on the door at the party last weekend. It read: “No homosexuals allowed except for lesbians, who must make out to get in.”
Maybe you (or several of you) wrote these recent repulsive messages. Maybe you didn’t. It doesn’t matter; you might as well have written them, because you are supporting and perpetuating such behavior with your intolerance.
Maybe you were drunk and found a piece of chalk on the pavement and thought “Hey, why not?” We can understand getting drunk, doing stupid things and feeling remorseful (and hung over) the next morning. We’ve all been there. But you know what we do? We stumble down steps and we party with our friends and we laugh.
Or maybe it was your friend. Remember that joke your friend told about homosexuals, and you didn’t laugh, but you didn’t say anything, either? Even silence is acceptance.
Disagree with the lifestyles some students in this community lead? Fine. We disagree with the dense lifestyle you’re pursuing. But we’re not writing hateful messages about you for everyone to look at, and we’re not making sick jokes with our friends about you, and we’re not looking at you and laughing after you’ve walked past us.
Teach, teach, teach č the counter to ignorance. The university is trying, through forums and meetings and resources and word-of-mouth, to educate its students. Students are trying. Staff are trying. Faculty are trying. We’re all trying. You’re not.
If you’re unwilling to alter your behavior, if you’re unwilling to face your prejudices and your privileges and own up to them and work toward equality and justice and change, then leave. And don’t come back.
This community has no place for you.
Posted by msveum at April 12, 2005 04:07 PM
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