(cross-posted on kos)
This was Pride week at my north-midwest university, and has always been a fun time to welcome spring, inform people about queer issues; encourage goodwill and diversity.
It has also always invited controversy and expressions of intolerance.
But we’ve never seen anything like this.
This morning, students woke up to violent antigay epithets and death threats chalked all over campus. (Click through to see slideshow. These are only a few of the 40-or-so chalked messages.)
We still have a LOT of work to do, people.
I believe this could have happened anywhere in the US, which is the problem.
Because Pride week is internal to the campus, it is likely that the chalkings came from one or more students. What is scary is that apparently who-all-ever it was did not seem concerned that such threats might get them arrested or expelled. This is the most disturbing thing to me.
I fear that the right wing’s antigay crusade has become so shrill that young people believe they can (still) harass and threaten queer people with relative, if not complete, impunity.
Needless to say, the queer student community on campus is traumatized, angry, and frightened.
As a finishing grad student who has attended 3 other universities in my lifetime, I can confidently say this campus is not unusual, and I don’t want this incident to cast aspersions on this particular university. The administration issued a statement quickly condemning the hate speech:
“Incidents such as this cause both fear and discomfort on campus and will are completely unacceptable. A campus community is one where the freedom of speech and thought should be embraced and encouraged, however, there are limits to what is appropriate and these individuals definitely crossed the line.”
I hope this incident can serve as an opportunity for this and other universities to re-examine the issue of antigay intolerance and (hopefully) the effect of right-wing religious rhetoric on students.
Has anyone else seen this kind of thing on their college campuses lately?