(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?
That is seriously fucked up. I hate hate hate that I still have to argue with so many straight “liberals” about how dangerous it is to be queer, and that discrimination against us is just as wrong and just as serious as any other kind of discrimination. Which is part of the reason why our fight for equality cannot wait, of course, because people always feel more empowered to threaten groups who aren’t even equal under the law. A lot of people don’t seem to understand the connections there, or they just don’t give a shit.
I’ve read several reports of increases in anti-queer bigotry and queer-bashing in the past few years, and while I’m always careful not to confuse correlation with causation, I do think it’s a damn reasonable theory that this is related to the nutjob bigots at the helm of the country and their close ties with the even nuttierjob bigots that comprise the overwhelming majority of the “religious right”. (Sorry I don’t have links to the reports or any studies handy, but google should dig them up.)
Fortunately, I haven’t heard anything about this sort of thing around the local campus (I’m in Flagstaff AZ). While I’m no longer a student, I was on campus twice recently and didn’t see any sign of this sort of sick behavior.
Damn, that’s scary. I feel for the local queer kids and hope like hell that no one gets physically hurt.
Thank you for posting this Rhetoricus as I’m sure we won’t be finding this on our news programs and in our papers.
wow. That is some seriously disturbing news and the images are horrendous. I’m sorry that you woke up to that, but maybe it will help one person see how hard it is to be gay in America.
Thanks. Depressing and nerve-wracking to see this. We have to remain vigilant. Glad to see the administration reacted quickly.
Glad to see you posted this. “Strait” friends really don’t know, often, what a level of threat gay folks feel in everyday life. We don’t always experience this sort of thing, but we never can feel secure that we won’t have to!
I am so sorry you and your fellow students had to go through this attack which is led by the Repugnant Party and Religious Right. They have no understanding of what their platform of fear, lies, hate and prejudice causes in the world. To say I am outraged is an understatement. As a 47 year old gay male and a civil rights activist, I know the fear, anger and frustration which come from being attacked. I will not lie and say it gets better. I will say that you can funnel that rage and pain into the continued struggle for equal rights. I hope people will step forward and turn in the ones who are responsible.
Things are better today than they were when I came out 32 years ago in a small town in NC but we still have a long way to go.
How about making some posters of these photos that substitute “the University president’s name” for queer & fag. Ask below the picture “Does this cross the line?”
Please do not submit to this terrorism – use your anger to confront these disgusting cowards.