From tlynch@hotmail.com Mon, 02 Dec 2002 16:01:00 +0000 Date: Mon, 02 Dec 2002 16:01:00 +0000 From: Tony Irish Lynch tlynch@hotmail.com Subject: [Cause-members] World AIDS Day Hey guys, For those of you who don't know me, my name is Tony Lynch and I am president of Rainbow Alliance here on campus. Yesterday was World AIDS Day and so on Wednesday of this week we will be having a few activities. >From 10 until 2 in the quad we will have an information table and will be handing out red ribbons. >From 12 until 3 in the Health Center there will be free HIV testing. At 5pm in MSR 130 there will be a speaker, Micheal, who will relate what it is like to live positively, followed by refreshments, followed by the documentary "Living Proof: HIV and the Persuit of Happiness." I was hoping that AI or WOW would have there own table in the quad that day to help break the stereotype that AIDS is a gay thing. Unfortunately, that isn't possible this year. Anyways, I would like you to be a part of our table, to encourage you to avail of the testing, and to come hear the speaker and watch the movie - you don't have to avail of the refreshments:) So, we are having people sign up for one hour slots from 10 until 2 (with a half hour before and after for set up and break down.) Please, if you are at all free, email me tlynch@hotmail.com and let me know what time works for you or at least stop by the table and pick up a ribbon. Also, if you have never been tested or it has been a while, I encourage you to stop by the Health Center. I know this is not easy for some people and I know I felt strange the first time I tried to get tested. That being said, we can learn a certain amount of tolerance and understanding towards those how are HIV positive from the testing process. On those days between testing and getting the results, many seem to spend some time wondering 'what if' and so for a time picturing themselves as someone who is. Hoping to see you some time on Wednesday, and if you don't know me already, I'll be the quiet one with all the earings (or so I'm told.) Thanks for your time, tony _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus From AFilson@csustan.edu Mon, 2 Dec 2002 11:10:48 -0800 Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2002 11:10:48 -0800 From: April Dunham-Filson AFilson@csustan.edu Subject: [Cause-members] Event this Saturday... The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus Presented by Stanislaus Community Assistance Project A Non-Profit Organization service for HIV-AIDS, Chronic and terminally Ill. Dec. 7th, 2002 7:00 PM-8:30 PM Downey High School Auditorium 1000 Coffee Road 2nd Holiday Performance in Modesto "Home for the Holidays" Silent Auction $20.00 per person (Tickets sold in advance and at the door) Proceeds benefit the Stanislaus Community Assistance Project. A non profit organization service HIV/AIDS, chronic and terminally ill. For questions they can call our office at 572-2437. Tickets can be purchased at our office at: 1230 13th Street, Suite D Don, please add to the website if you haven't already. Thanks April Dunham-Filson CSU, Stanislaus Accountant (209) 667-3981 God, grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change; The courage to change the one I can; And the wisdom to know that person is me. From AFilson@csustan.edu Tue, 3 Dec 2002 07:34:36 -0800 Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 07:34:36 -0800 From: April Dunham-Filson AFilson@csustan.edu Subject: [Cause-members] FW: Higher Ed LGBT Articles Digest #103 This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C29AE1.7CA87890 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Higher Education LGBT Articles Digest #103, for the week ending 12-01-02 1. BOSTON GLOBE Ouster of outspoken gay man from St. John's Seminary points up issues 2. NATIONAL POST (Canada) Homophobic teacher battles to keep his job after British Columbia College of Teachers suspends his teaching license 3. STANFORD DAILY Editorial: Community should be aware of transgender issues 4. DAILY NEBRASKAN Nearly a third of GLBT students who took part in a recent survey at University of Nebraska-Lincoln reported being the target of verbal insults in the past academic year 5. THE DARTMOUTH Lebanon (NH) teachers seek civil union benefits 6. BILLINGS GAZETTE Judge rules that it's constitutional for Montana University System to deny health insurance benefits for partners of gay employees 7. SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Ethics advice column: Gay man asks if he should give equal financial support to his niece who has chosen an anti-gay fundamentalist college 8. NEW YORK TIMES In Harvard Papers, a Dark Corner of the College's Past 9. GAY CITY NEWS No remedies available in case of anonymous employee harassment at Metropolitan Community College 10. CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION Bisexual Students Face Tension With Gay Groups #1 Boston Globe, November 25, 2002 Box 2378, Boston, MA, 02107 (Fax: 617-929-2098 ) (E-Mail: letter@globe.com ) ( http://www.boston.com/globe ) http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/329/metro/Seminary_ouster_of_outspoken_gay _points_up_issues+.shtml St. John's Seminary ouster of outspoken gay points up issues Focus put on orientation By Sacha Pfeiffer, Globe Staff As a student at Harvard and then Yale, where different lifestyles mix uneventfully, Gavan Meehan found it easy and comfortable to be publicly gay. But after an inner tug to the priesthood drew him last year to St. John's Seminary in Brighton, his upfront acknowledgement of his sexual orientation brought a far different response. "I'm not a person who wears my sexuality on my sleeve," said Meehan, 30, who said he was celibate. "But as I become friends with people I tell them who I am." By March, amid a cascade of revelations about priests molesting children, Meehan's openness had become a source of discomfort for his superiors. The rector at St. John's, Bishop Richard G. Lennon, told him that some students were concerned about his homosexuality, said Meehan, who took the remark as "a warning that I had to somehow change my behavior." Meehan wasn't about to do that. Instead, he remained outspoken, complaining at school forums about homophobia and criticizing the seminary for a climate that he said punished openly gay students and protected closeted ones. In July, Meehan was dismissed. But he didn't go quietly. Meehan sent an angry letter to Lennon and other church officials accusing two students of violating their celibacy vow by having sex in a Boston department store dressing room, although he now acknowledges that he had no direct evidence to support his charge. "I felt like I had to point out the hypocrisy," said Meehan. "If you talk about being gay, even if you're celibate, that gets you in trouble. But if you're actually having sex and covering your bases, you don't have to worry about a thing." Meehan's public advocacy of his views, and his outspoken style, clearly contributed to the decision to dismiss him. But his case underscores the growing debate within the church over whether there is a place in the priesthood for gay men, even celibate ones. Already, many gay priests and seminarians feel they must conceal their sexual orientation to survive professionally in the face of a backlash against them fueled by the abuse scandal. According to Catholic teaching, homosexuality by itself is not considered a sin, although homosexual acts are. It is widely acknowledged that a large percentage of priests are homosexual in orientation. Still, the Catholic Church has no uniform policy on gay priests and guidelines on admitting gay men vary by seminary. The Philadelphia Archdiocese has said it bars gay men, even those who remain celibate, from its seminary, but it is an exception. Most seminaries, St. John's among them, say they admit gays as long as they follow church teachings on celibacy. The issue ultimately will be decided by the Vatican, which recently announced it is drafting worldwide rules on whether gay men can be ordained. Comments by top church officials, including Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the chief spokesman for Pope John Paul II, suggest that restrictions, if not an outright ban, are likely. Navarro-Valls said in March that homosexuals "just cannot be ordained." Until the Vatican rules, seminaries are left to make their own way. At many, public conversations about sex and sexuality are frowned on. That, Meehan believes, creates an unhealthy atmosphere of repression and secrecy. His concerns are shared by the Rev. Donald B. Cozzens, a former seminary rector and author of several books about the church, who argues that gay priests who avoid coming to terms with their sexuality "actually subvert healthy maturation." At the seminary, "sexuality is talked about a great deal," Cozzens, a visiting professor of religious studies at John Carroll University in Cleveland, said in an interview. "But it's talked about from a theoretical or theological perspective, not from personal experience or a person's individual struggles with sexuality." Church officials in Boston and Hartford declined to comment on specific details of Meehan's case, citing privacy issues. But the Archdiocese of Hartford, which sponsored Meehan's candidacy at St. John's because it has no seminary of its own, left little doubt that his outspoken views were his downfall. Seminarians must be "able to live within the community structure and allow that structure to function in the way it is intended to function without creating a disruption by being outspoken on particular issues," said Monsignor Gerard G. Schmitz, vocation director for the Hartford Archdiocese. A seminarian's outspokenness could result in dismissal, Schmitz said, "if it's causing great concern and disruption with the general community." Several attempts to interview Lennon were unsuccessful. The Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, a Boston Archdiocese spokesman and St. John's faculty member, would not comment specifically on Meehan. But speaking generally, he said, "To enter into a Catholic seminary and continuously push an agenda that is not in keeping with the church's teaching on sexual orientation is problematic." Yet as Meehan's experience suggests, whether a gay seminarian abides by church teachings on sexuality can be a highly subjective matter, and one left to the judgment of church officials. One standard is clear and unequivocal: celibacy. Any seminarian found to have engaged in sexual activity risks expulsion. But Meehan has consistently said he was celibate. At St. John's, prospective seminarians are asked about their sexual orientation by a vocation director and during a psychiatric evaluation, but the information is one of many factors used to judge the fitness of aspiring priests, Coyne said. "A man who is same-sex oriented can be ordained as long as he understands and is accepting of the promise of celibacy as the church understands it," Coyne said. "The judgment call is not based on whether a man is gay or not. The judgment call is whether or not a man is committed to a celibate lifestyle and all that entails." What that means, Coyne said, is that "it's inappropriate for a priest to get up in a public forum, a pulpit or even a private forum and talk about his sexuality, even if he's celibate, because that is not a matter of public discourse." That, Meehan believes, is where he crossed the line. According to Meehan, church officials have officially said he was expelled due to differences of opinion over church teachings. But Meehan said he was told by Schmitz that his expulsion was the result of several incidents, including his decision to tell another student he was gay and his public criticism of the seminary's approach to sexuality at two forums sponsored by the rector. Also, at a church gathering in Hartford, he was critical of the seminary for teaching that homosexuality is a moral choice and for discouraging discussions about ordination of women. "The way the church addresses the issue of sexuality in the seminary does not foster maturity or honesty," Meehan said in an interview in Hartford, where he now lives. "From day one when you enter the seminary, the mechanisms are there for repression and dishonesty. People who succeed most in moving up the hierarchy are the ones who can be most deceitful about their sexuality if they happen to be gay." Meehan said few of the roughly 75 graduate candidates for ordination at St. John's were openly gay, although he said six students told him in private that they were. As for homophobia, Meehan said he sometimes heard students make cruel jokes and derisive comments about homosexuals, especially after the sex abuse scandal erupted in January and the issue of whether gay priests are partly to blame for the scandal became a matter of public debate. In his year-end faculty evaluation, Meehan received a positive review. But ultimately, Meehan said, church officials concluded that he was a "loose cannon" whose outspokenness made him unfit for the seminary. In July, the Hartford Archdiocese notified Meehan that it was withdrawing its support for him, a move tantamount to expulsion. Two months later, Meehan sent the letter calling another seminarian a "closeted practicing homosexual" who "has had plenty of practice at the trade while at St. John's." In the letter, Meehan said the seminarian had "fornicated" with another seminarian in a store dressing room. The letter triggered an investigation of the two students by seminary officials, who concluded that the accusation was based on "hearsay" and was not true, according to Coyne. Coyne called the letter "mean-spirited" and said it "hurt the good reputations" of the two students. Meehan says he has no regrets about sending the letter. "The hierarchy has to deal with this in a much more direct and open manner," Meehan said. "The way it's dealt with now is that anything sexual is to be swept under the carpet." . Sacha Pfeiffer can be reached at pfeiffer@globe.com #2 National Post, November 25, 2002 300 - 1450 Don Mills Road, Don Mills, Ontario, M3B 3R5 Canada (E-Mail: letters@nationalpost.com )(http://www.nationalpost.com ) http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?id={6A6D8FBA-DAAA-4EAC-A514-3C2C 711B5837} Teacher battles union over published views Faces suspension [by British Columbia College of Teachers] Claude Adams, National Post QUESNEL, B.C. - Chris Kempling doesn't seem to be enjoying his new role at the centre of a fight over what is taught in schools about homosexuality. He's edgy, and his eyes have a haunted look. He needs sleep. It has been a rough seven months. Last April, the British Columbia College of Teachers ruled that he had overstepped the bounds of free speech. Now he faces the suspension of his teaching licence. He's short-tempered when a television crew visits him at Correlieu High School in Quesnel, where he teaches Grade 12 creative writing. "This has nothing to do with my teaching," he snaps. Mr. Kempling believes, with a conviction rooted in his faith, that homosexuality is immoral, and that it should not be presented to B.C students as a normal and acceptable lifestyle. "I will not teach lies to children," he says through clenched teeth. But at the same time, he insists that he would never force his ideology on the students under his care. "I have been teaching psychology at my school for 10 years, and there has never been a controversy or complaint about what I have taught my students on this topic or anything else." In all respects, Mr. Kempling seems like a typical, if conservative, small-town teacher. He's a Big Brother; he runs a Sunday school class; he referees volleyball and organizes school cycling events. He's chairman of the local health council and operates a private practice in marriage and family counselling. His clothes sense is from the '60s, his theology is Biblical and he speaks passionately about the needs of students. But life has not been the same since the teachers' college ruled that his conduct was unbecoming to teacher. Mr. Kempling has been accused of homophobia and hate-mongering and he's been likened to Malcolm Ross, an inflammatory, anti-Semitic schoolteacher who was removed from classroom duties more than a decade ago. The teachers' college is considering a three-month suspension of Mr. Kempling's teaching licence as punishment. He says that would cost him $25,000 and be financially devastating. The B.C. Civil Liberties Association, normally strong a defender of free speech, is staying on the sidelines. And his union, the B.C. Teachers' Federation, is ambivalent in its support. They are paying half his legal expenses because they say he deserves due process, but teachers' federation officials find his views distasteful. "I really believe," says Jinny Sims, the union's vice-president, "that as teachers we cannot let our personal religious beliefs dominate how we communicate with our students and what we say." Statements like this infuriate Mr. Kempling. He agrees that teachers must operate at a higher level of conduct. He says he's never behaved otherwise. "It is contrary to the BCTF code of ethics to use one's position as a platform to promote ideology, and I do not do that. I agree with that." Both the principal and the vice-principal at Correlieu have written letters commending him. So what's all the fuss about? The case against Kempling is based only on written words: six letters to the editor of the Quesnel Cariboo Observer between July, 1997, and July, 2000, two published research papers and a handful of correspondence to local officials. He says gay relationships are "obviously unstable," that gay sex is risky, that homosexuality is "immoral" and "not something to be applauded," and that city councils should not sponsor Gay Pride parades. Nor, in his view, should schools be promoting a gay agenda. He writes: "I refuse to be a false teacher, saying that promiscuity is acceptable, perversion is normal, and immorality is simply 'cultural diversity' of which we should be proud .... Teachers must inculcate the highest moral standards." In the lumber mill town of Quesnel, population 25,000, Mr. Kempling's letter-writing caused a bit of controversy, and one or two accusations of homophobia. Neil Horner, the newspaper editor who published his letters, is surprised at all the fuss. "I think, bottom line, that Chris is an ethical man. I don't agree with his position ... but he keeps it very separate - what he writes in the local paper and the teaching he does in school - so I don't think there should be a problem." The college ruled last April that Mr. Kempling had flouted the "core values of the educational system" by going public with his views. Buried deep in the panel's written ruling is this remarkable statement: "It is not essential to find direct evidence of a poisoned school environment. It is sufficient that an inference can be drawn as to the reasonable and probable consequences of the discriminatory comments of a teacher." Ironically, the 14-page teachers' college document quotes a Supreme Court of Canada judgment that says, "For better or worse, tolerance of divergent beliefs is a hallmark of a democratic society." The teachers' college goes on to say, however, that a teacher's freedom of speech may be curtailed to maintain a school system "free from fear, prejudice and intolerance." The college has had mixed success in the courts. Several years ago, it challenged the program for the training of school teachers at Trinity Western University, because the institution takes a strong position on sexual morality, including disapproval of homosexuality. The case went to the Supreme Court of Canada, which upheld 7-1 Trinity Western's right to act upon its religious beliefs. At a teachers' college sentencing hearing last Monday, Mr. Kempling's lawyer argued there was no evidence of his client having poisoned the atmosphere in his classrooms. The lawyer said anything more than a reprimand would be excessive, since no laws had been broken. The teachers' college lawyer, however, requested a three-month suspension of his licence. A decision on sentence is expected in January. Mr. Kempling says that if his licence is suspended, he'll take his case to the highest court, and he's soliciting donations for a defence fund. He says he's only doing what any good teacher would do: standing up for his rights. "That is the example I would like to set for my students. We live in a country where you can express a controversial point of view. You may have to take some flak for saying it but that is a freedom we all need to cherish." #3 Stanford Daily, November 25, 2002 Storke Publications Building Suite 101, Stanford CA 94305-2240 (Fax: 650-725-1329) (E-Mail: letters@daily.stanford.edu ) ( http://daily.stanford.edu/daily/servlet/Front ) http://daily.stanford.edu/tempo?page=content&id=9655&repository=0001_article # Editorial: [Stanford] Community should be aware of transgender issues By Editorial Board Passers-by in White Plaza last week likely could not ignore the dramatic images covering the pavement. Inside chalk police outlines of bodies were the names of hundreds of victims of violence against transgender people and the dates that they died. The designs, drawn for National Transgender Day of Remembrance last Wednesday, coupled with the recent death of a Bay Area transgender teen, are reminders that issues of gender and violence should concern us all. According to a Web site sponsored by UC-Berkeley, a transgender person has a "psychological self that differs from the social expectations for the physical sex they were born with." This encompasses a wide range of people - one example is a female with a masculine gender identity or who identifies as a man. Someone who is transgender is not necessarily transsexual or even gay, and transgender is often used as a "blanket" term for anyone who identifies with the gender that is not his/her own. The definition is clearly complicated, but one of the most basic ways Stanford community members can learn more about transgender issues is to discuss the various meanings of the term. Resident assistants, professors and transgender students themselves can help educate students by speaking to dorms and offering programming to help increase understanding about what it means to be transgender in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, the amount of reported violence against transgender people is on the rise. The National Transgender Advocacy Coalition reports that 2002 has been the deadliest year for transgender people, with 25 deaths so far, compared to 19 in 2001. Furthermore, California has had the most transgender deaths; San Francisco (which has 15,000 transgender people, according to some estimates) is third in deaths related to anti-transgender violence. Nearly two months ago, Newark, Calif. native Gwen Araujo, 17, was beaten to death at a party when it was revealed that she was biologically male. Three young men have been arrested and charged with murder and special hate-crime charges. Most shockingly, no one from the party intervened to stop the violence. Araujo's death was not an isolated incident and the fact remains that those who are transgender are in some cases fearing for their lives. We at Stanford cannot let those who are transgender at Stanford live in fear of violence. The Stanford community has done an admirable job supporting transgender issues. Earlier this month, more than 50 students packed a vigil that was held in Araujo's honor. Students read poems and organizers hoped to raise awareness of transgender issues. The community also embraced the recent visit by activist Susan Stryker, who spoke about the film "Boys Don't Cry," which deals with transgender issues. Finally, there are transgender professors and students at Stanford. You may not know them, but they need your support. As one member of the LGBT-CRC said in relation to National Transgender Remembrance Day, "It is important for the greater community to understand that gender issues do not apply only to queer people (we all have genders, and we all were socialized to some degree into them)." Everyone in the Stanford community should understand that violence against transgender people exists and constant support is necessary to prevent continued violence. The community's understanding and interest in stopping transgender violence cannot end when the vigil is over or the chalk washes away from White Plaza. #4 Daily Nebraskan, November 25, 2002 P.O. Box 88044, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0448 (Fax: 402-472-1761) (E-Mail: dn@unl.edu ) ( http://www.dailynebraskan.com ) http://www.dailynebraskan.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/11/25/3de1c56145853 GLBT rights polled, some students unhappy [at University of Nebraska-Lincoln] By Patti Vannoy A public university should be a safe learning environment for everyone, said Pat Tetreault, co-chairwoman of a University of Nebraska-Lincoln committee on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender concerns. But nearly a third of GLBT students who took part in a recent survey at UNL reported being the target of verbal insults in the past academic year. Though none of the 80 GLBT student respondents reported being physically assaulted, 3 percent had been threatened with violence, and 9 percent had personal property damaged or destroyed. Results of the study, which was conducted to gauge the campus climate for GLBT students, were released earlier this month. GLBT students at UNL have a pervasive feeling of anxiety, said Robert D. Brown, professor emeritus and project director of the study that surveyed more than 500 students, faculty and staff. GLBT students have constant anxiety, he said, about how any person - a faculty member, roommate or classmate - is going to react to them. "It's kind of like being a spy in a foreign country," he said. "You've learned the language, but now and then you're going to say the wrong thing, and they're going to find out who you are." The study also revealed GLBT students perceive a widespread silence about their issues, Brown said. This invisibility stems from things like exclusion from course content, lack of space allocated to GLBT organizations in the Culture Center and refusal of domestic partner benefits for university employees, he said. All of the GLBT student respondents said they felt the UNL campus was anti-GLBT to some extent, Brown said. Three-fourths of the other respondents agreed, according to the study report. Neither Brown nor Tetreault said they were surprised by the study's results. "I think (the study) actually demonstrates what most GLBT people already know," said Tetreault, who is also a sexuality education coordinator with the University Health Center. "Actually it's showing a better climate than what it used to be like." But the study also shows how much more the climate needs to be changed, she said. The report included recommendations aimed at administrators, faculty and student affairs officials for improving the campus climate. Specific recommendations included: periodic studies into the future climate, consideration of an interdisciplinary minor in GLBT studies, inclusion of curriculum issues when appropriate and inclusion of GLBT organizations in the Culture Center. "My guess is that some (of the recommendations) will be attended to and others won't," Tetreault said. "I think there are a lot of allies and advocates, but I think there's a small number of people who want the climate to stay the same because that's their belief system." Chancellor Harvey Perlman is set to discuss the study at December's Academic Senate meeting. #5 The Dartmouth, November 26, 2002 6175 Robinson Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755 (Fax: 603 646-3443 ) (Email: The.Dartmouth@Dartmouth.EDU ) http://www.thedartmouth.com/article.php?aid=200211260102 Leb. teachers seek civil union benefits by Colin Barry The Lebanon School Board has agreed to consider amending their professional agreement with teachers to include health care coverage for partners in same-sex civil unions, just as the College has since 1997 and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center plans to do in 2003. The board voted Nov. 20 to open negotiations with the Lebanon Education Association, the union representing teachers in the Lebanon school district. However, both board and union members stressed that an agreement has not yet been reached. The school board's decision to negotiate came as a surprise to members of the teacher's union, who had believed that board officials would be willing to merely alter the professional agreement, Lebanon Education Association president Cathy Lacombe said. "I was hoping that it would be as simple as reopening the contract and inserting 'civil unions' after 'marriages,'" she said. According to Superintendent Mike Harris, however, health care coverage for couples is substantially more expensive than coverage for single teachers. "To go from covering one person [to covering two] is the difference between $2,000 and $8,000," Harris said. Members of the school board and district administrative staff were uncertain as to which aspects of the teacher contract they would like altered in exchange for same-sex union clauses. The office of the superintendent will likely examine the contract in the coming weeks. "We don't even know whether there's anything out there that we could reconsider," school board Chair Mary Jane Thibodeau said. "There might be something to our benefit that we might like to talk about." In response to the school board and superintendent, union officials expressed doubt that many teachers would apply for coverage under a same-sex union provision. Teachers also framed the issue as one of morality and civil rights. "It's the correct and just thing to do," Lacombe said, "and we didn't expect to have to bargain to do the right thing." Same-sex unions are legal in Vermont under a set of provisions that were enacted in 2000. Homosexual couples are not required to be Vermont residents to join in a same-sex union, legally termed a 'civil union.' Though such unions provide essentially the same state-sponsored benefits and liabilities as marriage in Vermont, their legal status in New Hampshire is less clear. While Vermont institutions are legally obligated to extend comparable health insurance benefits to both civil unions and heterosexual marriages, most New Hampshire school districts do not extend coverage to same-sex unions. Those districts that do cover civil unions have added explicit provisions to their teacher employment contracts. "Four school districts in New Hampshire have this provision out of about 150 school districts," Harris said. In the Lebanon school district, health insurance is currently the only area in which there is a disparity between the benefits accorded to married couples and those accorded to members of same-sex unions. Leave provisions, including those for partner illness or death, are already covered by the current contract for those engaged in civil unions, according to Harris. "There's a bereavement clause and the contract lists significant others in that section," he said. Amendments to the employment contract between teachers and the Lebanon school district are very rare. Most issues are settled in the bargaining that occurs before the renewal of a professional agreement. The employment contract between teachers and the school district is renewed every three years, typically after bargaining about salary and benefits. The two organizations signed the current contract last year, so the union would have to wait another two years to amend it in routine negotiations. "This is the first time in my tenure that we've considered opening a contract when we're in the middle of a contract," said Robert Moses, a school board member and Chair of the Personnel/Negotiations Committee. The Lebanon Education Association represents teachers working in the seven schools in the Lebanon School District. District officials estimate that the schools employ 230 teachers; of these, 210 are members of the teacher's union. The teacher's union hopes to further extend health benefits in the future to cover any domestic joining, heterosexual or homosexual. "We forsee negotiating similar benefits for all domestic partners," said Lacombe, "but we weren't able to quickly agree on what domestic partners would mean." #6 Billings Gazette, November 27, 2002 Box 36300, Billings, MT, 59107 (Fax: 406-657-1208 ) (E-Mail: speakup@bsw.net ) ( http://www.billingsgazette.com/ ) http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2002/11/27/bui ld/local/70-same-sex-partner.inc Benefit ban upheld for gay partners Associated Press HELENA (AP) - A Montana University System policy denying health insurance benefits for partners of gay employees is not unconstitutional, a district judge has ruled. The policy is based on the marital status of employees, not on their sexual orientation, and that is a "reasonable and objective standard" for determining who qualifies for employment benefits, Judge Thomas Honzel of Helena said in rejecting a lawsuit challenging the policy. "The court is aware that in other parts of the country governmental bodies have extended insurance coverage to domestic partners and the same could be done in Montana," he wrote in the decision. "But that is a decision for the Legislature or the governing body, not the court." Beth Brenneman, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, said Tuesday the organization would appeal to the Montana Supreme Court on behalf of the two lesbian couples that filed the suit in February. LeRoy Schramm, lawyer for the state Board of Regents, said the decision "was what we expected. We always had confidence that our legal arguments were sound." He said it was a good case to come before Montana's high court, since the issue has never been addressed in the state before now. Honzel's decision addressed claims by Carol Snetsinger and her partner Nancy Siegel, and Carla Grayson and her partner Adrienne Neff. Snetsinger and Grayson, who work at the University of Montana, sued the University System and charged that it unfairly denied their domestic partners health insurance offered through the university. UM offers health insurance only to employees, their spouses and children. Heterosexual couples who are not married, but file an affidavit of common law marriage, can also qualify. Homosexual couples, however, are barred by law from marrying. Consequently, they cannot obtain health insurance for their partners through the University System. The state Human Rights Commission last month rejected a discrimination claim based on the policy. Last week, about 150 people crowded a Board of Regents meeting in Missoula to protest the policy. In his ruling, Honzel said that because marital status is a legally permissible means of classifying people for employment benefits, the policy doesn't violate the constitutional rights of University System employees, he said. Marriage is a legal bond distinguishable from other relationships, Honzel said. "Although the named plaintiffs have committed relationships with their respective partners, they are not subject to the legal responsibilities and obligations which are imposed on married persons," he said. #7 Salt Lake Tribune, November 30, 2002 P. O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, UT, 84110 (Fax: 801-257-8950) (E-Mail: letters@sltrib.com ) ( http://www.sltrib.com ) http://www.sltrib.com/2002/nov/11302002/saturday/7010.htm Is It Worth Teaching the Teacher? (excerpt) By Randy Cohen, The New York Times Q: I have a niece who is on a path I abhor - to a fundamentalist religious education, then a missionary career. Her chosen college will give her nothing except a narrow-minded view of the world and an antigay perspective, particularly offensive to me as I am gay. In the interest of fairness, do I help her financially as I have my other nieces and nephews or may I withhold my hard-earned dollars from a college whose mission is so antithetical to my life? - Anonymous, New York A: The admirable desire to assist someone you love does not compel you to forsake your values. You can keep peace in the family (and your conscience) by adopting a fair-minded policy of helping all your nieces and nephews in a variety of ways. But if one of them chooses a path that violates your principles, you needn't pave it for her. If your niece needed guns to start her career as a bank robber, you'd feel no obligation to finance her. (Nor would you necessarily have to: Surely the modern robber should eschew the anachronistic bang-bang and study that whole Enron thing.) At its most austere, the relevant precept is this: You may do as you wish with your money. You may attach what strings you like to any gift, and your niece is free to accept or reject your conditions. Aspire higher, however, and do not use your money to tyrannize your niece; instead allow her great latitude in setting her own course. Great but not infinite. You should not withdraw your support if she wants to be, say, a lawyer while you have been plumping for med school. But you need not feel obliged to underwrite her training in homophobia. And while there may be some gray areas, between the merely unconventional and the truly odious, the situation you face is not one. . Do you have ethical questions that you need answered? Send them to ethicist@nytimes.com, or Everyday Ethics, New York Times Syndicate, 122 E. 42nd St., 14th floor, New York, NY 10168. #8 New York Times, November 30, 2002 229 W. 43rd Street, New York, NY, 10036 (Fax: 212-556-3622 ) (E-Mail: letters@nytimes.com ) ( http://www.nytimes.com ) http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/30/education/30HARV.html In Harvard Papers, a Dark Corner of the College's Past By The New York Times CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - About six months ago Amit R. Paley, a writer for The Harvard Crimson, was researching an article he thought fairly mundane when, combing a list of the university archives' holdings, he was stunned to see an entry for "Secret Court Files, 1920." That short reference eventually led Mr. Paley to 500 pages of documents describing an episode more than 80 years ago in which the Harvard administration methodically harassed a number of young men for being gay, on suspicion of being gay or simply for associating with gays. Nine of those victimized - one teacher and eight students - were ousted from the college and essentially run out of town. The events, recounted by Mr. Paley in an article published last week in Fifteen Minutes, The Crimson's weekly magazine, began when a sophomore who had received poor grades committed suicide. His older brother, an alumnus, found letters addressed to that student that detailed a gay culture at Harvard. The alumnus turned the letters over to the dean of the college. A. Lawrence Lowell, then Harvard's president, authorized a group of administrators to deal with the matter. Those administrators, who came to call themselves the Court, zealously set out to protect the college from scandal. Their ensuing proceedings - indeed, the very existence of the Court - would remain a secret for the next eight decades. A group of students were brought before the Court for interrogation about their sex lives. So were some local men who were not students, despite the Court's lack of jurisdiction. Most of the students found "guilty," one a congressman's son, were told to leave not only the college but also the city of Cambridge. Two students convinced the Court that they were heterosexual but were forced to leave anyway because they had associated with some of those identified as gay. The dean also ordered that a letter be added to the student files of all those ousted, which dissuaded the college's Alumni Placement Service from "making any statement that would indicate confidence in these men." Two of those men later committed suicide. The Court's notes and other documents, scribbled by the administrators themselves or typed by them rather than by their secretaries, were apparently locked in a filing cabinet in University Hall until they were transferred, at least 30 years ago, to the university archives. There, an archivist read through them recently and wrote the synopsis that Mr. Paley later stumbled upon. Mr. Paley's request to see the documents was denied by the dean of the college, Harry R. Lewis, on the ground that they involved private student disciplinary hearings. But Mr. Paley turned to the director of the University Library, Sidney Verba, who set up an advisory committee to consider the request. On the committee's recommendation, Mr. Verba eventually decided to release the documents, with the names of the students, now all dead, blacked out. "By redacting them, we hoped to protect their privacy," Mr. Verba said, "but in a sense not to protect the university administrators for any policy they pursued." Mr. Paley and seven other researchers, however, spent two months piecing together the students' identities and their backgrounds, including what happened to them after Harvard, and published their names in the article. "This was a disciplinary case in 1920," Mr. Paley said, "but homosexual activity today is not something you can be charged for in the university. To withhold their names is in some way implying they have something to be ashamed of." George Chauncey, professor of American history at the University of Chicago and author of "Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940," said that what occurred at Harvard 80 years ago was not unusual for the time. "The gay life at Harvard was typical," Professor Chauncey said, "and the investigation and expulsion of students because of their participation in gay life was typical. This case reminds us that all over the country, there are bodies of evidence like this just waiting to be uncovered." Harvard's president, Lawrence H. Summers, issued a statement calling the episode "extremely disturbing" and "part of a past that we have rightly left behind." "Whatever attitudes may have been prevalent then," Mr. Summers said, "persecuting individuals on the basis of sexual orientation is abhorrent and an affront to the values of the university." Mr. Verba, the library director, said Harvard's archives bore witness to its past discrimination against women and racial and ethnic minorities as well. "I would say that Harvard looked as most institutions in the United States did when it came to racism, sexism and anti-Semitism in the early part of the century," he said. Mr. Paley finds it surprising that the Court, which disbanded once it felt that the incident had been taken care of, kept any documentation at all. "If the administrators knew this was going public right now," he said, "they would roll over in their graves. This was probably the most embarrassing thing that could have happened to them." #9 Gay City News New York, NY Issue dated November 29 - December 5, 2002 http://www.gaycitynews.com Limits of Protection No remedies available in case of anonymous employee harassment [at Metropolitan Community College] By Arthur S. Leonard It's one thing to establish the principle that anti-gay harassment violates a public employee's right to equal protection of the law, but quite another to enforce that principle in a workplace permeated by anonymous sources of harassment. This is the message of federal district judge Joseph Bataillon of the U.S. District Court in Omaha, who granted a motion for summary judgment on November 15 against Gregory Cracolice, a community college counselor driven from his job by vicious anti-gay harassment. Cracolice was hired to be an academic advisor and course instructor at the Fort Omaha and South Omaha campuses of Metropolitan Community College in July 1999. When he was hired, he was told he would later be considered for promotion to a counseling coordinator position. Cracolice alleged that he first encountered problems on the job in November 1999, when he attended a staff meeting titled "Sexual Orientation in the Workplace," at which he and several other gay employees were encouraged to "come out." In a deposition, Cracolice testified that he felt good about the meeting and his freedom in sharing personal information in a safe environment. But he alleged that shortly after the meeting he began to receive hate mail and harassing correspondence in campus mail, the Internet, voice mail, and even attached to his car windshield. Cracolice complained to his immediate supervisor, who expressed support for him and passed the information up to higher level supervision. Though several senior managers got involved, nearly all the incidents involved unknown perpetrators, so there was not much they could do. The one employee who Cracolice identified as making fun of him was called in for a disciplinary lecture and had a notice placed in her personnel file. The administration also tried to improve the situation by publishing an article titled "Coping with Change at Metro" in the weekly in-house publication, and the secretaries in Cracolice's office were allowed to reposition their desks so they could observe anybody who placed anything in Cracolice's campus mailbox. Still, the anonymous harassment continued and Cracolice decided to quit, giving notice in May 2000. Cracolice had applied for a promotion to a coordinator position, and the decision on that was pending while all this other business was taking place. About a hundred people applied for the three available coordinator positions. While Cracolice was ranked in the top 15 applicants, he did not get the job. In his complaint, he asserted that he had been promised when he was hired that he would be promoted when these jobs became available, but later amended his claim to say that he had merely been told he would be considered for promotion. Based on this factual record, Judge Bataillon determined that the college was entitled to summary judgment. Cracolice was basing his lawsuit on a claim that his constitutional right of due process was violated by the harassment and denial of promotion. The court noted that Cracolice was not alleging same-sex harassment, which may or may not have been a valid claim under federal civil rights law; indeed, he did not know the gender of his anonymous harassers, and the one person he identified was a woman. In order to maintain a due process claim, the court found that Cracolice had a burden to allege facts showing "conduct that shocks the conscience" and "interferes with the rights implicit in the concept of ordered liberty." Measured against this standard, the court found that his allegations fell far short. Bataillon noted that "Metro took immediate and numerous actions to provide a safe environment for Cracolice" when he brought the allegations of harassment to the attention of school officials. "Where a government entity tries to eliminate discrimination but it is not totally successful, the courts will not require a disproportionate use of resources, particularly, where not much more could have been done, given the anonymity involved." Bataillon found no "egregious facts" on which a due process claim could be based. He also found that Cracolice alleged nothing that would contradict the college's position that he had been fairly considered for the promotion, and that his sexual orientation had nothing to do with their decision. Whether a claim against an employer is asserted under the constitution (in the case of a government employer) or a civil rights law, it is necessary to prove that the employer is somehow at fault, either for perpetrating discrimination itself or for failing to take reasonable steps when it learns that co-workers or customers are harassing an employee. These non-discrimination principles do not impose "strict liability" on employers, but require some sort of showing of employer "fault." As such, they are not panaceas. #10 Chronicle of Higher Education, November 29, 2002 1255 23rd Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037 (Fax: 202-452-1033) (E-Mail: editor@chronicle.com ) ( http://chronicle.com ) http://chronicle.com/weekly/v49/i14/14a03101.htm Bisexual Students Face Tension With Gay Groups By Richard Morgan New student organizations for bisexual students who feel shunned by gay-student support groups are emerging on some campuses. Supporters of the new groups say many of the student organizations set up as havens for gay, lesbian, and bisexual students have succumbed to the very kinds of intolerance and discrimination that they were chartered to fight. The phenomenon has a name in queer circles: "biphobia," or antipathy toward those who identify as bisexual. At the University of California at Los Angeles, Mandy E. Kronbeck, a senior, is a bisexual woman. She dates a lesbian, Lisa E. Concoff, who is also a senior. When the two women show up at meetings of gay-student groups, Ms. Kronbeck says, members routinely assume that they are both lesbians, and then criticize them when they find out that she is bisexual. "All of these groups are about being who you are and feeling comfortable with who you are," Ms. Kronbeck says. "So why go to groups where they assume that you're something that you're not?" UCLA will soon be home to Fluid, a group of queer students independent of the larger gay-student alliances already on the campus. The new group hopes to advance student comfort with the concept of bisexuality and the notion that sexual identity can change over time. At Brown University, students have created a group called Bisexuals Talk and Eat, or BiTE, that has only marginal ties to the existing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Alliance. Francisco Jose Araujo, a sophomore who identifies as queer and is co-president of BiTE, says bisexual students need a "safe space, without alienation," where they are treated as more than "just good for orgies." The new group, he says, provides a space explicitly, although not exclusively, for bisexual students, where they can socialize and address specific bisexual issues like dating dynamics and definitions of "queerness." Allison J. Rosendahl is a co-president of the larger alliance at Brown. She says she doesn't regard the creation of a group for bisexual students as a failing of her own organization, but concedes that gay and lesbian students "can be an exclusive, oppressive group." While the "loose federation" of gay-student organizations does rely on a credo of inclusion, tolerance, and respect, she says, "within the queer community, there's so much diversity, which means there's the same kind of internalized baggage as the larger culture: racism, classism, sexism, misogyny." Not all gay students, however, are as sympathetic to what their bisexual peers regard as a unique plight. At Colorado State University, Ludo A. Plee, a gay graduate student who is co-chairman of the Student Organization for Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals, is much more critical of bisexual students. Mr. Plee, who identified briefly as bisexual before coming out as gay, now sees bisexuality as an "excuse" for wary gay students - in other words, "it's easier to say I'm bi," because bisexuality is "mostly straight." Nonetheless, gay groups should do more to welcome bisexual students, he says. Discrimination against bisexual students among gay students, he says, "makes it worse for bisexuals because they think they're coming in and getting support, and just encountering the same narrow-mindedness in many ways as the straight community. People say that bisexuality doesn't exist. That's harsh." Discrimination and Ridicule Natalia M. Chilcote, a bisexual sophomore at Southern Methodist University, says she has been the target of discrimination and ridicule from students who accuse her of being confused about her sexual identity. "If I was confused, I would probably just pick a side and say I'm either straight or a lesbian," she says. "But I feel like, if I choose one side, that's an extreme. Society doesn't like bisexuality. It says you have to be one or the other. It's almost like trying to say that I'm not a man and I'm not a woman. It's that kind of gray area. People don't know what group to place you in." Helen Harrell, faculty adviser of a gay-student group at Indiana University at Bloomington, agrees. Gay students, she says, often belittle bisexuality as "a walk on the wild side," or as a "cop-out" to avoid identification as gay. But they themselves need to understand that college is a time for great change in sexual awareness and sexual identity, she argues. Ms. Harrell, a lesbian, says gay students sometimes express frustration with what they see as "confused" bisexual peers who may use the identity as a baby step toward homosexuality. The source of those frustrations is unclear. UCLA's Ms. Kronbeck blames "double jealousy" - the fear of bisexual students' partners that they must fend off both heterosexual and homosexual threats to their relationships. Ms. Rosendahl, of Brown, describes anger at the "heterosexual privilege" to which bisexual students have access. Whatever the reason, gay and bisexual students must realize that they "have to constantly re-evaluate their sexual identity," says Ms. Harrell, of Indiana University. "But that's part of youth. They're doing that anyway." The effects of "biphobia" are much clearer than its causes. "I don't say I'm bisexual," acknowledges James M. Brewer, a sophomore at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. "People ask what I am, and I say I'm gay" because bisexuality is "seen as not being able to decide. It's riding the fence. It's wishy-washy. People ask, 'Why can't you make up your mind?'" Corey A. Miller, a gay graduate student at Arizona State University, blames the tensions on gay students themselves. He argues that bisexual students are shunned by gay students who fear revisiting the soul-searching that sexual-identity questions can raise. "The bisexual student, in some way, makes the homosexual student question whether or not things have to be the way they are for him. That is not a warm feeling for a homosexual student, to have to reconsider those questions that have already caused a lot of pain for him." "If I'm gay and I say, 'This is how I am, I can't change that,' then it's hypocritical of me to tell bisexuals that they can change, or will change," he says. "Why should I play those games with other people that I don't want to be played against me?" Mr. Miller says he believes that bisexuality is legitimate, even though he has "never met a bisexual who has stayed that way for very long." After all, he says, "a lot of people believe in God, and they've never seen him." ------_=_NextPart_001_01C29AE1.7CA87890 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Higher Ed LGBT Articles Digest #103
 
Higher Education LGBT Articles Digest #103, = for the=20 week ending 12-01-02

1. BOSTON GLOBE Ouster of outspoken gay man = from St.=20 John's Seminary points up issues
2. NATIONAL POST (Canada) = Homophobic teacher=20 battles to keep his job after British Columbia College of Teachers = suspends his=20 teaching license
3. STANFORD DAILY Editorial: Community should be = aware of=20 transgender issues
4. DAILY NEBRASKAN Nearly a third of GLBT = students who=20 took part in a recent survey at University of Nebraska-Lincoln reported = being=20 the target of verbal insults in the past academic year
5. THE = DARTMOUTH =20 Lebanon (NH) teachers seek civil union benefits
6. BILLINGS GAZETTE = Judge=20 rules that it's constitutional for Montana University System to deny = health=20 insurance benefits for partners of gay employees
7. SALT LAKE = TRIBUNE Ethics=20 advice column: Gay man asks if he should give equal financial support = to his=20 niece who has chosen an anti-gay fundamentalist college
8. NEW YORK = TIMES In=20 Harvard Papers, a Dark Corner of the College's Past
9. GAY CITY NEWS = No=20 remedies available in case of anonymous employee harassment at = Metropolitan=20 Community College
10. CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION Bisexual = Students Face=20 Tension With Gay Groups


#1
Boston Globe, November 25, = 2002
Box=20 2378, Boston, MA, 02107
(Fax: 617-929-2098 ) (E-Mail: = letter@globe.com )
(=20 http://www.boston.com/globe=20 )
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/329/metro/Seminar= y_ouster_of_outspoken_gay_points_up_issues+.shtml

St.=20 John's Seminary ouster of outspoken gay points up issues
Focus put = on=20 orientation
By Sacha Pfeiffer, Globe=20 Staff
       As a student at Harvard = and then=20 Yale, where different lifestyles mix
uneventfully, Gavan Meehan = found it easy=20 and comfortable to be publicly gay.
But after an inner tug to the = priesthood=20 drew him last year to St. John's
Seminary in Brighton, his upfront=20 acknowledgement of his sexual orientation
brought a far different=20 response.
       "I'm not a person who = wears my=20 sexuality on my sleeve," said Meehan,
30, who said he was = celibate. =20 "But as I become friends with people I tell
them who I=20 am."
       By March, amid a cascade = of=20 revelations about priests molesting
children, Meehan's openness had = become a=20 source of discomfort for his
superiors.  The rector at St. = John's,=20 Bishop Richard G. Lennon, told him
that some students were concerned = about=20 his homosexuality, said Meehan, who
took the remark as "a warning = that I had=20 to somehow change my behavior."
       = Meehan=20 wasn't about to do that.  Instead, he remained = outspoken,
complaining at=20 school forums about homophobia and criticizing the seminary
for a = climate=20 that he said punished openly gay students and protected
closeted=20 ones.
       In July, Meehan was=20 dismissed.  But he didn't go quietly.  Meehan
sent an = angry letter=20 to Lennon and other church officials accusing two
students of = violating their=20 celibacy vow by having sex in a Boston
department store dressing = room,=20 although he now acknowledges that he had no
direct evidence to = support his=20 charge.
       "I felt like I had to = point out=20 the hypocrisy," said Meehan.  "If you
talk about being gay, = even if=20 you're celibate, that gets you in trouble.
But if you're actually = having sex=20 and covering your bases, you don't have to
worry about a=20 thing."
       Meehan's public = advocacy of his=20 views, and his outspoken style,
clearly contributed to the decision = to=20 dismiss him.  But his case
underscores the growing debate = within the=20 church over whether there is a
place in the priesthood for gay men, = even=20 celibate ones.  Already, many gay
priests and seminarians feel = they must=20 conceal their sexual orientation to
survive professionally in the = face of a=20 backlash against them fueled by the
abuse=20 scandal.
       According to Catholic = teaching,=20 homosexuality by itself is not
considered a sin, although homosexual = acts=20 are.
       It is widely acknowledged = that a=20 large percentage of priests are
homosexual in orientation.  = Still, the=20 Catholic Church has no uniform policy
on gay priests and guidelines on admitting = gay men vary=20 by seminary.  The
Philadelphia Archdiocese has said it bars gay = men,=20 even those who remain
celibate, from its seminary, but it is an=20 exception.  Most seminaries, St.
John's among them, say they = admit gays=20 as long as they follow church
teachings on=20 celibacy.
       The issue ultimately = will be=20 decided by the Vatican, which recently
announced it is drafting = worldwide=20 rules on whether gay men can be ordained.
Comments by top church = officials,=20 including Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the chief
spokesman for Pope John = Paul II,=20 suggest that restrictions, if not an
outright ban, are likely.  = Navarro-Valls said in March that homosexuals
"just cannot be=20 ordained."
       Until the Vatican = rules,=20 seminaries are left to make their own way.
At many, public = conversations=20 about sex and sexuality are frowned on.  That,
Meehan believes, = creates=20 an unhealthy atmosphere of repression and=20 secrecy.
       His concerns are = shared by the=20 Rev. Donald B. Cozzens, a former
seminary rector and author of = several books=20 about the church, who argues
that gay priests who avoid coming to = terms with=20 their sexuality "actually
subvert healthy=20 maturation."
       At the seminary, = "sexuality=20 is talked about a great deal," Cozzens, a
visiting professor of = religious=20 studies at John Carroll University in
Cleveland, said in an = interview. =20 "But it's talked about from a theoretical
or theological = perspective, not=20 from personal experience or a person's
individual struggles with=20 sexuality."
       Church officials in = Boston=20 and Hartford declined to comment on
specific details of Meehan's = case, citing=20 privacy issues.  But the
Archdiocese of Hartford, which = sponsored=20 Meehan's candidacy at St. John's
because it has no seminary of its = own, left=20 little doubt that his outspoken
views were his=20 downfall.
       Seminarians must be = "able to=20 live within the community structure and
allow that structure to = function in=20 the way it is intended to function
without creating a disruption by = being=20 outspoken on particular issues," said
Monsignor Gerard G. Schmitz, = vocation=20 director for the Hartford = Archdiocese.
       A=20 seminarian's outspokenness could result in dismissal, Schmitz = said,
"if it's=20 causing great concern and disruption with the general=20 community."
       Several attempts to = interview Lennon were unsuccessful.  The Rev.
Christopher J. = Coyne, a=20 Boston Archdiocese spokesman and St. John's faculty
member, would = not comment=20 specifically on Meehan.  But speaking generally,
he said, "To = enter into=20 a Catholic seminary and continuously push an agenda
that is not in = keeping=20 with the church's teaching on sexual orientation=20 is
problematic."
       Yet as = Meehan's=20 experience suggests, whether a gay seminarian abides
by church = teachings on=20 sexuality can be a highly subjective matter, and one
left to the = judgment of=20 church officials.
       One standard = is clear=20 and unequivocal: celibacy.  Any seminarian
found to have = engaged in=20 sexual activity risks expulsion.  But Meehan has
consistently = said he=20 was celibate.
       At St. John's, = prospective=20 seminarians are asked about their sexual
orientation by a vocation = director=20 and during a psychiatric evaluation, but
the information is one of = many=20 factors used to judge the fitness of aspiring
priests, Coyne=20 said.
       "A man who is same-sex = oriented=20 can be ordained as long as he
understands and is accepting of the = promise of=20 celibacy as the church
understands it," Coyne said.  "The = judgment call=20 is not based on whether a
man is gay or not. The judgment call is = whether or=20 not a man is committed to
a celibate lifestyle and all that=20 entails."
       What that means, = Coyne said,=20 is that "it's inappropriate for a priest
to get up in a public = forum, a=20 pulpit or even a private forum and talk about
his sexuality, even if = he's=20 celibate, because that is not a matter of=20 public
discourse."
       That, = Meehan=20 believes, is where he crossed the = line.
      =20 According to Meehan, church officials have officially said he = was
expelled=20 due to differences of opinion over church teachings.  But = Meehan
said he=20 was told by Schmitz that his expulsion was the result of = several
incidents, including his decision to tell = another=20 student he was gay and his
public criticism of the seminary's = approach to=20 sexuality at two forums
sponsored by the=20 rector.
       Also, at a church = gathering in=20 Hartford, he was critical of the
seminary for teaching that = homosexuality is=20 a moral choice and for
discouraging discussions about ordination of=20 women.
       "The way the church = addresses the=20 issue of sexuality in the seminary
does not foster maturity or = honesty,"=20 Meehan said in an interview in
Hartford, where he now lives.  = "From day=20 one when you enter the seminary,
the mechanisms are there for = repression and=20 dishonesty.  People who succeed
most in moving up the hierarchy = are the=20 ones who can be most deceitful about
their sexuality if they happen = to be=20 gay."
       Meehan said few of the = roughly 75=20 graduate candidates for ordination
at St. John's were openly gay, = although he=20 said six students told him in
private that they=20 were.
       As for homophobia, Meehan = said he=20 sometimes heard students make cruel
jokes and derisive comments = about=20 homosexuals, especially after the sex
abuse scandal erupted in = January and=20 the issue of whether gay priests are
partly to blame for the scandal = became a=20 matter of public debate.
       In his = year-end=20 faculty evaluation, Meehan received a positive
review.  But = ultimately,=20 Meehan said, church officials concluded that he was
a "loose cannon" = whose=20 outspokenness made him unfit for the seminary.  In
July, the = Hartford=20 Archdiocese notified Meehan that it was withdrawing its
support for = him, a=20 move tantamount to expulsion.
       = Two months=20 later, Meehan sent the letter calling another seminarian a
"closeted = practicing homosexual" who "has had plenty of practice at the
trade = while at=20 St. John's."  In the letter, Meehan said the seminarian = had
"fornicated"=20 with another seminarian in a store dressing=20 room.
       The letter triggered an=20 investigation of the two students by seminary
officials, who = concluded that=20 the accusation was based on "hearsay" and was
not true, according to = Coyne.  Coyne called the letter "mean-spirited" and
said it = "hurt the=20 good reputations" of the two = students.
      =20 Meehan says he has no regrets about sending the=20 letter.
       "The hierarchy has to = deal with=20 this in a much more direct and open
manner," Meehan said.  "The = way it's=20 dealt with now is that anything sexual
is to be swept under the=20 carpet."
       . Sacha Pfeiffer can = be reached=20 at pfeiffer@globe.com


#2
National Post, November = 25,=20 2002
300 - 1450 Don Mills Road, Don Mills, Ontario, M3B 3R5=20 Canada
(E-Mail: letters@nationalpost.com = )(http://www.nationalpost.com=20 )
http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?id=3D{6= A6D8FBA-DAAA-4EAC-A514-3C2C711B5837}

Teacher=20 battles union over published views
Faces suspension [by British = Columbia=20 College of Teachers]
Claude Adams, National=20 Post
       QUESNEL, B.C. - Chris = Kempling=20 doesn't seem to be enjoying his new
role at the centre of a fight = over what=20 is taught in schools about
homosexuality.  He's edgy, and his = eyes have=20 a haunted look.  He = needs
sleep.
      =20 It has been a rough seven months.  Last April, the British=20 Columbia
College of Teachers ruled that he had overstepped the = bounds of free=20 speech.
Now he faces the suspension of his teaching licence.  = He's=20 short-tempered
when a television crew visits him at Correlieu High = School in=20 Quesnel, where
he teaches Grade 12 creative=20 writing.
       "This has nothing to = do with my=20 teaching," he snaps.
       Mr. = Kempling=20 believes, with a conviction rooted in his faith, that
homosexuality = is=20 immoral, and that it should not be presented to B.C
students as a = normal and=20 acceptable lifestyle.  "I will not teach lies to
children," he = says=20 through clenched teeth.  But at the same time, he insists
that = he would=20 never force his ideology on the students under his=20 care.
       "I have been teaching = psychology=20 at my school for 10 years, and there
has never been a controversy or = complaint about what I have taught my
students on this topic or = anything=20 else."
       In all respects, Mr. = Kempling=20 seems like a typical, if conservative,
small-town teacher.  He's a Big = Brother; he runs a=20 Sunday school class; he
referees volleyball and organizes school = cycling=20 events.  He's chairman of
the local health council and operates = a=20 private practice in marriage and
family counselling.  His = clothes sense=20 is from the '60s, his theology is
Biblical and he speaks = passionately about=20 the needs of students.
       But life = has not=20 been the same since the teachers' college ruled that
his conduct was = unbecoming to teacher.  Mr. Kempling has been accused = of
homophobia and=20 hate-mongering and he's been likened to Malcolm Ross, = an
inflammatory,=20 anti-Semitic schoolteacher who was removed from classroom
duties = more than a=20 decade ago.  The teachers' college is considering a
three-month = suspension of Mr. Kempling's teaching licence as punishment.  = He
says=20 that would cost him $25,000 and be financially=20 devastating.
       The B.C. Civil = Liberties=20 Association, normally strong a defender of
free speech, is staying = on the=20 sidelines.  And his union, the B.C. Teachers'
Federation, is = ambivalent=20 in its support.  They are paying half his legal
expenses = because they=20 say he deserves due process, but teachers' federation
officials find = his=20 views distasteful.
       "I really = believe,"=20 says Jinny Sims, the union's vice-president,
"that as teachers we = cannot let=20 our personal religious beliefs dominate how
we communicate with our = students=20 and what we say."
       Statements = like this=20 infuriate Mr. Kempling.  He agrees that teachers
must operate = at a=20 higher level of conduct.  He says he's never = behaved
otherwise. =20 "It is contrary to the BCTF code of ethics to use one's position
as = a=20 platform to promote ideology, and I do not do that.  I agree=20 with
that."  Both the principal and the vice-principal at = Correlieu have=20 written
letters commending = him.
       So=20 what's all the fuss about?
       The = case=20 against Kempling is based only on written words:  six
letters = to the=20 editor of the Quesnel Cariboo Observer between July, 1997,
and July, = 2000,=20 two published research papers and a handful of
correspondence to = local=20 officials.
       He says gay = relationships are=20 "obviously unstable," that gay sex is
risky, that homosexuality is = "immoral"=20 and "not something to be applauded,"
and that city councils should = not=20 sponsor Gay Pride parades.  Nor, in his
view, should schools be = promoting a gay agenda.  He writes: "I refuse to be
a false = teacher,=20 saying that promiscuity is acceptable, perversion is
normal, and = immorality=20 is simply 'cultural diversity' of which we should be
proud = .... =20 Teachers must inculcate the highest moral=20 standards."
       In the lumber mill = town of=20 Quesnel, population 25,000, Mr. Kempling's
letter-writing caused a = bit of=20 controversy, and one or two accusations=20 of
homophobia.
       Neil Horner, = the=20 newspaper editor who published his letters, is
surprised at all the=20 fuss.  "I think, bottom line, that Chris is an = ethical
man.  I=20 don't agree with his position ... but he keeps it very separate = -
what he=20 writes in the local paper and the teaching he does in school - so = I
don't=20 think there should be a = problem."
       The=20 college ruled last April that Mr. Kempling had flouted the = "core
values of=20 the educational system" by going public with his=20 views.
       Buried deep in the = panel's=20 written ruling is this remarkable
statement:  "It is not = essential to=20 find direct evidence of a poisoned
school environment.  It is = sufficient=20 that an inference can be drawn as to
the reasonable and probable = consequences=20 of the discriminatory comments of=20 a
teacher."
       Ironically, the = 14-page=20 teachers' college document quotes a Supreme
Court of Canada judgment = that=20 says, "For better or worse, tolerance of
divergent beliefs is a = hallmark of a=20 democratic society."  The teachers'
college goes on to say, = however,=20 that a teacher's freedom of speech may be
curtailed to maintain a = school=20 system "free from fear, prejudice=20 and
intolerance."
       The = college has had=20 mixed success in the courts.  Several years ago,
it challenged = the=20 program for the training of school teachers at Trinity
Western = University,=20 because the institution takes a strong position on
sexual morality, including disapproval of=20 homosexuality.  The case went to
the Supreme Court of Canada, = which=20 upheld 7-1 Trinity Western's right to act
upon its religious=20 beliefs.
       At a teachers' college = sentencing hearing last Monday, Mr. Kempling's
lawyer argued there = was no=20 evidence of his client having poisoned the
atmosphere in his=20 classrooms.  The lawyer said anything more than a
reprimand = would be=20 excessive, since no laws had been broken.  The = teachers'
college lawyer,=20 however, requested a three-month suspension of his licence.
A = decision on=20 sentence is expected in = January.
       Mr.=20 Kempling says that if his licence is suspended, he'll take his
case = to the=20 highest court, and he's soliciting donations for a defence fund.
He = says he's=20 only doing what any good teacher would do: standing up for=20 his
rights.
       "That is the = example I=20 would like to set for my students.  We live in
a country where = you can=20 express a controversial point of view.  You may have
to take = some flak=20 for saying it but that is a freedom we all need=20 to
cherish."


#3
Stanford Daily, November 25, = 2002
Storke=20 Publications Building Suite 101, Stanford CA 94305-2240
(Fax: = 650-725-1329)=20 (E-Mail: letters@daily.stanford.edu )
(=20 http://daily.stanford.edu/daily/servlet/Front=20 )
http://daily.stanford.edu/tempo?page=3Dcontent&= id=3D9655&repository=3D0001_article#

Editorial: =20 [Stanford] Community should be aware of transgender issues
By = Editorial=20 Board
       Passers-by in White Plaza = last=20 week likely could not ignore the
dramatic images covering the = pavement. =20 Inside chalk police outlines of
bodies were the names of hundreds of = victims=20 of violence against transgender
people and the dates that they = died. =20 The designs, drawn for National
Transgender Day of Remembrance last=20 Wednesday, coupled with the recent death
of a Bay Area transgender = teen, are=20 reminders that issues of gender and
violence should concern us=20 all.
       According to a Web site = sponsored=20 by UC-Berkeley, a transgender
person has a "psychological self that = differs=20 from the social expectations
for the physical sex they were born = with." =20 This encompasses a wide range of
people - one example is a female = with a=20 masculine gender identity or who
identifies as a man.  Someone = who is=20 transgender is not necessarily
transsexual or even gay, and = transgender is=20 often used as a "blanket" term
for anyone who identifies with the = gender that=20 is not his/her own.  The
definition is clearly complicated, but = one of=20 the most basic ways Stanford
community members can learn more about=20 transgender issues is to discuss the
various meanings of the = term. =20 Resident assistants, professors and
transgender students themselves = can help=20 educate students by speaking to
dorms and offering programming to = help=20 increase understanding about what it
means to be transgender in the = Bay=20 Area.
       Unfortunately, the amount = of=20 reported violence against transgender
people is on the rise.  = The=20 National Transgender Advocacy Coalition reports
that 2002 has been = the=20 deadliest year for transgender people, with 25 deaths
so far, = compared to 19=20 in 2001.  Furthermore, California has had the most
transgender = deaths;=20 San Francisco (which has 15,000 transgender people,
according to = some=20 estimates) is third in deaths related to = anti-transgender
violence. =20 Nearly two months ago, Newark, Calif. native Gwen Araujo, 17, = was
beaten to=20 death at a party when it was revealed that she was=20 biologically
male.
       Three = young men=20 have been arrested and charged with murder and
special hate-crime=20 charges.  Most shockingly, no one from the party
intervened to = stop the=20 violence.  Araujo's death was not an isolated
incident and the = fact=20 remains that those who are transgender are in some
cases fearing for = their=20 lives.  We at Stanford cannot let those who are
transgender at = Stanford=20 live in fear of violence.
       The = Stanford=20 community has done an admirable job supporting
transgender = issues. =20 Earlier this month, more than 50 students packed a
vigil that was = held in=20 Araujo's honor.  Students read poems and organizers
hoped to = raise=20 awareness of transgender issues.  The community also = embraced
the recent visit by activist Susan Stryker, = who spoke=20 about the film "Boys
Don't Cry," which deals with transgender = issues. =20 Finally, there are
transgender professors and students at = Stanford.  You=20 may not know them, but
they need your=20 support.
       As one member of the = LGBT-CRC=20 said in relation to National
Transgender Remembrance Day, "It is = important=20 for the greater community to
understand that gender issues do not = apply only=20 to queer people (we all have
genders, and we all were socialized to = some=20 degree into them)."  Everyone in
the Stanford community should=20 understand that violence against transgender
people exists and = constant=20 support is necessary to prevent continued
violence.  The = community's=20 understanding and interest in stopping
transgender violence cannot = end when=20 the vigil is over or the chalk washes
away from White=20 Plaza.


#4
Daily Nebraskan, November 25, 2002
P.O. Box = 88044,=20 Lincoln, NE, 68588-0448
(Fax: 402-472-1761) (E-Mail: dn@unl.edu = )
(=20 http://www.dailynebraskan.com=20 )
http://www.dailynebraskan.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2= 002/11/25/3de1c56145853

GLBT=20 rights polled, some students unhappy [at University of = Nebraska-Lincoln]
By=20 Patti Vannoy
       A public = university should=20 be a safe learning environment for
everyone, said Pat Tetreault,=20 co-chairwoman of a University of
Nebraska-Lincoln committee on gay, = lesbian,=20 bisexual and = transgender
concerns.
      =20 But nearly a third of GLBT students who took part in a recent = survey
at UNL=20 reported being the target of verbal insults in the past=20 academic
year.
       Though none = of the 80=20 GLBT student respondents reported being
physically assaulted, 3 = percent had=20 been threatened with violence, and 9
percent had personal property = damaged or=20 destroyed.
       Results of the = study, which=20 was conducted to gauge the campus climate
for GLBT students, were = released=20 earlier this month.
       GLBT = students at UNL=20 have a pervasive feeling of anxiety, said Robert
D. Brown, professor = emeritus=20 and project director of the study that surveyed
more than 500 = students,=20 faculty and staff.
       GLBT = students have=20 constant anxiety, he said, about how any person -
a faculty member, = roommate=20 or classmate - is going to react to=20 them.
       "It's kind of like being = a spy in=20 a foreign country," he said.
"You've learned the language, but now = and then=20 you're going to say the wrong
thing, and they're going to find out = who you=20 are."
       The study also revealed = GLBT=20 students perceive a widespread silence
about their issues, Brown=20 said.
       This invisibility stems = from=20 things like exclusion from course
content, lack of space allocated = to GLBT=20 organizations in the Culture Center
and refusal of domestic partner = benefits=20 for university employees, he = said.
       All=20 of the GLBT student respondents said they felt the UNL campus = was
anti-GLBT=20 to some extent, Brown said.  Three-fourths of the = other
respondents=20 agreed, according to the study = report.
      =20 Neither Brown nor Tetreault said they were surprised by the=20 study's
results.
       "I think = (the study)=20 actually demonstrates what most GLBT people
already know," said = Tetreault,=20 who is also a sexuality education coordinator
with the University = Health=20 Center.  "Actually it's showing a better climate
than what it = used to be=20 like."
       But the study also shows = how much=20 more the climate needs to be
changed, she=20 said.
       The report included=20 recommendations aimed at administrators, faculty
and student affairs = officials for improving the campus=20 climate.
       Specific = recommendations=20 included: periodic studies into the future
climate, consideration of = an=20 interdisciplinary minor in GLBT studies,
inclusion of curriculum = issues when=20 appropriate and inclusion of GLBT
organizations in the Culture=20 Center.
       "My guess is that some = (of the=20 recommendations) will be attended to
and others won't," Tetreault = said. =20 "I think there are a lot of allies and
advocates, but I think = there's a small=20 number of people who want the climate
to stay the same because = that's their=20 belief system."
       Chancellor = Harvey=20 Perlman is set to discuss the study at December's
Academic Senate = meeting.


#5
The=20 Dartmouth, November 26, 2002
6175 Robinson Hall, Dartmouth College, = Hanover,=20 NH 03755
(Fax: 603 646-3443 ) (Email: The.Dartmouth@Dartmouth.EDU=20 )
http://www.thedartmouth.com/article.php?aid=3D20021= 1260102

Leb.=20 teachers seek civil union benefits
by Colin=20 Barry
       The Lebanon School Board = has=20 agreed to consider amending their
professional agreement with = teachers to=20 include health care coverage for
partners in same-sex civil unions, = just as=20 the College has since 1997 and
the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical = Center plans=20 to do in 2003.
       The board voted = Nov. 20=20 to open negotiations with the Lebanon
Education Association, the = union=20 representing teachers in the Lebanon school
district.  However, = both=20 board and union members stressed that an agreement
has not yet been=20 reached.
       The school board's = decision to=20 negotiate came as a surprise to
members of the teacher's union, who = had=20 believed that board officials would
be willing to merely alter the=20 professional agreement, Lebanon Education
Association president = Cathy Lacombe=20 said.
       "I was hoping that it = would be as=20 simple as reopening the contract
and inserting 'civil unions' after=20 'marriages,'" she said.
       = According to=20 Superintendent Mike Harris, however, health care
coverage for = couples is=20 substantially more expensive than coverage for
single=20 teachers.
       "To go from covering = one=20 person [to covering two] is the difference
between $2,000 and = $8,000," Harris=20 said.
       Members of the school = board and=20 district administrative staff were
uncertain as to which aspects of = the=20 teacher contract they would like
altered in exchange for same-sex = union=20 clauses.  The office of the
superintendent will likely examine = the=20 contract in the coming weeks.
       = "We don't=20 even know whether there's anything out there that we = could
reconsider,"=20 school board Chair Mary Jane Thibodeau said.  "There might = be
something=20 to our benefit that we might like to talk=20 about."
       In response to the = school board=20 and superintendent, union officials
expressed doubt that many = teachers would=20 apply for coverage under a same-sex
union provision.  Teachers = also=20 framed the issue as one of morality and
civil=20 rights.
       "It's the correct and = just thing=20 to do," Lacombe said, "and we didn't
expect to have to bargain to do = the=20 right thing."
       Same-sex unions = are legal=20 in Vermont under a set of provisions that
were enacted in = 2000. =20 Homosexual couples are not required to be Vermont
residents to join = in a=20 same-sex union, legally termed a 'civil union.'
Though such unions = provide=20 essentially the same state-sponsored benefits and
liabilities as = marriage in=20 Vermont, their legal status in New Hampshire is
less=20 clear.
       While Vermont = institutions are=20 legally obligated to extend comparable
health insurance benefits to = both=20 civil unions and heterosexual marriages,
most New Hampshire school = districts=20 do not extend coverage to same-sex
unions.  Those districts = that do=20 cover civil unions have added explicit
provisions to their teacher = employment=20 contracts.
       "Four school = districts in New=20 Hampshire have this provision out of
about 150 school districts," = Harris=20 said.
       In the Lebanon school = district,=20 health insurance is currently the
only area in which there is a = disparity=20 between the benefits accorded to
married couples and those accorded = to=20 members of same-sex unions.
       = Leave=20 provisions, including those for partner illness or death, = are
already covered=20 by the current contract for those engaged in civil unions,
according = to=20 Harris.
       "There's a bereavement = clause=20 and the contract lists significant
others in that section," he=20 said.
       Amendments to the = employment=20 contract between teachers and the
Lebanon school district are very=20 rare.  Most issues are settled in the
bargaining that occurs = before the=20 renewal of a professional = agreement.
       The=20 employment contract between teachers and the school district = is
renewed every=20 three years, typically after bargaining about salary = and
benefits.  The=20 two organizations signed the current contract last year, = so
the union would have to wait another two = years to amend=20 it in routine
negotiations.
       = "This is=20 the first time in my tenure that we've considered opening a
contract = when=20 we're in the middle of a contract," said Robert Moses, a
school = board member=20 and Chair of the Personnel/Negotiations=20 Committee.
       The Lebanon = Education=20 Association represents teachers working in the
seven schools in the = Lebanon=20 School District.  District officials estimate
that the schools = employ=20 230 teachers; of these, 210 are members of the
teacher's=20 union.
       The teacher's union = hopes to=20 further extend health benefits in the
future to cover any domestic = joining,=20 heterosexual or homosexual.  "We
forsee negotiating similar = benefits for=20 all domestic partners," said
Lacombe, "but we weren't able to = quickly agree=20 on what domestic partners
would mean."


#6
Billings = Gazette,=20 November 27, 2002
Box 36300, Billings, MT, 59107
(Fax: = 406-657-1208 )=20 (E-Mail: speakup@bsw.net )
( http://www.billingsgazette.com/=20 )
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=3D1&di= splay=3Drednews/2002/11/27/bui
ld/local/70-same-sex-partner.inc
Be= nefit=20 ban upheld for gay partners
Associated=20 Press
       HELENA (AP) - A Montana = University=20 System policy denying health
insurance benefits for partners of gay = employees=20 is not unconstitutional, a
district judge has=20 ruled.
       The policy is based on = the=20 marital status of employees, not on their
sexual orientation, and = that is a=20 "reasonable and objective standard" for
determining who qualifies = for=20 employment benefits, Judge Thomas Honzel of
Helena said in rejecting = a=20 lawsuit challenging the policy.
       = "The=20 court is aware that in other parts of the country = governmental
bodies have=20 extended insurance coverage to domestic partners and the same
could = be done=20 in Montana," he wrote in the decision. "But that is a decision
for = the=20 Legislature or the governing body, not the=20 court."
       Beth Brenneman, an = attorney for=20 the American Civil Liberties Union,
said Tuesday the organization = would=20 appeal to the Montana Supreme Court on
behalf of the two lesbian = couples that=20 filed the suit in February.
       = LeRoy=20 Schramm, lawyer for the state Board of Regents, said the
decision = "was what=20 we expected.  We always had confidence that our legal
arguments = were=20 sound."
       He said it was a good = case to=20 come before Montana's high court, since
the issue has never been = addressed in=20 the state before now.
       Honzel's = decision=20 addressed claims by Carol Snetsinger and her
partner Nancy Siegel, = and Carla=20 Grayson and her partner Adrienne = Neff.
      =20 Snetsinger and Grayson, who work at the University of Montana, = sued
the=20 University System and charged that it unfairly denied their = domestic
partners=20 health insurance offered through the=20 university.
       UM offers health = insurance=20 only to employees, their spouses and
children.  Heterosexual = couples who=20 are not married, but file an affidavit
of common law marriage, can = also=20 qualify.
       Homosexual couples, = however,=20 are barred by law from marrying.
Consequently, they cannot obtain = health=20 insurance for their partners through
the University=20 System.
       The state Human Rights=20 Commission last month rejected a
discrimination claim based on the=20 policy.  Last week, about 150 people
crowded a Board of Regents = meeting=20 in Missoula to protest the = policy.
       In=20 his ruling, Honzel said that because marital status is a = legally
permissible=20 means of classifying people for employment benefits, the = policy
doesn't=20 violate the constitutional rights of University System employees,=20 he
said.
       Marriage is a legal = bond=20 distinguishable from other relationships,
Honzel=20 said.
       "Although the named = plaintiffs=20 have committed relationships with
their respective partners, they = are not=20 subject to the legal
responsibilities and obligations which are = imposed on=20 married persons," he
said.


#7
Salt Lake Tribune, = November 30,=20 2002
P. O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, UT, 84110
(Fax: 801-257-8950) = (E-Mail:=20 letters@sltrib.com )
( http://www.sltrib.com=20 )
http://www.sltrib.com/2002/nov/11302002/saturday/70= 10.htm

Is=20 It Worth Teaching the Teacher?  (excerpt)
By Randy Cohen, The New York=20 Times
       Q:  I have a niece = who is on=20 a path I abhor - to a fundamentalist
religious education, then a = missionary=20 career.  Her chosen college will give
her nothing except a = narrow-minded=20 view of the world and an antigay
perspective, particularly offensive = to me as=20 I am gay.
       In the interest of = fairness,=20 do I help her financially as I have my
other nieces and nephews or = may I=20 withhold my hard-earned dollars from a
college whose mission is so=20 antithetical to my life?
- Anonymous, New=20 York

       A:  The admirable = desire=20 to assist someone you love does not compel
you to forsake your = values. =20 You can keep peace in the family (and your
conscience) by adopting a = fair-minded policy of helping all your nieces and
nephews in a = variety of=20 ways.  But if one of them chooses a path that
violates your = principles,=20 you needn't pave it for her.
       If = your=20 niece needed guns to start her career as a bank robber, you'd
feel = no=20 obligation to finance her.  (Nor would you necessarily have = to:
Surely=20 the modern robber should eschew the anachronistic bang-bang and = study
that=20 whole Enron thing.)
       At its most = austere,=20 the relevant precept is this:  You may do as you
wish with your = money.  You may attach what strings you like to any gift, = and
your niece=20 is free to accept or reject your=20 conditions.
       Aspire higher, = however, and=20 do not use your money to tyrannize your
niece; instead allow her = great=20 latitude in setting her own course.  Great
but not = infinite.  You=20 should not withdraw your support if she wants to be,
say, a lawyer = while you=20 have been plumping for med school.  But you need not
feel = obliged to=20 underwrite her training in = homophobia.
      =20 And while there may be some gray areas, between the = merely
unconventional and=20 the truly odious, the situation you face is not=20 one.
       . Do you have ethical = questions=20 that you need answered?  Send them to
ethicist@nytimes.com, or = Everyday=20 Ethics, New York Times Syndicate, 122 E.
42nd St., 14th floor, New = York, NY=20 10168.


#8
New York Times, November 30, 2002
229 W. = 43rd Street,=20 New York, NY, 10036
(Fax: 212-556-3622 ) (E-Mail: = letters@nytimes.com =20 )
( http://www.nytimes.com=20 )
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/30/education/30HARV.= html

In=20 Harvard Papers, a Dark Corner of the College's Past
By The New York=20 Times
       CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - About = six=20 months ago Amit R. Paley, a writer for
The Harvard Crimson, was = researching=20 an article he thought fairly mundane
when, combing a list of the = university=20 archives' holdings, he was stunned to
see an entry for "Secret Court = Files,=20 1920."
       That short reference = eventually=20 led Mr. Paley to 500 pages of
documents describing an episode more = than 80=20 years ago in which the Harvard
administration methodically harassed = a number=20 of young men for being gay, on
suspicion of being gay or simply for=20 associating with gays.  Nine of those
victimized - one teacher = and eight=20 students - were ousted from the college
and essentially run out of=20 town.
       The events, recounted by = Mr. Paley=20 in an article published last week
in Fifteen Minutes, The Crimson's = weekly=20 magazine, began when a sophomore
who had received poor grades = committed=20 suicide.  His older brother, an
alumnus, found letters = addressed to that=20 student that detailed a gay culture
at Harvard.  The alumnus = turned the=20 letters over to the dean of the = college.
      =20 A. Lawrence Lowell, then Harvard's president, authorized a group=20 of
administrators to deal with the matter.  Those = administrators, who=20 came to
call themselves the Court, zealously set out to protect the = college=20 from
scandal.  Their ensuing proceedings - indeed, the very = existence of=20 the
Court - would remain a secret for the next eight=20 decades.
       A group of students = were=20 brought before the Court for interrogation
about their sex = lives.  So=20 were some local men who were not students,
despite the Court's lack = of=20 jurisdiction.
       Most of the = students found=20 "guilty," one a congressman's son, were
told to leave not only the = college=20 but also the city of Cambridge.  Two
students convinced the = Court that=20 they were heterosexual but were forced to
leave anyway because they had associated = with some of=20 those identified as
gay.  The dean also ordered that a letter = be added=20 to the student files of
all those ousted, which dissuaded the = college's=20 Alumni Placement Service
from "making any statement that would = indicate=20 confidence in these men."
       Two = of those=20 men later committed suicide.
       = The Court's=20 notes and other documents, scribbled by the
administrators = themselves or=20 typed by them rather than by their secretaries,
were apparently = locked in a=20 filing cabinet in University Hall until they
were transferred, at = least 30=20 years ago, to the university archives.  There,
an archivist = read through=20 them recently and wrote the synopsis that Mr.
Paley later stumbled=20 upon.
       Mr. Paley's request to = see the=20 documents was denied by the dean of
the college, Harry R. Lewis, on = the=20 ground that they involved private
student disciplinary = hearings.  But=20 Mr. Paley turned to the director of the
University Library, Sidney = Verba, who=20 set up an advisory committee to
consider the request.  On the=20 committee's recommendation, Mr. Verba
eventually decided to release = the=20 documents, with the names of the students,
now all dead, blacked=20 out.
       "By redacting them, we = hoped to=20 protect their privacy," Mr. Verba
said, "but in a sense not to = protect the=20 university administrators for any
policy they=20 pursued."
       Mr. Paley and seven = other=20 researchers, however, spent two months
piecing together the = students'=20 identities and their backgrounds, including
what happened to them = after=20 Harvard, and published their names in=20 the
article.
       "This was a = disciplinary=20 case in 1920," Mr. Paley said, "but
homosexual activity today is not = something you can be charged for in the
university.  To = withhold their=20 names is in some way implying they have
something to be ashamed=20 of."
       George Chauncey, professor = of=20 American history at the University of
Chicago and author of "Gay New = York:=20 Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making
of the Gay Male World, = 1890-1940," said=20 that what occurred at Harvard 80
years ago was not unusual for the=20 time.
       "The gay life at Harvard = was=20 typical," Professor Chauncey said, "and
the investigation and = expulsion of=20 students because of their participation
in gay life was = typical.  This=20 case reminds us that all over the country,
there are bodies of = evidence like=20 this just waiting to be uncovered."
     &nb= sp;=20 Harvard's president, Lawrence H. Summers, issued a statement = calling
the=20 episode "extremely disturbing" and "part of a past that we have = rightly
left=20 behind."
       "Whatever attitudes = may have=20 been prevalent then," Mr. Summers said,
"persecuting individuals on = the basis=20 of sexual orientation is abhorrent and
an affront to the values of = the=20 university."
       Mr. Verba, the = library=20 director, said Harvard's archives bore witness
to its past = discrimination=20 against women and racial and ethnic minorities=20 as
well.
       "I would say that = Harvard=20 looked as most institutions in the United
States did when it came to = racism,=20 sexism and anti-Semitism in the early
part of the century," he=20 said.
       Mr. Paley finds it = surprising that=20 the Court, which disbanded once it
felt that the incident had been = taken care=20 of, kept any documentation = at
all.
      =20 "If the administrators knew this was going public right now," = he
said, "they=20 would roll over in their graves.  This was probably the=20 most
embarrassing thing that could have happened to=20 them."


#9
Gay City News
New York, NY
Issue dated = November 29=20 - December 5, 2002
http://www.gaycitynews.com

Limits = of=20 Protection
No remedies available in case of anonymous employee = harassment [at=20 Metropolitan Community College]
By Arthur S. Leonard

It's one = thing to=20 establish the principle that anti-gay harassment violates a public = employee's=20 right to equal protection of the law, but quite another to enforce that = principle in a workplace permeated by anonymous sources of=20 harassment.

This is the message of federal district judge Joseph = Bataillon of the U.S. District Court in Omaha, who granted a motion for = summary=20 judgment on November 15 against Gregory Cracolice, a community college = counselor=20 driven from his job by vicious anti-gay harassment.

Cracolice was hired to be an academic = advisor and=20 course instructor at the Fort Omaha and South Omaha campuses of = Metropolitan=20 Community College in July 1999. When he was hired, he was told he would = later be=20 considered for promotion to a counseling coordinator = position.

Cracolice=20 alleged that he first encountered problems on the job in November 1999, = when he=20 attended a staff meeting titled "Sexual Orientation in the Workplace," = at which=20 he and several other gay employees were encouraged to "come out." In a=20 deposition, Cracolice testified that he felt good about the meeting and = his=20 freedom in sharing personal information in a safe environment. But he = alleged=20 that shortly after the meeting he began to receive hate mail and = harassing=20 correspondence in campus mail, the Internet, voice mail, and even = attached to=20 his car windshield.

Cracolice complained to his immediate = supervisor, who=20 expressed support for him and passed the information up to higher level = supervision. Though several senior managers got involved, nearly all = the=20 incidents involved unknown perpetrators, so there was not much they = could do.=20 The one employee who Cracolice identified as making fun of him was = called in for=20 a disciplinary lecture and had a notice placed in her personnel = file.

The=20 administration also tried to improve the situation by publishing an = article=20 titled "Coping with Change at Metro" in the weekly in-house = publication, and the=20 secretaries in Cracolice's office were allowed to reposition their = desks so they=20 could observe anybody who placed anything in Cracolice's campus=20 mailbox.

Still, the anonymous harassment continued and Cracolice = decided=20 to quit, giving notice in May 2000.

Cracolice had applied for a = promotion=20 to a coordinator position, and the decision on that was pending while = all this=20 other business was taking place. About a hundred people applied for the = three=20 available coordinator positions. While Cracolice was ranked in the top = 15=20 applicants, he did not get the job. In his complaint, he asserted that = he had=20 been promised when he was hired that he would be promoted when these = jobs became=20 available, but later amended his claim to say that he had merely been = told he=20 would be considered for promotion.

Based on this factual record, = Judge=20 Bataillon determined that the college was entitled to summary=20 judgment.

Cracolice was basing his lawsuit on a claim that his=20 constitutional right of due process was violated by the harassment and = denial of=20 promotion. The court noted that Cracolice was not alleging same-sex = harassment,=20 which may or may not have been a valid claim under federal civil rights = law;=20 indeed, he did not know the gender of his anonymous harassers, and the = one=20 person he identified was a woman.

In order to maintain a due = process=20 claim, the court found that Cracolice had a burden to allege facts = showing=20 "conduct that shocks the conscience" and "interferes with the rights = implicit in=20 the concept of ordered liberty." Measured against this standard, the = court found=20 that his allegations fell far short.

Bataillon noted that "Metro = took=20 immediate and numerous actions to provide a safe environment for = Cracolice" when=20 he brought the allegations of harassment to the attention of school = officials.=20 "Where a government entity tries to eliminate discrimination but it is = not=20 totally successful, the courts will not require a disproportionate use = of=20 resources, particularly, where not much more could have been done, = given the=20 anonymity involved."

Bataillon found no "egregious facts" on = which a due=20 process claim could be based. He also found that Cracolice alleged = nothing that=20 would contradict the college's position that he had been fairly = considered for=20 the promotion, and that his sexual orientation had nothing to do with = their=20 decision.

Whether a claim against an employer is asserted under = the=20 constitution (in the case of a government employer) or a civil rights = law, it is=20 necessary to prove that the employer is somehow at fault, either for=20 perpetrating discrimination itself or for failing to take reasonable = steps when=20 it learns that co-workers or customers are harassing an employee. These = non-discrimination principles do not impose "strict liability" on = employers, but=20 require some sort of showing of employer "fault." As such, they are not = panaceas.


#10
Chronicle of Higher = Education, November=20 29, 2002
1255 23rd Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037
(Fax:=20 202-452-1033) (E-Mail: editor@chronicle.com )
( http://chronicle.com = )
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v49/i14/14a03101.htm
Bisexual=20 Students Face Tension With Gay Groups
By Richard=20 Morgan
       New student = organizations for=20 bisexual students who feel shunned by
gay-student support groups are = emerging=20 on some campuses.
       Supporters of = the new=20 groups say many of the student organizations
set up as havens for = gay,=20 lesbian, and bisexual students have succumbed to
the very kinds of=20 intolerance and discrimination that they were chartered = to
fight.  The=20 phenomenon has a name in queer circles:  "biphobia," = or
antipathy toward=20 those who identify as bisexual.
       = At the=20 University of California at Los Angeles, Mandy E. Kronbeck, = a
senior, is a=20 bisexual woman.  She dates a lesbian, Lisa E. Concoff, who = is
also a=20 senior.  When the two women show up at meetings of = gay-student
groups,=20 Ms. Kronbeck says, members routinely assume that they are = both
lesbians, and=20 then criticize them when they find out that she is=20 bisexual.
       "All of these groups = are about=20 being who you are and feeling
comfortable with who you are," Ms. = Kronbeck=20 says.  "So why go to groups
where they assume that you're = something that=20 you're not?"
       UCLA will soon be = home to=20 Fluid, a group of queer students
independent of the larger = gay-student=20 alliances already on the campus.  The
new group hopes to = advance student=20 comfort with the concept of bisexuality
and the notion that sexual = identity=20 can change over time.
       At Brown=20 University, students have created a group called Bisexuals
Talk and = Eat, or=20 BiTE, that has only marginal ties to the existing Lesbian,
Gay, = Bisexual, and=20 Transgender Alliance.  Francisco Jose Araujo, a sophomore
who = identifies=20 as queer and is co-president of BiTE, says bisexual students
need a = "safe=20 space, without alienation," where they are treated as more = than
"just good=20 for orgies."  The new group, he says, provides a = space
explicitly,=20 although not exclusively, for bisexual students, where they = can
socialize and=20 address specific bisexual issues like dating dynamics = and
definitions of=20 "queerness."
       Allison J. = Rosendahl is a=20 co-president of the larger alliance at
Brown.  She says she = doesn't=20 regard the creation of a group for bisexual
students as a failing of = her own=20 organization, but concedes that gay and
lesbian students "can be an=20 exclusive, oppressive group."  While the "loose
federation" of=20 gay-student organizations does rely on a credo of = inclusion,
tolerance, and=20 respect, she says, "within the queer community, there's so
much = diversity,=20 which means there's the same kind of internalized baggage as
the = larger=20 culture: racism, classism, sexism,=20 misogyny."
       Not all gay = students,=20 however, are as sympathetic to what their
bisexual peers regard as a = unique=20 plight.
       At Colorado State = University,=20 Ludo A. Plee, a gay graduate student
who is co-chairman of the = Student=20 Organization for Gays, Lesbians, and
Bisexuals, is much more = critical of=20 bisexual students.  Mr. Plee, who
identified briefly as = bisexual before=20 coming out as gay, now sees
bisexuality as an "excuse" for wary gay = students=20 - in other words, "it's
easier to say I'm bi," because bisexuality = is "mostly=20 straight."
       Nonetheless, gay = groups=20 should do more to welcome bisexual students,
he says.  = Discrimination=20 against bisexual students among gay students, he
says, "makes it = worse for=20 bisexuals because they think they're coming in and
getting support, = and just=20 encountering the same narrow-mindedness in many
ways as the straight = community.  People say that bisexuality doesn't exist.
That's=20 harsh."
       Discrimination and=20 Ridicule
       Natalia M. Chilcote, a = bisexual=20 sophomore at Southern Methodist
University, says she has been the = target of=20 discrimination and ridicule from
students who accuse her of being = confused=20 about her sexual identity.  "If I
was confused, I would = probably just=20 pick a side and say I'm either straight
or a lesbian," she = says.  "But I=20 feel like, if I choose one side, that's an
extreme.  Society doesn't like = bisexuality. =20 It says you have to be one or
the other.  It's almost like = trying to say=20 that I'm not a man and I'm not a
woman.  It's that kind of gray = area.  People don't know what group to place
you=20 in."
       Helen Harrell, faculty = adviser of a=20 gay-student group at Indiana
University at Bloomington, = agrees.  Gay=20 students, she says, often belittle
bisexuality as "a walk on the = wild side,"=20 or as a "cop-out" to avoid
identification as gay.  But they = themselves=20 need to understand that college
is a time for great change in sexual = awareness and sexual identity, she
argues.  Ms. Harrell, a = lesbian, says=20 gay students sometimes express
frustration with what they see as = "confused"=20 bisexual peers who may use the
identity as a baby step toward=20 homosexuality.
       The source of = those=20 frustrations is unclear.  UCLA's Ms. Kronbeck
blames "double = jealousy" -=20 the fear of bisexual students' partners that they
must fend off both = heterosexual and homosexual threats to their
relationships.  = Ms.=20 Rosendahl, of Brown, describes anger at the
"heterosexual privilege" = to which=20 bisexual students have access.  Whatever
the reason, gay and = bisexual=20 students must realize that they "have to
constantly re-evaluate = their sexual=20 identity," says Ms. Harrell, of Indiana
University.  "But = that's part of=20 youth.  They're doing that = anyway."
      =20 The effects of "biphobia" are much clearer than its=20 causes.
       "I don't say I'm = bisexual,"=20 acknowledges James M. Brewer, a sophomore
at the University of = Tennessee at=20 Knoxville.  "People ask what I am, and I
say I'm gay" because=20 bisexuality is "seen as not being able to decide.  It's
riding = the=20 fence.  It's wishy-washy.  People ask, 'Why can't you make = up
your=20 mind?'"
       Corey A. Miller, a gay = graduate=20 student at Arizona State University,
blames the tensions on gay = students=20 themselves.  He argues that bisexual
students are shunned by = gay=20 students who fear revisiting the soul-searching
that sexual-identity = questions can raise.  "The bisexual student, in some
way, makes = the=20 homosexual student question whether or not things have to be
the way = they are=20 for him.  That is not a warm feeling for a homosexual
student, = to have=20 to reconsider those questions that have already caused a
lot of pain = for=20 him."
       "If I'm gay and I say, = 'This is=20 how I am, I can't change that,' then
it's hypocritical of me to tell = bisexuals that they can change, or will
change," he says.  "Why = should I=20 play those games with other people that I
don't want to be played = against=20 me?"
       Mr. Miller says he = believes that=20 bisexuality is legitimate, even
though he has "never met a bisexual = who has=20 stayed that way for very long."
After all, he says, "a lot of people = believe=20 in God, and they've never=20 seen
him."







= ------_=_NextPart_001_01C29AE1.7CA87890-- From AFilson@csustan.edu Tue, 3 Dec 2002 07:37:55 -0800 Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 07:37:55 -0800 From: April Dunham-Filson AFilson@csustan.edu Subject: [Cause-members] FW: Higher Ed LGBT Articles Digest #102 This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C29AE1.F3398F30 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" #22 is a good read...This one is pretty long so let me know if you don't get it all... Higher Education LGBT Articles Digest #102, for the week ending 11-24-02 1. CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION 7 players charged in sexual assault of teammate at Methodist College 2. ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION Editorial: Morehouse College must reaffirm its stance against bigotry 3. THE MISSOULIAN Protesters plan to voice dissatisfaction over the University of Montana regents' decision to deny same-sex partners of UM employees the opportunity to buy into the school's health plan 4. YALE DAILY NEWS Yale Divinity School professor Margaret Farley received New Ways Ministry's Bridge Building Award for her challenge to Catholic policy on homosexual rights 5. CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION Beating of Student and College's Response to Forum - they cancelled it - Set Off Debate on Homophobia at Morehouse 6. DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE (University of Utah) Drag Queens Strut Their Stuff on Stage 7. IOWA STATE DAILY Vandals paint anti-gay hate speech on buildings 8. IOWA STATE DAILY Editorial: A reminder written in black spray paint 9. DES MOINES REGISTER Drake University investigates reports of hate crime; Officials have no suspects in graffiti and vandalism that targeted gay and Hispanic students 10. TOLEDO BLADE Gay group lashes out at officials of Bowling Green State University; Forum will focus on hate-crime response 11. EXPRESS-TIMES (Easton, PA) Lehigh University organizes anti-Phelps demonstration 12. NASPA NetResults Out At Work: Being A Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Or Transgender Student Affairs Professional 13. NASPA NetResults Expectations And Possibilities: The Work Of Lgbt Campus Resource Centers By Ronni Sanlo, UCLA 14. THE PANTAGRAPH (Bloomington, IL) Rev. Gregory Dell tells Illinois Wesleyan University audience that intolerance is a 'death-dealing plague' 15. ASSOCIATED PRESS Protesters assail University of Montana regents' ban on same-sex benefits 16. MISSOULA INDEPENDENT A civil matter: Reactivating the push for same-sex benefits at University of Montana 17. RED AND BLACK (University of Georgia) Assault at Morehouse College ups fears for homosexuals at University of Georgia 18. THE ADVOCATE (Baton Rouge, LA) LSU students representing a local gay-rights group protest outside Wal-Mart to pressure the company into extending employee benefits to same-sex partners and include gays and lesbians in its anti-discrimination policy 19. DES MOINES REGISTER Uproar over gay student leader at Central College in Pella 20. ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION District Attorney alleges hate crime in Morehouse College bat attack 21. BOSTON GLOBE Arguing for a consistent sexual ethic: an interview with Yale Divinity School professor Sister Margaret Farley 22. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE "Out' is in on campus: Colleges tailor recruiting materials to include gays 23. CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION Reversal Of Fortune: Virginia Tech rescinds an offer to a new dean's lesbian partner and ignites a controversy 24. BOSTON HERALD A "secret court" of Harvard College administrators interrogated gay students and expelled them in 1920 in a dark chapter of Ivy League history unearthed by Harvard's student newspaper 25. HONOLULU WEEKLY Faculty opposition has at least temporarily torpedoed a new Naval ROTC program on the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus 26. HARVARD CRIMSON The Secret Court of 1920 - Part I [see #24 above for summary] 27. HARVARD CRIMSON The Secret Court of 1920 - Part II 28. HARVARD CRIMSON The Secret Court of 1920 - Part III 29. ASSOCIATED PRESS University of Wisconsin-Madison officials agree to reverse their position on funding a program to help recruit LGBT students to campus 30. BOSTON GLOBE Harvard repudiates 1920s anti-gay school 'court' 31. WINDY CITY TIMES (Chicago glbt) Interview with historian John D'Emilio, author of "The World Turned: Essays on Gay History, Politics, and Culture" #1 The Chronicle of Higher Education, Monday, November 18, 2002 1255 23rd St. N.W., Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20037 Phone: 202-466-1000; FAX: (202) 452-1033 E-mail: opinion@chronicle.com, URL: ( http://chronicle.com ) http://chronicle.com/daily/2002/11/2002111804n.htm 7 FOOTBALL PLAYERS CHARGED IN ASSAULT OF TEAMMATE AT METHODIST COLLEGE By Megan Rooney Seven football players at North Carolina's Methodist College have been arrested on charges that they assaulted a teammate in the locker room after practice last week and sodomized him with a pen. One of the players has been charged with second-degree sexual assault, and the six others have been charged with misdemeanor hazing. The victim, a freshman, reported the incident to the college's police department on Monday night, and, after an investigation, the arrests were made on Wednesday. Antonio Wilkerson, a senior, was charged with hazing in addition to the sexual-assault charge. He was released on a $5,000 bond. The six other players, a junior and five seniors, were released without bond. According to a report in a local newspaper, The Fayetteville Observer, the upperclassmen got into a wrestling match with the freshman in the locker room after a practice session. The attackers reportedly held the victim down and attempted to write on his buttocks with a felt-tip pen, and one of them sexually assaulted him with the pen. The dean of students is now mulling an array of punishments for the upperclassmen, which could range from performing community service to being expelled. All seven students were barred from playing in their team's last game of the season, which was held on Saturday against Shenandoah University. They are still free to attend classes. According to Cynthia J. Curtis, a college spokeswoman, this is the first reported act of hazing at Methodist since the college's founding in 1956. While hazing is not specifically banned by the college, it is considered a form of assault. "Any unwanted physical behavior that violates someone else is wrong, and we won't allow it," said Ms. Curtis. #2 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 18, 2002 72 Marietta Street NW, Atlanta, GA, 30303 (Fax: 404-526-5746 ) (E-Mail: journal@ajc.com ) ( http://www.accessatlanta.com ) http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/opinion/1102/18morehouseedit.html Editorial: Morehouse must reaffirm its stance against bigotry Atlanta's all-male Morehouse College is a jewel in the crown of the nation's historically black colleges and universities. It counts among its alumni a who's who of distinguished and powerful African-American men, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Because of its prominence, the school is under scrutiny for its handling of a vicious attack two weeks ago. One young man beat another with a baseball bat, reportedly for peeking at him in a dormitory shower. The assailant was suspended, arrested and charged with aggravated assault. His victim suffered a cracked skull and other injuries and is recovering in the school infirmary. Although police are still investigating a motive, some students are calling the attack a hate crime - a horrific example of homophobia that embarrassed administrators are hoping to sweep under the rug. Unfortunately, several early missteps by college administrators have only helped to feed those perceptions. Immediately after the incident, outspoken students and gay activists wanted college president Walter Massey to address the student body directly, but he declined to do so. When the Student Government Association held an ad-hoc forum to discuss the incident without permission, a dean at the school vowed to suspend SGA programs for the rest of the semester as punishment. Fortunately, her ill-advised threat was subsequently withdrawn. Massey has scheduled a forum for Tuesday to allow to students to discuss the assault. Equally important, he has finally spoken the words so many of his students needed to hear - a welcome clarification of the college's well-known mission of teaching black male students to become honorable, productive men. "Being a man," Massey told Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Add Seymour, "doesn't have anything to do with your sexual orientation." To its credit, Morehouse routinely requires students to attend diversity training classes and sessions on how to handle harassment, although it's abundantly clear that at least one student didn't get the message. Over the next several weeks, the college must take great pains to reinforce its policy of tolerance. The true test of greatness comes when an individual or an institution is under pressure. At this moment, Morehouse has a great opportunity, and an obligation, to help its students confront anti-gay bigotry. #3 The Missoulian, November 18, 2002 Box 8029, Missoula, MT, 59801 (Fax: 406-523-5221 ) (E-Mail: newsdesk@missoulian.com ) http://www.missoulian.com/display/inn_news/news03.txt Protesters to greet regents in Missoula By Betsy Cohen of the Missoulian The Montana Board of Regents will be getting an earful from the public when the board gathers in Missoula this week to hammer out its strategies for the upcoming legislative session. When the regents kick off their two-day meeting Thursday at the University of Montana, they'll be greeted by dozens of people - maybe more - who plan to voice dissatisfaction over the regents' decision to deny same-sex partners of UM employees the opportunity to buy into the school's health plan. In February, the ACLU sued the state, the Board of Regents, the university system and the commissioner of higher education on behalf of univ ersity employees and their partners, seeking to force schools to offer benefits. Thursday's rally is organized by the Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality, the Outfield Alliance, UM's Diversity Council, Working for Equality and Economic Liberation, the Multicultural Alliance, Community Action for Justice in Americas and the Western Montana Gay and Lesbian Community Center. "A lot of people have been telling us - the coalition - that they are not happy with the regents' decision, and we feel this is a good time to express that," said Mona Bachmann, a spokesperson for the Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality. "I think there will be a lot of people who will have something to say to the regents, and they will have about three minutes each to speak at the public comment period," she said. The various university, community and statewide groups that are sponsoring the rally believe the regents are violating the basic human right of equal pay for equal work, Bachmann said. Rally organizers encourage people who support their mission to meet at 7:20 a.m. Thursday at the North Ballroom on the third floor of the University Center. Public comment is scheduled for 7:40 a.m. Thursday on the regents' Agenda. #4 Yale Daily News, November 18, 2002 Yale University, New Haven, CT (E-Mail: yale@yaledailynews.com ) ( http://www.yaledailynews.com ) http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=20874 Gay rights ministry honors Yale theologian By Christine Hung, Contributing Reporter Yale Divinity School professor Margaret Farley received New Ways Ministry's Bridge Building Award Saturday for her challenge to Catholic policy on homosexual rights, mounted through decades of writings and lectures. The awards luncheon in Woolsey Hall featured testimonials to Farley's accomplishments and character, along with a talk by Farley on gay and lesbian issues, sexual ethics, and gender from a Catholic perspective. "I have not been allowed to leave these issues behind, for they have become more pressing, not less," Farley said. "Homophobia is in the air we breathe. You don't know that it's even there until someone begins to recognize it." The Maryland-based New Ways Ministry gives the Bridge Building Award to Catholics who have promoted greater acceptance of homosexuals in the Roman Catholic Church and in society at large through scholarship, leadership or pastoral initiative. An outspoken advocate of lesbian and gay rights, Farley has written or co-edited six books and published numerous articles on topics including sexual ethics, ethics and spirituality, and social ethics. Farley has taught courses on Christian ethics at the Divinity School since 1971. She also serves as co-chairwoman of Yale's Interdisciplinary Bioethics Project; director of the Divinity School Project on Gender, Faith, and Responses to HIV/AIDS in Africa; and co-director of the All-Africa Conference: Sister to Sister. Letty Russell, a professor emeritus at the Divinity School, described her colleague as a troublemaker. "How does she keep up such courageous stands and survive in the church?" Russell said. "Only Margaret knows how she does it." But Russell added that when it comes to advocating her cause, Farley "does not go alone - and you may find yourself going with her." The testimonials Saturday also highlighted Farley's accomplishments in smaller, more personal arenas. "Please don't be fooled by Margaret's petite stature - her powers are outstanding," Farley's niece Colleen Hammell said. Hammell went on to describe how Farley comforted Hammell's gay brother and reaffirmed his Catholic faith when he was dying of AIDS. "I truly believe that it was her majestic words that gave my dying brother hope," Hammell said. Farley's longtime friend Helen Marie Burns, of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, described Farley as a courageous woman who challenged those around her to think more deeply and carefully. "She was a presence in the midst of the community both caring and challenging," said Burns. Farley said the disputes within the Catholic Church over homosexual rights are enough to discourage anyone from trying to reconcile different viewpoints. But she said the continued struggle to establish connections between the Church and gay and lesbian communities serves as a reminder of the presence of God. "We must go on building bridges across gaps in understanding and love - bridges strong enough so that we can meet in shared lands," said Farley. #5 The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 19, 2002 1255 23rd St. N.W., Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20037 Phone: 202-466-1000; FAX: (202) 452-1033 E-mail: opinion@chronicle.com; URL: http://chronicle.com ( http://chronicle.com/daily/2002/11/2002111903n.htm ) Beating of Student and College's Response to Forum Set Off Debate on Homophobia at Morehouse By RICHARD MORGAN In the wake of an alleged antigay beating, Morehouse College is facing a controversy over perceived homophobia on its campus and a moratorium placed on student-government activities because of an unauthorized forum that dealt with antigay student sentiment. On November 3, Gregory Love, a junior, was beaten "six or seven times about the face, head, shoulder, back, and arms" with a baseball bat while using a dormitory shower, according to a campus police report. The report, which details only Mr. Love's account of the events, states that Mr. Love, who wasn't wearing his glasses at the time, peered at a student in another shower stall, thinking that the man was Mr. Love's roommate. That student, Aaron Price, a sophomore, apparently interpreted Mr. Love's action as a sexual advance and said, "What you lookin' at?" Mr. Love responded: "I thought you were my roommate. I was about to say 'What's up?'" Mr. Price left, but returned soon afterward with a bat and beat Mr. Love, the campus police report said. Mr. Love was seriously injured in the beating, according to the report, and afterward searched for pieces of his teeth and called out -- without success -- for help. After knocking on his resident director's door and getting no response, Mr. Love walked to the campus infirmary, where a nurse determined that his injuries required "extensive medical care." He was sent to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery to treat a fractured skull and received 20 stitches. Mr. Price, who turned himself in to the authorities the day after the beating, has since been expelled. He was charged with one count of aggravated assault and another of aggravated battery. He is free on a $10,000 bail bond. Neither Mr. Love nor Mr. Price was available for comment on Monday. Although gay organizations at the college and in the greater Atlanta area have portrayed the incident as an antigay beating, Mr. Love has said that he is not gay. Walter E. Massey, the college's president, said on Monday that "no matter what the motivation," the beating was "a gross violation." The student forum on homophobia and the resulting moratorium on student-government activities occurred just over a week after the beating. On November 11, students chose homophobia as the impromptu topic of a weekly forum sponsored by the Student Government Association. Eddie Gaffney, the college's vice provost for student affairs, imposed the ban soon afterward. He said he thought his action was appropriate because the students had called the forum "at the last minute," had not obtained the necessary approvals, and had failed to provide sufficient "structure" for a meeting on such a sensitive topic. Although he did not attend the meeting, he said that it "got out of control." He added that "there were folk who were hurting" at the meeting, but that the "appropriate people" to handle the "integrity issues" involved were not present. "Sometimes," he continued, "with young people, if we don't stop them at a certain point, we lose that window of opportunity to instruct." Although the student government's ability to govern remained intact -- and the organization was not, as was rumored, completely suspended -- it was barred from continuing any of its programs for several days. Mr. Massey, who had been traveling when the moratorium was imposed, lifted it soon after his return later in the week. In a statement issued on Friday, he called its imposition the result of a "gross miscommunication" and added, "There is no such thing as an 'off limits' topic at Morehouse." Student-government members on Monday declined to comment on the moratorium or the beating. For Morehouse, a private historically black college and one of only four remaining all-male colleges in the country, "homophobia is not a new topic," said Mr. Massey in an interview on Monday, but, he clarified, "the only thing we're dealing with here is perceived homophobia." Because it is an all-male institution, he said, students at Morehouse "quite often have physical encounters" that administrators must "constantly deal with," Mr. Massey said. Morehouse students are "very wary" of anything that can be interpreted as gay, Mubarak Guy, a sophomore and friend of Mr. Price's, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "A lot of people believe that [Mr. Love] deserved to get beaten up if he was looking in the shower stall," Mr. Guy said. "But everyone thinks the bat was a little extreme. ... Nobody deserves to get beaten with a bat." Mr. Massey said that he expects to announce soon the creation of a committee, headed by a faculty member, that will bring in experts in "sexual-orientation issues" from peer institutions to consult with Morehouse administrators on the college's efforts to promote tolerance. #6 Daily Utah Chronicle, November 19, 2002 240 Union Building, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112 (E-Mail: letters@chronicle.utah.edu) ( http://www.utahchronicle.com ) Drag Queens Strut Their Stuff on Stage [at University of Utah] By Sheena McFarland, smcfarland@chronicle.utah.edu Men in drag - dressed in everything from tight, black leather pants to flamboyant, yellow feather coats - danced and sang Monday night in the Union Ballroom. The show featured drag queens from The Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire and started off with an educational panel about the drag queen community in Salt Lake City. The panel participants, many of whom performed in the show, addressed why they chose to dress as women. "I did this because I respect my mom, sisters and aunts so much," said Mark Thrash, who didn't perform in drag, but rather dances and lip syncs to songs sung by women. "Growing up, I just admired the way the women in my life carried themselves with such respect and pride." The panel also discussed the stereotypes about the gay community that drag shows can perpetuate. "Any one individual could give the gay community a bad image. We have overly feminine men, overly masculine women, leather community - which is a form of drag - and others. You have to look at our organization as a whole, and the good we do," said Bobby Childers, the royal court's leader, known as the emperor. The royal court is a non-profit organization that donates its proceeds to various gay organizations in the state. Monday night's event - which raised $67 in performer tips from the audience - benefitted the U's Lesbian Gay Student Union, said Chris Kannon, who is the organizing member of the event and the co-president of the union. The event cost the programming council about $100 to host. "I suggested LGSU to the Union Programming Council, and it was a program the drag show could benefit, so it just came together," Kannon said. The audience of about 150 cheered and clapped as the six performers danced, sang and lip synced the night away. "I find it interesting to see guys dress as girls and then try to dance as girls, sometimes they can and sometimes they can't," Jim Smith said. Chris Sheard, a freshman in biomedical engineering, also enjoyed the show. "It's just a fun night out," he said. #7 Iowa State Daily, November 19, 2002 108 Hamilton Hall, Ames, Ia., 50011 (E-Mail: letters@iowastatedily.com ) ( http://www.iowastatedaily.com ) http://www.iowastatedaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/11/19/3dd9d689a1209 Vandals paint hate speech on buildings [at Iowa State University] By Stefanie Peterson, Daily Staff Writer Two campus buildings were vandalized with derogatory slurs about homosexuality spray painted on its outer walls. The vandalism was discovered on Monday. "Die Fag Die Fag" was written on the Durham Center and "Dean of Fags" was written on the Student Services Building. Jeff Sorensen, systems analyst for Academic Information Technologies, said he assumed the message outside Durham was painted sometime during the weekend because it was not there when he left work on Friday. He said he believes the message was targeted directly at him because of his involvement with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activities on campus. Dorothy Lewis, director of AIT, said she called DPS immediately after seeing the message. "I was very disappointed that someone had taken this approach to any kind of problem or disagreement," she said. "The sort of language that was used was inappropriate for a campus discussion. It wasn't a discussion - it was an attack, really." Jerry Stewart, director of the Department of Public Safety, said ISU Police received a report at 2:15 p.m. stating that windows on the ground floor of the building had been spray painted. Stewart said they sent an officer to Durham and the Student Services Building to speak with Sorensen and photograph the writings. The message on the Student Services Building could be directed to a number of people and offices within, including Peter Englin, dean of students, who has been "outspoken in terms of his willingness to bring up issues about LGBT students on campus," said Todd Herriott, adviser for the LGBTAA. The Student Services Building also includes offices specifically geared toward providing services to LGBT students, Herriott said. The defacements don't reflect the student body's collective opinion, he said. "I think a couple individuals got bored and thought 'Hey, this will be funny,'" Herriott said. "I do agree that the vast majority of students on campus would not go as far as to spray-paint the side of a building, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that the vast majority of campus is entirely accepting or embracing of LGBT students on campus." Englin said he encourages those behind the messages to speak personally with him about their actions and the emotions behind them. "I would hope that the person who is responsible would come visit with me," he said. "I'm awfully proud to be the dean of students with a [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Student Services] office and would ask folks to respond with conversation, dialogue and education as we sort through this." Jeremy Hayes, coordinator for LGBTSS, agreed. "I hope whoever did this will engage in dialogue about it, including why they did it and why they chose those words," said Hayes, graduate in educational leadership and policy studies. He said the Student Services Building will continue to serve as a resource for LGBT students. "Our services are still here," Hayes said. "It's important for people to know we have the support of the institution and administration." Stewart said ISU Police are asking anyone who might have seen suspicious activity at or near the buildings to come forward. "Spray-painting is considered criminal mischief under Iowa statue. By state statute, this does qualify as a hate crime, which means there is a penalty enhancement," he said. "Upon conviction, persons would receive a sentence that is one degree higher than the penalty for an offense that is not bias motivated. "This certainly is a crime that we take seriously and have zero tolerance for," he said. Sorensen said the event renewed his drive to work toward tolerance on the ISU campus. "At the same time that I wouldn't want people dealing with coming out to see that kind of hatred, I think it's also important for both the straight community and the LGBT community to be aware that that sort of hatred still exists on campus," he said. "It identifies that there is still a lot of education and tolerance work that needs to be done." #8 Iowa State Daily, November 19, 2002 108 Hamilton Hall, Ames, Ia., 50011 (E-Mail: letters@iowastatedily.com ) ( http://www.iowastatedaily.com ) http://www.iowastatedaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/11/19/3dd9cdf76fd46 Editorial: A reminder written in black spray paint by Editorial Board, Iowa State Daily Seven torn pages of the Daily that covered the words spray-painted on the side of the Student Services Building. The Daily pages were taped over the words "Dean of Fags" that had, thanks to an unknown vandal (or vandals) and a can of spray paint, appeared sometime during the weekend. "Dean of Fags," it's assumed, was referring to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Student Services office. Not far away, on the side of the Durham Center, the words "Die Fag Die Fag" were also spray painted. We've come a long way. And yet, nowhere at all. The message on the Student Services Building is odd. Why attack Dean Peter English? A staff member with LGBTSS said it's the first time in recent memory that anybody working for the Dean of Students Office could remember vandalism being directed at them. Staff members in the Dean of Students Office decided to tape the old newspapers over the vandalism to keep a sense of openness with students who may be seeking the help of LGBTSS. Covering up this kind of ignorant intolerance is never the answer, but we also need to extend great courtesy to those students who may be timidly approaching the office in need of help and would clearly be turned away by hate speech. Although it would be nice to think hate crimes like this have no place on our campus any more, they can't be ignored. The individual or individuals responsible for these actions did some homework. Those who wander around campus most likely don't see the Student Services Building and make the link to LGBTSS, much less know precisely where on the building to hit. As well, it was years ago when Jeff Sorensen, now a technician in the Durham Center, was the faculty adviser to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally Alliance. And while it's been a few years since Sorensen was in the spotlight of LGBT activism on campus, he still believes the message was targeted toward him. During his time with the LGBTAA, Sorensen said fliers were set on fire, though the flames never caught. Even last year, posters the LGBTAA placed on campus that featured both homosexual and heterosexual pairs kissing were torn down. The group wanted to use the ripped posters to demonstrate the attitude of the campus toward the LGBT community. While that may not have been a scientific test, nobody can argue with the hatred displayed in these two acts of vandalism. Those responsible for the vandalism have been invited to open dialogue. Do so. The opinions the vandal or vandals were trying to express, perhaps, have a place on this campus. The methods do not. Utilize the forums at our fingertips, but do not make childish jabs at those in our community. . Editorial Board: Cavan Reagan, Amber Billings, Ayrel Clark, Charlie Weaver, Rachel Faber Machacha, Zach Calef. #9 Des Moines Register, November 19, 2002 Box 957, Des Moines, Ia., 50304 (Fax: 515-284-8560 ) (E-Mail: letters@news.dmreg.com ) ( http://desmoinesregister.com ) http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4780927/19775667.html Drake investigates reports of hate crime University officials have no suspects in graffiti and vandalism that targeted gay and Hispanic students. By Maggie O'Brien, Register Staff Writer Incidents of intolerance and harassment aimed at gay and Hispanic students this fall are under investigation at Drake University. Someone used spray paint to write slurs last month on a gay student group's displays celebrating National Coming Out Week. The group had set up rainbow-colored doors on campus to promote tolerance and understanding. Nearly all the doors were covered with anti-gay graffiti. One door was stolen and dumped elsewhere on campus. The incident has been reported to the university as a hate crime. Des Moines police are investigating. "We've never encountered this kind of blatant homophobia," said Drew Gulley, social chair of the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Ally Alliance of Drake. "It's disgusting and rather vulgar." Someone also placed bundles of sticks near the doors, Drake student body President Thomas Laehn said. "I thought it was a sign of solidarity at first," he said. "Then I realized that it was more malicious." An old English term for a bundle of sticks is also a derisive term for gays. Soon afterward, the Drake Student Senate unanimously passed a resolution condemning the act. About 300 colleges and universities across the country prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, and some institutions extend the same protection to gender identity. Iowa's three state universities prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. The University of Iowa also prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. Drake's discrimination policy includes sexual orientation. Other acts of vandalism targeted the Hispanic student group La Fuerza Latina. Signs announcing Hispanic Heritage Month in October were destroyed, university officials said. Claudia Sato, head of La Fuerza Latina, could not be reached for comment Monday. In addition, the Coalition of Black Students headquarters was burglarized twice in the past month. It is unclear whether those break-ins were racially motivated since no graffiti was left. "At first we thought it was more of a burglary, but once BGLAAD and LFL had their incidents, we kind of started noticing a pattern," said Gabrielle Johnson, president of the Coalition of Black Students. "None of the Greek groups or the predominantly Caucasian organizations had problems." Drake President David Maxwell said all the incidents are being investigated by campus security and the dean of students' office, but officials have no suspects. Gulley, the gay student leader, said university officials aren't doing enough to find and punish whoever is responsible. "We're not getting the sense that direct action is being taken," he said. FBI hate-crime statistics include incidents reported on college campuses. None of Iowa's three state universities reported hate crimes in 1998. Two years later, however, a University of Iowa dental student was charged with a hate crime for sending e-mail threats to minority students. Tarsha Claiborne, who is black, pleaded guilty last year and was put on probation for four years. In September 1998, Wartburg College officials asked police to investigate as hate crimes some racial slurs written on doors in campus dormitories where black women lived. Grinnell College organized a candlelight march in October 1998 to protest racist and homophobic graffiti scrawled on dorm-room doors. #10 Toledo Blade, November 19, 2002 541 Superior St., Toledo, OH, 43660 (Fax: 419-245-6191 ) (E-Mail: letters@toledoblade.com ) ( http://www.toledoblade.com ) http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20021119&Category=NEWS 19&ArtNo=111190038&Ref=AR Gay group lashes out at officials of BGSU Forum will focus on hate-crime response By Erica Blake, Blade Staff Writer BOWLING GREEN - When Jason Justice and his fellow Vision members returned to their office after the group's weekly meeting last Tuesday, they were shocked to find a milky substance sprayed across the office and an offensive sign posted to the door. Tonight, members of the Bowling Green State University gay and lesbian student organization plan to substitute their weekly meeting with a community forum to discuss the university's response to these sorts of hate crimes. The community forum will be held at 9 tonight in room 308 of the university's Bowen-Thompson Student Union. And according to Mr. Justice, Vision's president, members of the university's gay, lesbian, and bisexual community hope to air their concerns about the "nonchalant" way in which the case was handled by campus police and the seeming lack of action by the university itself. "I think that students should have been informed about this - and be informed in future incidents - and that administrators should be held accountable to make sure these things are followed up on," the 21-year-old junior said. Vision is a student organization for gay and lesbian members of the university and their supporters, formed in the early 1980s. Like other student organizations, the group has an office on the fourth floor of the university's student union, a building that is open 24 hours a day. It was on the locked office door Tuesday that members found the offensive note and milky substance. As of yesterday, police were still investigating the incident and had no suspects, university Police Chief James Wiegand said. Mr. Justice said that although identifying the vandals is a concern, bigger issues evolved from the incident, namely the way in which police handled the investigation. The feeling that the incident was trivialized by campus police led the student group to file a complaint against the department Friday alleging "insensitivity and a nonchalant attitude." Chief Wiegand said the department is investigating the complaint but has not yet made any staff or policy changes. "It's no different than any other complaint that's filed," said the chief, who plans to be at tonight's meeting. "It's now an internal affairs issue, and we will be investigating it, and I don't think it would be appropriate to comment on it." Mr. Justice said Vision's concerns don't end with the police department. Members of the group are looking for answers as to what the university's policy is for reporting hate crimes and what sort of help is available for the victims of such incidents. In a letter sent out to all students, faculty, staff, and administrators, Mr. Justice called for a change in the university's response. "While it has certainly been very encouraging to receive countless e-mails and phone calls of concern from compassionate students, faculty, staff, and administration, there has yet to be any kind of administrative support which we have not sought out ourselves," Mr. Justice wrote. Julie Haught, a lecturer in the English department, threw her support behind Vision's efforts for change and offered to facilitate tonight's forum. She said she is concerned that the university doesn't treat gay and lesbians fairly - mainly by refusing benefits for partners of faculty members in same-sex marriages. Wanda Overland, dean of students, said university administrators look forward to the forum as a way of gleaning more information on what concerns students and staff have. She said the university had organized a task force this fall to consider gay and lesbian issues. "We certainly do not condone discrimination of any form, and we try to do our utmost to investigate what happened," she said. #11 Express Times, November 19, 2002 30 N. 4th Street, P.O. Box 391, Easton, PA 18044-0391 (Online Mailer: http://penn.nj.com/expresstimes/submit.html ) ( http://penn.nj.com/expresstimes ) http://www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-3/10377003612169 20.xml Lehigh U. organizes demonstration to counter church Tuesday, November 19, 2002 By John Zukowski, The Express-Times Lehigh University officials are organizing a non-violent protest against the Dec. 6 and 7 pickets by the anti-homosexual Westboro Baptist Church. Officials will meet with students Nov. 21 to plan what Lehigh University spokeswoman Tracey Moran called "counter programming" against the picketers who are coming to Lehigh to protest a diversity plan at the university. Church members have said diversity programs often include homosexuals. In a statement, the university condemned the tactics of the Topeka, Kan. church, which has held thousands of anti-homosexual demonstrations with signs such as "God Hates Fags." However, the church's message also provides an opportunity for discussion through on-campus forums, lectures, and speeches, Moran said. "As an institution of higher learning, we do believe that conversation, discourse and dialogue is an important thing," she said. "In this case, what has been really wonderful is that our students have come forward and they want to have a voice in it." However, those discussions won't include members of the Westboro Baptist Church, Moran said. Previously, members challenged the university to include them in any forums about homosexuality. Instead, church members likely will protest at two places the university and police determined would be safe areas to demonstrate: the corner of Morton and Webster streets at 2 p.m. Dec. 6 and the corner of Packer Avenue and Fillmore Street at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7. Westboro Baptist spokeswoman Shirley Phelps-Roper said it was hypocritical that church members weren't asked to join any of the events on campus. "Sometimes you get people at universities who really believe in fundamental fairness and will include all sides, but often they scream about tolerance but are actually intolerant," she said. "That's because they'll tolerate everything except God. They are really the intolerant people because they hate God." She also dismissed the idea that it was not possible to engage in constructive dialogue with them and that their views were hateful. "They're going to rethink how hateful it is when they stand in judgment before God," she said. The picket is part of a three-day protest the group has scheduled for Bethlehem from Dec. 6 to Dec. 8, which includes pickets of seven Bethlehem churches and Cedar Crest College. The group is protesting the churches to show support for the Rev. Marshall Griffin of St. Paul's Baptist Church in Bethlehem, who suggested during a Sept. 11 ecumenical service that the terrorist attacks may have been retribution for homosexual unions. They are protesting Cedar Crest College because the college recently awarded an honorary degree and named a scholarship for tennis player Billie Jean King. Cedar Crest has not planned any protest, rally, or workshop in expectation of the visit from the Westboro protesters, said the school's Director of College Relations Michael Traupman. However, a statement by Cedar Crest College President Dorothy Gulbenkian Blaney said police notified the college about the protest. "Legal advice to the trustees from the college's counsel at Pepper Hamilton LLP indicates that the law requires that the college permit this demonstration to take place," the statement said. "Cedar Crest campus security is prepared to assure a safe and orderly protest." Lehigh University President Gregory Farrington's office issued some guidelines about how to interact with the protesters. The letter advised students not to approach them, not to yell at them and to utilize non-violent methods. The letter also warned students that the protesters "use vulgar language, graphic signs and illustrations and tactics aimed at inciting others into a confrontation." So far, Lehigh has planned the following events in reaction to the picket: . A series of speakers, testimonials and music to non-violently protest the Westboro Baptist Church 7 p.m. Dec. 7 at Packer Memorial Church at Lehigh. . The Rev. Elizabeth Goudy of the predominantly gay Metropolitan Community Church in Bethlehem will speak Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. about homosexuality and the Bible and policies of churches toward homosexuals. . Muhlenberg College Theater Arts Professor James Peck, who is Matthew Shepard's cousin, will speak at a chaplain's forum 4 p.m. Dec.3 in the Humanities Center. Shepard was the gay man beaten and left tied to a fence to die in Wyoming. Westboro church members also will protest at the following Bethlehem churches: Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Salem Lutheran Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, UCC Church of the Manger, Wesley United Methodist Church, and St. Simon and St. James Roman Catholic Church. One local minister who also condemned the church's tactics said church members nonetheless have decided to give the protesters a place outside the church to stand. "We're going to adopt a position of Christian hospitality and make sure they have a safe spot to stand on," said the Rev. Bill Lentz of Wesley United Methodist Church. "But we will not engage them." . Reporter John A. Zukowski can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at jzukowski@express-times.com. #12 NASPA NetResults http://www.naspa.org/NetResults/article.cfm?ID=855&category=Feature OUT AT WORK: BEING A GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, OR TRANSGENDER STUDENT AFFAIRS PROFESSIONAL by Beverly A. McCreary, University of Hawai'i at Manoa November 19, 2002 >From NASPA's NetResults Being out as a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual at work is an interesting combination of personal, political and professional, and it is impossible to divorce the individual from the act of being out. It is this very mixture that makes the decision challenging. Many of us wait for the day, when being out is a non-issue, because the assumption of heterosexuality has been challenged. However, we are not there yet, and for many LGBT student affairs professionals, the decision to be out at work requires some thought and deliberation. I was both excited and a little intimidated at the prospect of writing an essay on being out as a student affair professional and providing mentorship to students. I came out (to myself and publicly) toward the middle of my professional career, transitioning from a heterosexual identity to a lesbian identity at the university that I had been working at for five years. The staff went from knowing me as the married mother of a two-year-old, to the lesbian mother of a two-year-old. In this process I have been very privileged to have immediate supervisors who fully supported my being out on campus, and in the work that I do. In addition, some of the most rewarding professional interactions that I have had with students have come out of this work. It is from this frame that I write about being out at work. This essay will address some of the general issues around being out at work and some of the ways that professionals can become active mentors. A reference list at the end will identify resources for issues that are not addressed. The 1990's saw forward movement on many issues concerning LGBT individuals in higher education. For example of the 3000 institutions of higher education, approximately 250 of these institutions now include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policy (see http://www.lgbtcampus.org/resources/nondiscrimination.html for a list). However, there has been uneven movement within the areas of concern for the LGBT community. Most specifically, gender identity is included in the non-discrimination policy of fewer institutions, (Shepard, Yeskel, & Outcalt, 1995). In addition, many states have seen a political climate swing toward the right, negatively impacting legal issues such as domestic partner benefits, retirement benefits and adoption (see http://www.glad.org, http://www.hrc.org, or http://www.ngltf.org for information on these issues). Finally, even within student affairs, reports suggest that individuals experience discrimination based upon their sexual orientation, from homophobic comments to actions that purposely exclude lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals (Croteau & Lark, 1995; for a bibliography of campus climate surveys see http://www.lgbtcampus.org/resources/campus_climate.html ). The good news is that LGBT professionals who are out at work report more satisfaction with their decision to be out, despite experiencing more harassment. Student affairs professionals are used to concentrating on the needs of our students. However, for the professional who is contemplating being out at work, the first place to focus is on you. As I came to identify as lesbian, I had many positive experiences of support from friends and colleagues. However, I also had negative experiences. For example, one colleague suddenly had difficulty working with me on committees, reviewing cases, and providing supervision to students. He began challenging my abilities and expertise, devaluing my opinion, and undermining my work with students. I found the support of my partner, supervisor, and close colleagues invaluable at this time. It was a challenging experience to have to focus on personal issues within a professional context. * Personal support: The student affairs professional who is considering being out at work, needs to assess where he or she is in terms of his or her own identity development, place in his or her career, the job currently held, and level of personal and professional support. "Coming out" is not a one-time event, but a continuous process, and individuals require different levels of support along the way. Do you have a supportive partner? Are you and your partner at the same level of identity development? Do you have supportive friends? Are you out to your family, and are they supportive? Do you have a person or community to access if you experience difficulties at work? It is important to recognize that individuals of color often report different experiences and needs from those of European Americans. For example, many individuals of color report the coming out experience to be different, and the intersection of racial and sexual orientation identity to present unique challenges that are often not addressed in the models of sexual orientation identity development (Gore, 2000; Greene, 2000). * Institutional support: Another concern is the level of institutional support. This support can be assessed in a variety of ways. Does the university have a non-discrimination policy that includes sexual orientation? The inclusion of sexual orientation in the institution's non-discrimination policy suggests that there is protection within the institution, and procedures are in place if the professional should encounter discrimination. Another way to assess the institution's support is to identify if there is an active staff/faculty group on campus. Does that group include individuals in similar positions as you? An individual in this position may consider contacting a staff member whom is out on campus and discussing some of the issues within the institution. An issue that is not covered in this essay is that of professionals employed by religiously affiliated institutions. For these individuals there may be complications beyond the scope of this paper (see reference list). * Geographic location: The late 1990's saw a swing back to a more conservative political environment. Therefore, another important consideration for the professional is the geographic location of the institution and the surrounding political climate. This will likely impact the policies of the university. However, it will also impact the existence of an LGBT community. As I was coming out, I had the luxury of a strong local LGBT community. There were many out gay, lesbian and bisexual professionals in my area who offered support and expertise. However there are areas of the country where there is not an active LGBT community, and support may be more of an issue for the professional. I recently moved to another area of the country, and have been surprised at the difference in community visibility and involvement. There is more of a sense of isolation and alienation, for when an event occurs on campus, there is not the same immediate community support. Becoming a mentor to LGBT students The lack of role models for LGBT youth is a common topic in popular and scholarly writing. As openly LGBT professionals in a university setting, individuals can provide a concrete example for students. I am continually amazed at how students come to hear about me and then utilize me as a support or resource. As with being out at work, being a mentor can be a very personal experience; students often want to know about you and how you have negotiated certain issues. Therefore, it is important for the professional considering mentoring to know his or her personal comfort around being out -- what you are willing to talk about, and where you want to maintain your privacy. Students may, at times, push your comfort zones, and if you have not thought about it beforehand, you may find yourself revealing aspects of your life that you are not comfortable having public. Additionally, it is important to recognize that your comfort zone will change, depending upon the circumstances, the student, the role that you are serving, and your own personal situation at the time. * Informal mentoring: This form of mentoring can occur as the professional becomes more visible on campus. As a professional increases his or her activity, students often seek out that individual for advice, discussion and support. I tend to be more conservative than some of my colleagues in what I am comfortable discussing with students. However, one of the most powerful discussions that I had was with a group of students subsequent to the opening of the "Love Makes A Family" photography exhibit on campus. The students had questions about parenting, extended family involvement, and custody issues. This conversation truly melded my personal experience, political issues, and the developmental needs of the students. * Formal mentoring: This type of mentoring can occur through LGBT mentor programs on the university campus, where faculty/staff are matched with students. For example, Brown University ( http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Office_of_Student_Life/OSL.Programs.sh tml ) and UCLA (http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~mentors/ ) offer formal mentoring programs for LGBT students. Another area of formal mentoring involves being a part of campus organizations promoting LGBT issues -- joining the advisory board for an LGBT student office, joining the staff/faculty LGBT group, participating in an LGBT speaker's bureau, or advising an LGBT student group. As a professional becomes more active in some of the "formal" mentoring opportunities, she or he will find that the informal contact with students increases. Many "debriefing" sessions, after a speaking engagement evolve into informal conversations about issues that are on the student's minds. I find out valuable information about what is happening at the university, and within my student's lives during these discussions. * Mentoring within the academic environment: This type of mentoring involves looking at the academic course content and including issues around LGBT concerns when appropriate. There are many courses on campus where a unit or component on LGBT issues is very appropriate; the fact that it is not included continues to diminish the importance and visibility of sexual orientation in the curriculum and on campus. In the areas of history, psychology, political science, communications, theatre/dance, literature, or philosophy, content regarding sexual orientation is often lacking. As a professor, bringing that content into class, demonstrates to students that you are a potential ally and you might be surprised how many students want to talk with you about further readings, and at times non-academic issues. In the Professional Associations Through NASPA's GLBT Knowledge Community ( http://www.naspa.org/communities/kc/community.cfm?kcid=7) and ACPA's Standing Committee for LGBT Awareness, (http://www.geocities.com/sclgbta/ ), our major professional associations provide opportunities for networking, educational programming, and professional development. Professional associations of many student affairs specialties (e.g., academic advising, admissions, student unions, housing/residential life, etc.) also offer LGBT caucuses, committees, or networks. These structures provide important support, mentoring, networking, and professional development for LGBT graduate students and new, mid-career, and senior professionals. In this essay, I have addressed some of the areas student affairs professionals might consider in becoming more visible as LGBT on campus. Unfortunately there are still challenges in being an out lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual within institutions of higher education. However, for those of us who are able, being visible and vocal, continually naming the institutional heterosexism, and working for equality can continue forward movement. My commitment to being a visible lesbian and mentor to students is reconfirmed every time a student comes into my office to talk about a problem; as I meet a student on campus and casually chat about his/her life; and as I see students walk across the stage at graduation, despite the difficulties that I know they encountered while at the university. Additional Resources: Cole, M. (2000). Education, Equity and Human Rights: Issues of Gender, 'Race', Sexuality, Special Needs and Social Class. Routledge/Falmer: New York. ( http://www.routledge.com) Croteau, J.M. & Talbot, D.M. (2000). Understanding the Landscape: An Empirical View of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues in the Student Affairs Profession. In V.A. Wall & N.J. Evans (Eds), Toward Acceptance (pp. 3-28). Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America. Gore, S. (2000). The Lesbian and Gay Workplace: An Employee's Guide to Advancing Equity. In B. Greene & G.L. Croom (Eds), Education, Research, and Practice in lesbian, Gay Bisexual, and Transgendered Psychology: A Resource Manual (pp. 282-302). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publication, Inc. ( http://www.sagepub.com) Green, B. (1997). Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Among Lesbians and Gay Men. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. ( http://www.sagepub.com) Levine, H. & Love, P.G. (2000). Religiously Affiliated Institutions and Sexual Orientation. In V.A. Wall & N.J. Evans (Eds), Toward Acceptance (pp. 89-108). Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America. Sanlo, R.L. (1998). Working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender College Students. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ( http://www.greeenwood.com) Shepard, C.F., Yeskel, F., & Outcalt, C. (1995) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Organizing: A Comprehensive Manual. National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. ( http://www.ngltf.org) Von Destinon, Evans and Wall (2000). Navigating the Minefield: Sexual Orientation Issues and Campus Politics. In V.A. Wall & N.J. Evans (Eds), Toward Acceptance (pp. 371-386). Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America. Beverly A. McCreary, Ph.D. is a Gender Equity Counselor at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. She is the NASPA Region VI Chair for the GLBT Issues Knowledge Community Leadership Team. She can be reached at bmccrear@hawaii.edu. #13 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) NetResults http://www.naspa.org/NetResults/article.cfm?ID=827 EXPECTATIONS AND POSSIBILITIES: THE WORK OF LGBT CAMPUS RESOURCE CENTERS by Ronni Sanlo, UCLA November 11, 2002 >From NASPA's NetResults Recently there have been articles in mainstream magazines and newspapers about why college campuses should not "recruit" lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) students. I'm always grateful for such articles because they serve to remind me why my work in higher education is so important. They also remind me that few campuses are yet safe for LGBT college students or even LGBT student affairs professionals. Admittedly, I sometimes get comfortable at UCLA where LGBT people are more included in campus life. That's not to say that things are perfect at UCLA. They're not, but at least LGBT students, faculty, and staff may correctly expect to achieve and succeed in a fairly welcoming environment. One of the many arguments of those who criticize LGBT work on college campuses-and one with which my colleagues and I struggle--is documentation. "How many gay students are there on your campus?"--as if a specific number means we may embark on this work. I often respond by saying that if Admissions would only include boxes for sexual orientation and gender identity , we'd probably have an answer to that question, but that still would not give us a complete picture. I suspect that even if colleges and universities provided such boxes, few LGBT students would respond. They do not trust that the information would be protected and that they would not experience something negative as a result of their honesty. The reality is that we simply don't know how many LGBT students are on any campus, or in any school or community. Further, we remain uniformed as to their issues of retention and their persistence to graduation. Therese Eyermann and I wrote a chapter in the new book Our Place on Campus: LGBT Services and Programs in Higher Education (2002, Sanlo, Rankin, & Schoenberg, http://www.greenwood.com ) that addresses the issue of documenting LGBT students on college campuses. In a longitudinal survey of 6500 students who live in the residence halls at UCLA, fewer than 1% responded to a question that asked if one is heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. When we changed the question from labels to behaviors--Are you sexually attracted to men, women, or both? --no fewer responded to that question than to any other question on the survey. The result each year since we changed the question is that about 10% of the population indicated they were sexually attracted to someone of the same sex. We don't know what labels they use or if they've ever acted upon their attraction, but at least we know beyond anecdotal evidence that LGBT people are on our campuses. Regardless of how or even if LGBT students, faculty, and staff identify themselves, and regardless of whether there are one or 1,000, they should never experience discrimination because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. No one, inclusive of race, nationality, socioeconomic class, ability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and even religion, should have to experience institutional discrimination and personal harassment on today's college and university campuses. Every campus, regardless of philosophy, mission, religious affiliation, or location, should be safe for every student to learn and every faculty and staff to teach and to work. If a campus does not value each student equally, it should ethically publicize who is not welcome so that students have the option of attending--and spending--at institutions where they are expected and where they will be valued. It is exactly this philosophy that drives the work of LGBT campus resource center directors. As I learned from my work in LeaderShape, we LGBT directors "care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible." We place our hearts on the line through advocacy, risk not being taken seriously on our campuses, and get nitched into this LGBT work so that upward mobility into senior positions is nearly impossible. But we do it because-as I learned from my grandfather the Rabbi-we believe in Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. Bleeding hearts perhaps, but isn't that, after all, why we're in student affairs? Four years ago Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered. We still remember and mourn him. Sadly, what happened to Matthew is nothing new. We see hate-motivated violence against LGBT people and other targeted social groups on the rise. In any weekly LGBT publications there are stories of brutal attacks. The simple truth is that we live in a society that tolerates intolerance, and gay bashing comes in many forms, even on our campuses. * Whenever hate mongers like Fred Phelps and his kind protest on campus, that's gay bashing. * Whenever a student is disowned by family and funding for college is withdrawn, that's gay bashing. * Whenever any student is ridiculed, isolated, confronted, or attacked for not conforming to rigid constructions of gender expression, that's gay bashing. * Whenever faculty exclude the stories of our lives, our experiences, and our accomplishments in the classroom, that's gay bashing. * When LGBT professionals are continuously overlooked for senior student affairs positions, that's a form of gay bashing. * And when a professor tells a student that research on LGBT issues is too narrow, that, too, is gay bashing. * Whenever any one of us is taught to hate ourselves, each of us is demeaned, and that certainly is gay bashing. On most college campuses, LGBT students know that their schools aren't safe. They're often left to their own advocacy and safety. In a powerful 1998 study of college students by forensic psychologist Karen Franklin, http://www.karenfranklin.com/home.html , many students on campus said they regularly use anti-gay epithets. The reason is that during their younger years, no one told them to stop. The message was that it's okay to gay-bash in this way. In fact, that's so gay is the current phrase of choice among your college students to describe things that are horrible or disgusting. It hurts the hearts and affects the abilities of our LGBT students, most of whom remain deeply in the closet, afraid to speak out or defend themselves or others. We in student affairs and we LGBT people have a right-or, rather, an obligation-to speak up, to fight back with all the energy, with all the unity, and with all the love of which we are capable. Luckily, we do have our successes on campuses. Through the hard work of our LGBT campus resource center directors (see http://www.lgbtcampus.org ), LGBT student affairs personnel, our very smart students, some very brave allies, and a heck of a lot of courage all the way around, we are moving forward, creating socially just campuses with our sisters and brothers from a multitude of identities. For example: * LGBT student groups as well as faculty/staff and alumni organizations are flourishing; * mentoring programs are reaching out; domestic partner benefits are being offered; * sexual orientation and gender identity policies are being included; * LGBT studies departments are being created; * LGBT campus resource centers are being recognized as valuable professional departments in student affairs divisions; * LGBT students are being recognized for their incredible and lasting contributions; * and LGBT alumni are being sought by development offices as the new untapped fundraising market. Because of the work of LGBT campus resource center directors, there are now a number of ways in which one might identify a welcoming campus. *Are the words sexual orientation and gender identity in the non-discrimination policies? * Is the non-discrimination policy printed on campus documents? * Are the words sexual orientation and gender identity mentioned during orientation and campus tours, or during staff and faculty new employee orientations? * Do the senior student affairs officers include LGBT terminology in their talks and meetings? * Are there LGBT student organizations? * Is there a professionally staffed LGBT campus resource center? * Are there LGBT-friendly staff in student heath services who understand the effects of the disease of homophobia? * Are there privacy spaces in campus recreation locker rooms and shower facilities? * Are domestic partner benefits available for families of LGBT student affairs professionals? * Is there a Lavender Graduation honoring the lives and achievement of LGBT students at the end of the academic year? All of this is a huge dynamic change for many campuses. Such change rarely happens overnight or without challenge. But with fearless student affairs professionals who understand the value of each student and each staff person, change does occur. As Gandhi taught us, be the change you wish to see in the world. I challenge you to create a campus in which every student and every staff person-inclusive of all of their characteristics-is expected and is welcomed. Dr. Ronni Sanlo is the director of the UCLA LGBT Campus Center (http://www.lgbt.ucla.edu), author of numerous books and articles about LGBT college students, and is the founding chair of the National Consortium of Directors of LGBT Resources in Higher Education (http://www.lgbtcampus.org). She may be reached at sanlo@ucla.org #14 The Pantagraph, November 21, 2002 301 West Washington St., Bloomington, IL, 61701 (Fax: 309-829-8497 ) (E-Mail: bwills@pantagraph.com ) http://www.pantagraph.com/stories/112102/new_20021121026.shtml Pastor calls intolerance 'death-dealing plague' [at Wesleyan University] By Kelly Josephsen, Pantagraph staff BLOOMINGTON - The Rev. Gregory Dell was at Illinois Wesleyan University for AIDS Awareness Week, but AIDS wasn't the disease he wanted to talk about. He did, however, have a "plague" on his mind: "I'm not speaking about AIDS. I am speaking about the plague of intolerance, the plague of bigotry, the plague of exclusion. That is the plague I want you to consider as we come through this week of awareness." Dell, a 1967 IWU alumni, has fought intolerance throughout his career. He is pastor of Broadway United Methodist Church in Chicago and a vocal supporter of equal rights for gay, lesbian and bisexual people. His longtime support of same-sex marriages led to his temporary suspension from the ministry in 1999. On Wednesday, he talked about an older, white heterosexual couple who started attending his church, which is known for its diversity and openness to gays. They showed up as the church hierarchy planned to put him on trial for his stance on same-sex marriage. A colleague told Dell the couple had been going to churches across northern Illinois, speaking against homosexuality. He responded: "If they want to be here, they are welcome." The couple attended Dell's services without incident. One day, the man told Dell he had intended to disrupt the services, but changed his mind after talking with a church member on Christmas Eve. He asked the young man if he were eager to go home for the holidays. The young man responded, "I am home. My AIDS diagnosis proved to my family that God and they should not love me." A few months later, Dell saw the couple holding signs of support at his trial; between them stood the young man from Christmas Eve. The would-be protester told Dell, "I never realized the way I thought translated into hurting real people." Dell doesn't consider the couple particularly heroic for their change of heart, but their actions prove ordinary people can stand up to their own bigotry. "God has said, 'If you're going to be alive, you can not tolerate intolerance,'" Dell said. Being human means realizing all people have equal value regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation, Dell said. People who don't realize that contribute to the "plague of intolerance." "It is a death-dealing plague," he said, "that attacks us at the very core of our being." #15 Associated Press, November 21, 2002 http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?tl=1&display=rednews/2002/11/21/bui ld/local/84-regents-protestors.inc Protesters assail regents' ban on same-sex benefits [at Montana University] MISSOULA (AP) - A Montana University system policy barring health insurance benefits for partners of gay employees is a matter of discrimination and injustice, dozens of protesters told the state Board of Regents here Thursday. More than 100 demonstrators, many carrying signs saying "Equal Pay for Equal Work," assailed the policy as the board began its two-day meeting. "It's time to acknowledge that the refusal to honor and recognize committed same-sex relationships on an equal par with cross-sex ones also comes from nothing but bigotry and fear," said Mona Bachman of Missoula. Bridget Whearty, a University of Montana student, said the policy is a slap in the face of her and other lesbians, and an embarrassment to the state. "I cannot support this myth of the last best place," she said. "Montana is the last best place for straight people. I am ashamed of my home." But supporters of the restriction on health benefits said it properly reinforces the value of traditional marriages and follows the laws defining what constitutes a married couple. "You strengthen the family by your decision," said John Bates of Hamilton. "You've chosen the harder right over the easier wrong." "Homosexuals are less than 4 percent of the population and want to be treated as if their lifestyle is normal, and it's not," said Chris Jones of Missoula. Thursday's demonstration was the most significant the regents have seen in years, with students and the general public seldom coming before the board to protest regent actions. The issue of health benefits for same-sex couples has been a hot one for almost three years. In February 2000, Commissioner of Higher Education Richard Crofts cited financial and legal concerns in turning down an advisory committee's recommendation that health benefits be extended to same-sex partners of employees. Three months later, the regents unanimously endorsed the decision, leaving in place a policy that allows spouses and unmarried, heterosexual partners of employees to obtain health insurance. Two University of Montana faculty members and their partners sued the university system early this year, contending the policy on benefits discriminates against them. An arson fire destroyed one couple's house shortly after the suit was filed. No arrests have been made, and the lawsuit is pending in state District Court in Helena. A discrimination claim filed by the two couples with the state Human Rights Commission was dismissed last month. LeRoy Schramm, attorney for the regents, said despite arguments by supporters of the university system policy, he has not argued that state law prohibits benefits for same-sex partners. "That is a power that you don't want to compromise," he said. "I was not going to argue that you could not do this. This is not something that we think we are forbidden from doing." Critics on Thursday focused on that issue, insisting the regents have the discretion to change their stand and treat all employees fairly regardless of sexual orientation. Casey Charles, a spokesman for Outfield Alliance, a gay and lesbian faculty advocacy group, said the existing policy should be changed because it hurts the quality of education in the university system. "If the university system wants to attract and keep top-notch faculty, staff and students, and reap the fiscal and academic benefits from that recruitment, the adoption of this proposal will act as an important step in that direction," he said. #16 Missoula Independent, November 21, 2002 P.O. Box 8275, Missoula, MT 59801 (Fax: 406/543-4367 ) ( http://www.missoulanews.com ) (Online Mailer: http://www.missoulanews.com/News/Letters/LetterTo.asp ) http://www.everyweek.com/News/News.asp?no=2866 A civil matter Reactivating the push for same-sex benefits at University of Montana by Jed Gottlieb It's time to get back on the bus, says Mona Bachmann of the Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality. It's time to remind the community of the lawsuit against the Montana University System that seeks benefits for same-sex domestic partners of university employees, and it's time to remind the Board of Regents of broad-based support for the suit, she says. To that end, Bachmann and a coalition of co-sponsors have planned a demonstration to coincide with the board's Thursday, Nov. 21 meeting on campus. When Bachmann uses the get-on-the-bus metaphor, she invokes classic civil rights images-Martin Luther King and the Montgomery, Ala. bus boycott, Brown v. the Board of Education, the forced busing of public school students, and civil rights advocates riding hundreds of miles to rallies on the Washington mall. For Bachmann the metaphor makes perfect sense. "This is a civil rights issue," she says. "It's actually one of the major civil rights issues of our time." Civil rights issue or not, it's wrapped up in a lawsuit. And lawsuits just aren't glamorous. The suit, which was filed last February by lead plaintiffs Nancy Siegel, Carol Snetsinger, Carla Grayson and Adrianne Neff along with the Montana American Civil Liberties Union, has faced a Hydra of obstacles that have continuously forced the de-emphasis of the seminal issue in the media. "Unfortunately, lawsuits crawl slowly through the courts and just aren't as compelling as a really tragic thing like the arson" says Karl Olson, executive director of the statewide gay rights organization Montana Pride. "Nevertheless we do want to try to motivate people to have an interest in what's happening with the lawsuit." On Feb. 8, 2002, four days after the suit was filed and the four plaintiffs had appeared at a press conference, the home of Grayson and Neff was gutted by an arson fire. Grayson and Neff and Siegel and Snetsinger also received letters filled with a white powder with the words "Die Dykes Anthrax" on them. The letters did not contain anthrax. The arson made the front pages and TV and radio news across the state and nation. But the event that precipitated it, the suit, wasn't widely covered. "The arson is dramatic and big news naturally," says Bachmann. "But it's pretty easy for this [lawsuit] to get lost in arson and the investigation." No arrests have been made in the investigation, but in August police focused much of their attention on Grayson and Neff as potential arsonists, a move that kept the couple in the spotlight and again shifted media coverage away from the issue of same-sex partner benefits. Then on Oct. 19, the Missoulian printed a headline announcing "Benefits discrimination lawsuit dismissed." "A lot of people saw that and thought the lawsuit was dismissed, that that was it," says Bachmann. "But it wasn't, not at all." The headline, which Bachmann feels was misleading, referred to the case being dismissed not by the district court but by the Montana Human Rights Commission. In discrimination cases, the law requires plaintiffs go through the Human Rights Commission as well as the courts. Because the Montana Human Rights Act doesn't mention sexual orientation as an area in which one can be discriminated against, the commission dismissed the case. The crucial decision now is in the hands of District Judge Thomas Honzel of Helena. Honzel has heard oral arguments from both sides and is in the midst of deciding what to do with the case. Even with the confusion and lack of coverage over the past months, Bachmann admits that gay issues have received more Montana press recently than they have in the past. "Interestingly enough, all these gay issues have been really important in Missoula and in Montana over the last year," she says. "There's this unfair insurance policy and the lawsuit, and then there's been the arson, the homophobia, the Mike Taylor incident and Joey Jayne and Josh King, the two representatives in Lake County that were smeared with that postcard campaign." Bachmann refers to Mike Taylor's decision to drop out of the senate race after complaining that attack ads portrayed him as a gay hairdresser, and a mailing that targeted King and Jayne, both of whom were running for house seats in Lake County, as being pro-homosexual. There is also a stalled effort to allow for same-sex partner benefits for city and county employees. Olson regrets that the lawsuit and other gay issues haven't been covered with more depth, but even he is too busy to give any one issue his full attention. "We have a lot of irons in the fire, but that's how we like it," he says. "We're very busy working on some really good stuff and tangible stuff. And it's been my particular interest and goal [to make] the issue of equality and discrimination as tangible as possible." Too many people don't realize that equality is not an abstract theory, says Olson, and that the result of the lawsuit will have real impacts on people. This is why it is so important to remind and reenergize people who have seen the issue fall beneath the community radar, say organizers. "It's just a chance to express to the regents and community that the regents' decision [to not extend same-sex benefits] was unjust and we hold them responsible for it even though time has gone by, even though we are going to the court system for justice," says Bachmann. #17 Red and Black, November 21, 2002 University of Georgia, 540 Baxter Street, Athens, GA 30605 (Fax: 706-433-3033) ( http://www.redandblack.com ) http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/11/21/3ddcf81a15fd3 Assault [at Morehouse College] ups fears for homosexuals [at University of Georgia] Jessica Lee Reece John Lynch's first experience with anti-gay stereotypes at the University happened the day he moved into the residence hall his freshman year. "(A hallmate) told me 'I don't know why gay people come out. I think they're just looking for attention,'" Lynch said. "I couldn't believe it." Now a senior at the University and executive director of the Lambda Alliance, Lynch said there is still "homophobic behavior on this campus." And the problem is not isolated to the University. Two weeks ago, Gregory Love, a junior at Morehouse College in Atlanta, was beaten by Aaron Price, a sophomore, for looking at him in the shower of their residence hall. Price said he interpreted the act as an unwanted homosexual advance. Love told police he mistook Price for his roommate. University Dean of Students Rodney Bennett said the incident is a "clear example for the need for civility across racial, ethnic and sexual lines." "It saddens me to know that in 2002 we have to work with students who have behaved the way that student is alleged to have behaved," Bennett said. "It's unfortunate, but it's reality." Bennett also said dealing with the stereotypes of being gay in a black community, as in the case of the student at Morehouse, especially can be difficult. To address gay issues at the University, the Minority Affairs Committee of the Student Government Association hosted a mediated discussion last month. The discussion, titled "Gay vs. Straight: Is there really a battle?," prompted a passionate discussion, said committee co-chair Charlie Bailey, a sophomore from Pine Mountain. "It is a problem on campus," he said. "There is discrimination against people that are gay or lesbian or bisexual ... but, really, it's a problem across the country." SGA President Sachin Varghese said that he does not think there is an "atmosphere of hate" at the University. "While there is obviously no consensus on this issue, I don't think we have a real contentious atmosphere," Varghese said. "You wouldn't expect (what happened at Morehouse) to happen at UGA." But Bennett disagreed. He said that although the incident occurred in Atlanta, the stereotypes that prompted it exist everywhere, and communication needs to be facilitated to dispel any misconceptions. "This time it happened at Morehouse College," Bennett said. "Next time, it could happen at the University of Georgia." #18 The Advocate, November 22, 2002 525 Lafayette St., Baton Rouge, LA, 70821 (Fax: 504-388-0371 ) (E-Mail: bbankston@theadvocate.com ) ( http://www.theadvocate.com ) http://www.theadvocate.com/stories/112202/bus_walmart001.shtml Wal-Mart policies draw protest [at Louisiana State University] By Chad Calder, Advocate business writer, ccalder@theadvocate.com A handful of LSU students representing a local gay-rights group protested outside of Wal-Mart on Perkins Road Tuesday to pressure the company into extending employee benefits to same-sex partners and include gays and lesbians in its anti-discrimination policy. The demonstration was part of a national day of protest against Wal-Mart Stores Inc., organized by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. The group also claims the Bentonville, Ark., retailer underpays its workers and denies them access to adequate health care. About five members of Spectrum Alliance paced along Perkins Road in front of the store Thursday morning, holding signs and chanting slogans including: "We won't take it. We will fight. Equal pay, equal rights." None of the protesters have ever worked at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart, which passed Exxon Mobil Corp. last year as the nation's largest company, did not return a call to its media relations department for comment. Protester Anna Byars said that while most of the passers-by who responded did so favorably, there were a number of shaking heads, downward-pointed thumbs and extended middle fingers. She said the group wants sympathizers to contact the company and request changes or take their business elsewhere. But she admitted asking Baton Rougeans to forsake Wal-Mart's convenience and cost savings for their cause might be a tall order. Nevertheless, she said, "to us it's about more than being able to buy sheets for two bucks." Byars said Wal-Mart is behind the curve among Fortune 500 companies by excluding homosexuals from its anti-discrimination policy. "It's as simple as adding a few words," protester Jason Avant, a senior from Prairieville majoring in biological sciences, said. It was the second time this week that gay rights in the workplace has surfaced as an issue. Capital City Alliance, another gay rights group, announced Monday a survey that found only 19 of 50 large Baton Rouge employers have policies that specifically ban discrimination against homosexuals. Byars said that while Spectrum Alliance is a gay-rights group, it is sympathetic to the union's push for better pay. She said Wal-Mart "is very convenient and you can get a lot of what you need, but I think Wal-Mart has gotten to the top by exploiting (its) workers - not paying them enough so they can offer lower prices. "They're going to stay on top as long as they exploit their workers to give people good deals on things." In a recent article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman responded to such charges by saying the company is competitive with the rest of the retail industry and wouldn't have any success hiring if it wasn't. But critics have charged that Wal-Mart has it backward - that the company's size makes it the standard-bearer for the industry's benefit and wage standards. Mike Porter, retail analyst with Morningstar in Chicago, said labor's attack on Wal-Mart makes sense for unions because Wal-Mart is the nation's largest employer, outside of the federal government. "It's certainly a big target," he said. While he said only time will tell how much success labor will have, unionization would definitely hurt the company. "That is one thing that could knock them down a lot," he said. "It's such a low-margin business and even a small increase in salaries could have a big impact on (profit) margins." Also, he said, "in the stock market's mind that would make them less valuable a company." Low labor costs are a significant factor in Wal-Mart's ability to compete on prices, Porter said. Low labor costs allow the company to offer lower prices; low prices attract more customers to buy more products, higher profits allow the chain to grow; and growth allows the company to pressure suppliers for lower prices. "It's a big cycle, really," Porter said. For its part, Wal-Mart addresses unions on its Web site with the statement: "At Wal-Mart, we respect the individual rights of our associates and encourage them to express their ideas, comments and concerns. Because we believe in maintaining an environment of open communications, we do not believe there is a need for third-party representation." And while protests may be the only options for groups such as Spectrum Alliance, they play right to the strengths of Wal-Mart - its customer loyalty. And Porter said Wal-Mart has a reputation as a formidable opponent. "Wal-Mart plays hardball and that's a somewhat recent development," he said. "Some would say it started the day Sam Walton died," referring to the company's founder. Porter said Wal-Mart hasn't taken much heat nationally on gay rights issues, noting only the recent charges that the company has forced employees to work "off the clock" in order to meet stores' financial goals. "That's really been the main thing they've gotten a lot of flak for," he said. And other than being asked Thursday to move the protest from the front of the store to the side of the road, Spectrum Alliance got no response from the company. Avant was undaunted by the possibility that the protest would have no effect on Wal-Mart's policies. "That doesn't make it any less important that I'm out here," he said. Mark Schafer, a political science professor at LSU who dropped by to show support for the effort, agreed. "I think it's admirable for them to get out and stand up for what they believe in," he said. "I wish more of my students did." #19 Des Moines Register, November 22, 2002 Box 957, Des Moines, Iowa 50304 (Fax 515286-2511 ) (E-MAIL: letters@news.dmreg.com ) Uproar over gay matter in Pella Central College By Kyle Munson, Register Music Critic Brad Clark began his senior year at Pella's Central College this fall as one of the most popular, hardworking students on campus. President of the student body. Double major in political science and economics. Leader in InterVarsity, a Madison, Wis.-based Christian fellowship organization that has one of its largest chapters at Central. As of this week, Clark is still student body president, making plans for law school next year. But he's no longer an InterVarsity leader. In fact, he wants the college to yank the group's official status. The reason: He came out of the closet. When he did, the InterVarsity leaders gave him an ultimatum: Repent your homosexuality. Refuse, and either resign or be booted off the leadership team. Ka-boom! (That's the sound of an issue exploding.) Marty Feeney, the communication professor who oversees the student newspaper at Central, calls it the biggest controversy on campus in his 16 years. Faculty debated the matter this week in a forum. Alumni are firing lengthy e-mails off to the administration. Student journalists at other Iowa colleges are writing about it. The Register's own front-page story on Nov. 5 prompted people from around the country to e-mail Clark. "Yeah, I wanted my sexuality on the front page of the paper," he deadpanned. By announcing that he is gay, Clark stirred a sleeping dragon that is much bigger than his beef with InterVarsity. Central's 19th-century religious roots in the Reformed Church are now rubbing up against the 21st century's more open society. Politically, the college's nondiscrimination policy must be reconciled with the way a student group governs itself based on religious doctrine. In the last decade, InterVarsity at Central has skyrocketed in popularity. Its 400 members now make up nearly one-third of the campus population and dominate the Student Senate. Even Jason Brown, a full-time InterVarsity leader at Central and other Iowa colleges, admitted that his organization's imposing size might inadvertently contribute to a more polarized climate on the Pella campus. It's not the first flap over gay rights at Central. Eight years ago, another openly gay student was escorted out of InterVarsity's leadership but chose to transfer to another school. The difference today is that Clark is more outspoken, has his presidency as a platform, and is resolved to remain at Central. When I caught up with him on campus last week, though, everything seemed calm. He said it's difficult to focus on hitting the books, but otherwise he hasn't been harassed - other than the stray bit of pointed scripture dropped into his mailbox. Ironically, there were fliers all around the college buildings advertising a concert by Jill Sobule, the pop singer whose biggest hit, "I Kissed a Girl," is about an initial lesbian experience. Sitting in the middle of the student union, Clark talked about how he realized he was gay in middle school while growing up in Pella. He spent Sunday mornings with his family in church and thought he might be able to pray himself straight. In college, he continued to wrestle with his faith and sexuality. He came out to a few close friends before finally mustering the courage to do the same in September with his fellow Christian leaders. "I didn't think it would come down to exclusion," he said. The line from InterVarsity is a familiar one: They hate the sin, not the sinner. Technically, they say it's not Clark's sexual orientation that's the sticking point. It's his refusal to believe it's wrong. You could boil down the two camps to this: Brad to InterVarsity: Hold up, Bible thumpers. Your fundamentalist claptrap is the sort of stance that was taken against minorities and women back in the day. InterVarsity to Brad: Wait a minute, heathen. Your slippery slope of moral relativism is what has modern America slouching towards the gutter. Students are coming at this debate from all sorts of angles. Not even Dan Huitink, Clark's roommate for next semester, is on the same page as his friend. The junior in social sciences isn't a member of InterVarsity but voted in Student Senate for the organization to remain recognized by the college. "Why would you ever have a leader that didn't subscribe to what you believed in?" Huitink said. Clark is left wondering why he would want to be a member of a group that didn't give him a fair shot at becoming a leader. "Right now, I wouldn't classify myself as a Christian," Clark told me. Meanwhile, Jason Brown is left bemoaning the "democratic liberalism of our country where . . . individual rights are king and unless every aspect of my being is publicly affirmed I can't be a whole person." Until somebody can nail down an updated quote from God on this specific situation, I say amen to individual rights. A liberal arts college should be all about the experiences and ideas that students bring into the classroom, and sanctioned organizations should care less whom students take back to their dorm rooms. #20 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 22, 2002 72 Marietta Street NW, Atlanta, GA, 30303 (Fax: 404-526-5746 ) (E-Mail: journal@ajc.com ) ( http://www.accessatlanta.com ) http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/metro/atlanta/1102/22morehouse.html DA alleges hate crime in Morehouse bat attack By Add Seymour Jr. and Steve Visser, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writers Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard will prosecute as a hate crime the baseball bat beating of a Morehouse College junior by another student. On Thursday, Howard said prosecutors will announce at the arraignment for Aaron Price, 19, that they will seek the enhanced penalty that could add as much as five years to a sentence. Anyone convicted under the hate crime law also has to serve 90 percent of the sentence. "Crimes targeting individuals based on sexual orientation - which are especially egregious because of their clear intent to threaten entire groups far beyond the initial victim - are unacceptable and will not be tolerated in Fulton County," Howard said. The case has stirred the campus, with many students saying the Morehouse administration was slow in dealing with the situation and concerns about homophobia on campus. Morehouse officials, in response, announced the formation of a panel to look at how the campus deals with diversity, tolerance and homophobia. The first three members of the panel were named Thursday. They are: Peter Gomes, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church at Harvard University; Paul Burkgett, senior adviser to the president at the University of Rochester; and Caryn McTighe Musil, vice president of diversity, equity and global initiatives at the Association of American Colleges and Universities. "The college will devote the high level of resources this issue deserves," school President Walter Massey said. Price, a Morehouse sophomore, has been indicted by a grand jury on aggravated assault and aggravated battery charges in the attack. The victim, Gregory Love, told police he wasn't wearing his glasses when he went into his dormitory bathroom to take a shower Nov. 3. Love said he looked into Price's stall because he mistakenly thought Price was his roommate. Price, thinking it was a sexual advance, left the shower and retrieved a bat to beat Love, according to police reports. Love suffered a fractured skull and has been recovering in the Morehouse infirmary. Price was expelled from school and is free on $10,000 bail. Gay and lesbian groups had been urging Morehouse officials to treat the issue as a hate crime, something Massey continually said he would leave to police to determine. Local groups applauded Howard's action. "It demonstrates to people the danger of oppression based on someone's identity," said Craig Washington, executive director of Atlanta's gay and lesbian community center. "It's one thing to not be comfortable with someone for who they are. It's quite another to brutalize them and to deny them their human rights because of who they are." Massey also formed an internal task force on diversity and tolerance to coordinate new campus initiatives dealing with tolerance, harassment, anger management and diversity. That group will include students, faculty and staff, as well as alumnus George Roberts, director of Communities of Color for HIV/AIDS at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "This panel is just one example of our ongoing efforts to openly and honestly address issues of homophobia and promote tolerance and appreciation of differences at Morehouse," he said. Members of the Atlanta University Center gay and lesbian group African-Americans for Safe Space, Everywhere For All (ASSEFA) immediately offered a list of names of local and national gay and lesbian people they'd like to be included in both groups. "Hopefully, this 'diversity' panel will focus on the issue at hand - the hatred of gay people by some in our community and the black-on-black violence it can produce," said Khalid Kamau, an ASSEFA member. "Morehouse has not returned any of our calls. We pray they will now." #21 Boston Globe, November 23, 2002 Box 2378, Boston, MA, 02107 (Fax: 617-929-2098 ) (E-Mail: letter@globe.com ) ( http://www.boston.com/globe ) http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/327/metro/Arguing_for_a_consistent_sexual_ ethic+.shtml Spiritual Life Arguing for a consistent sexual ethic By Rich Barlow Many Christians, if asked, probably would say that their religion condemns homosexuality. In fact, argues Sister Margaret Farley, a Yale Divinity School professor, Christian tradition neither condemns nor blesses gay relationships. She says some Biblical writers believed homosexuality made men passive, which was considered a liability. Others considered homosexuality a chosen trait, a view that modern science largely rejects. Farley, former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, makes the case that Christianity should devise a consistent ethic for straight and gay sexuality. Her view is partly formed by personal experience - her nephew, whom Farley greatly admired, died of AIDS. Last week, she received an award from New Ways Ministry, a Maryland group promoting better relations between the Catholic Church and gay Catholics. Q. What are the odds that the Catholic Church will change its attitudes toward homosexuality? A. I have no idea. The other Christian churches still have tremendous problems because the people in the pews have not moved on the issue. Our concern should be not just the position that leaders take, but the understanding that everyone has in the church. Q. The church is against homophobia, but is it possible to agree with the church's position on homosexuality without unleashing homophobia among some people? A. It's not just the Catholic Church, but religious judgments do contribute to the force of the opposition to homosexuals, and therefore in some sense undergird whatever is in the society that even leads to violence. Q. Does that make it incumbent upon the church to modify its position? A. I don't think it's quite fair to say if (homophobia) is going to be the consequence, you have to change your teaching. I think changing teaching has to do with new understandings, and until the new understandings come, anyone who promotes that teaching would change it without integrity. Q. Even if someone could, using diligent scholarship, construct an argument against homosexuality from the church's tradition, wouldn't liberal Christians insist on tolerance? A. Yes, but the church leaders have insisted on that, too. It's another matter what they have to say about gay marriage, but I think that the main documents of the church in the last 10 years have assumed a responsibility of tolerance within society, which is why they've opposed unfair discrimination against gays and lesbians. It's one thing to say we respect people's rights to make choices about how they live their lives, and in this society, it is unconscionable to try to prevent them from those choices. It's quite another thing to say, well, we just go with the majority opinion on what people think is right and wrong, and tolerance means they can be as right as we are. Tolerance does not mean that you have to agree with everyone. It just means that you respect them as persons and that, within the limits of the law, you don't oppose them in what they are choosing to do. Q. What effects will the Vatican's reported consideration of a ban on gay priests have? A. I think that would be a very unfortunate step to take. I think that it would intensify the conflict over this issue. We have had gays in the clergy, in the episcopacy, forever. I don't think that that became a crunch issue until there was a need to somehow scapegoat somebody for the sexual abuse cases in this country. So the issue has not been whether a gay person can be ordained. In fact, we're the only church where that hasn't been an issue so far. ... It has not been an issue for us because we have assumed celibacy on the part of the church. The issue is gay sexual activity. I take it that those who want a ban on gay priests are implying that priests who are gay can't be celibate. And that seems to me a false logic. The victims have been young adults, and therefore the implication is this must be activity between gay persons. But I think that's not necessarily so. Q. Would you support civil unions or gay marriage? A. Yes, I would. You can't find an absolute prohibition nor blessing of heterosexual sex (in scripture and church tradition), either. There are criteria for when sex is appropriate in any relationship, and my conclusion is the criteria are the same for heterosexuals and for gays or lesbians. In a Christian context, I say if some kind of commitment is called for, then it's incumbent upon the faith community to think seriously about supporting these gay unions within the church. #22 San Francisco Chronicle, November 23, 2002 901 Mission St., San Francisco, CA, 94103 (Fax: 415-896-1107 ) (E-Mail: chronletters@sfgate.com ) ( http://www.sfgate.com ) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/11/23 /BA242294.DTL "Out' is in on campus Colleges tailor recruiting materials to include gays Tanya Schevit, Chronicle Staff Writer When Derrick Koh was looking for a college, something interesting caught his eye in the recruiting booklet of San Jose State University - a rainbow flag was clearly visible in a campus scene photo. "I was trying to find some place that was gay-friendly," said Koh, 23, now a senior at San Jose State. "I thought, 'Hmmm, I think this is quite a good place for me.'" With a dramatic rise in the number of students coming out as gay and lesbian in high school, more colleges and universities are starting to pay attention to them. They are tailoring recruiting materials to let the students and their parents know that they offer a safe and welcoming campus, and are even attending special recruiting fairs for gay and lesbian students. "I think any time we can encourage all students to feel welcome in the college admissions process, that is a promising trend," said Dea Nelson, publications coordinator for enrollment services at San Jose State. San Jose State is not alone. In May, Stanford and Harvard were among about 45 universities at a special college recruiting fair in Boston for gay and lesbian youth. UC Berkeley has a gay-themed floor in a residence hall, and its gay and lesbian service center has a table at the annual Cal Day, an event for prospective students and the community. "As the economy changes and schools are competing for the graduating class of high school seniors, they want to make sure they have a diverse class," said Mary Kate Cullen, public policy director for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, based in New York. "More schools are saying they have an open-door policy and that they have policies in place to ensure gay and lesbian students won't be discriminated against." The presence of gay and lesbian clubs on high school campuses has exploded during the past five years, from fewer than 100 to well over 1,000, Cullen said. That has created a need as high-schoolers look to move on to college. It is important that students feel comfortable asking colleges questions about their openness to gay and lesbian students, said Mark Taggart, program coordinator for the Massachusetts Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, which put on the gay and lesbian recruiting fair this year. "I know a lot of students have struggled with how 'out' they are on their college applications. A lot of their leadership is in gay organizations," Taggart said. The fair "made them feel that they could go up to colleges that were obviously committed to gay and lesbian issues." Taggart said he was surprised by the overwhelming response to this year's fair and expects at least 100 schools to show up for a fair planned for next year. Other efforts have also proven extremely popular. Cullen's group produced the college guide "Finding an LGBT-Friendly Campus" this year for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. The guide, which quickly sold out its first printing, recommends talking to students on campus, looking for gay and lesbian clubs, and checking out anti- discrimination policies and course offerings. Nelson said she has seen a dramatic rise in interest from high school counselors in the past few years in a workshop that she gives at the annual conference of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. "Counselors are starting to see they need to be better advocates for their gay and lesbian students," she said. "In the past, where we have gotten a roomful of gay and lesbian counselors, now we see 40 to 50 straight counselors. " Marco Colon, 16, a junior at Berkeley High School, said colleges are finally "getting with the times." He said a campus that went out of its way to be welcoming to gay students would be more attractive to him. "That would definitely be something I would consider, that I would make a choice over," said Colon, who is gay. "Schools want to have an even mixture of people. It just makes sense to be accepting of more than just race." Marcela Muniz, assistant dean of admissions at Stanford University, said administrators saw the Boston college fair as a unique opportunity to extend a welcome to gays and lesbians. "In our office, we do our best to reach out to as many types of students as possible," Muniz said. "We feel that to be part of an event like this lets students know we have a gay-lesbian-bisexual community here and that we welcome them and that they would feel comfortable here." Bayliss Camp, who was the alumni recruiter for Stanford at the Boston college fair, said students were encouraged by the campus turnout. Camp did not come out as gay until his freshman year, but the attitude of the college as a whole toward gays was something he considered when he was looking for a school. "It made a big difference to me that Stanford had a (gay and lesbian) center and that Yale was having a celebration for gay and lesbian pride week," said Camp, who graduated from Stanford in 1995. . E-mail Tanya Schevitz at tschevitz@sfchronicle.com. #23 Chronicle of Higher Education, November 22, 2002 1255 23rd Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037 (Fax: 202-452-1033) (E-Mail: editor@chronicle.com ) ( http://chronicle.com ) Reversal Of Fortune Virginia Tech rescinds an offer to a new dean's lesbian partner and ignites a controversy By Thomas Bartlett Blacksburg, Va. - Three faculty members holding hand-lettered signs stood in the back of the room. "Appoint Shelli Fowler," read one. "Honor Fowler's Contract," said another. The third message echoed the question that's been whispered in hallways at Virginia Tech for the past five months: "What If It Is Discrimination?" The signs, displayed last week during a meeting of the university's Board of Visitors, refer to the board's last-minute decision to revoke a job offer made to Shelli Fowler, an associate professor of English and comparative American cultures at Washington State University. The offer had been approved in April by faculty members and administrators as part of a package to recruit her partner, Karen DePauw, as graduate dean. The board revoked Ms. Fowler's offer in June. The reversal, which appears to be unprecedented in Virginia Tech's history, came after Ms. Fowler had signed an employment contract with the university and less than a month before she and Ms. DePauw were to move to Blacksburg from Pullman, Wash. After two months of silence on the issue, the board issued a terse statement blaming the budget. While it is true that Virginia Tech, like many institutions, has serious financial problems, the funds had already been allocated for Ms. Fowler's position. What's more, 11 new faculty hires were approved at the same board meeting. And Virginia Tech, like most colleges, frequently offers jobs to the partners of new hires. In fact, the board had approved one earlier this year, though in that case the couple was heterosexual. Why, professors asked, was Ms. Fowler singled out? What really led to Ms. Fowler's rejection, according to many professors and university officials, was an anonymous, anti-gay e-mail message sent to a number of board members and administrators, reportedly urging them not to hire the couple. If it were true that Ms. Fowler was discriminated against on the basis of her sexual orientation, it would be an ironic twist on the university's recent push to diversify by hiring more female and minority faculty members. Virginia Tech's aggressive strategy has drawn fire from critics who argue that too much emphasis has been put on race. John G. Rocovich, a lawyer and the head of the board, refuses to elaborate or explain why it took nearly two months to issue the two-paragraph statement blaming the budget. "It's not my fault what people understand or what they do not understand," he says. When asked if he could assure faculty members that the decision did not reflect anti-gay bias, as many suspect, he declined to do so, saying he saw no need to comment further. None of the other board members contacted by The Chronicle would comment. The rejection of Ms. Fowler has upset hundreds of professors here, chilled relations between administrators and board members, and has gay and lesbian faculty members worried that they are no longer welcome at the university. For Ms. Fowler and Ms. DePauw, who both chose to come to Blacksburg anyway, the emotional cost has been high, leaving them hurt, angry, and uncertain about their futures in academe. A Perfect Fit Neither of them was job hunting. But when Ms. DePauw got a letter last year asking her to apply for the position of graduate dean at Virginia Tech, she considered it. After 22 years at Washington State, where she had risen from assistant professor to graduate dean, maybe it was time for a new challenge, she thought. After talking with Ms. Fowler, her partner of eight years, she gave it a shot. Following her campus visit, Ms. DePauw emerged as the top candidate. When the university officially offered her the job, she asked about a job for her partner and was assured that the university did its best to find positions for spouses and partners of new hires. She also made it clear at the time that her partner was a woman. "They didn't blink at the pronoun," says Ms. DePauw, who already knew about the university's policy not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. As it turned out, Ms. Fowler was a perfect fit. The English department needed a specialist in African-American literature, Ms. Fowler's field. In addition, Virginia Tech was expanding its writing programs, and Ms. Fowler has a background in teaching composition. Besides, Ms. Fowler's classroom credentials are impressive: She was the first woman to win Washington State's universitywide teaching award, beating out more than 2,000 fellow professors for the honor. Her interviews at Virginia Tech went well. When Ms. Fowler was grilled by a roomful of English professors on her research and pedagogy, she displayed the easygoing confidence that had won praise from students at Washington State. Afterward, an overwhelming majority voted to support her candidacy. "I've never been more excited about a hire," says Lucinda Roy, the English department's chairwoman. Mark G. McNamee, the provost, was similarly convinced. "This was one of those cases where there appeared to be mutual interest, a good fit, and it had gone through the process." Rather, it had almost gone through the process. The final step, approval from the Board of Visitors, was only a rubber stamp. As far as anyone, including a professor who has been at the university for more than 30 years, can remember, the board has never nixed the hiring of a professor. Until now. The bad news was delivered by Mr. McNamee. He called Ms. DePauw at her office at Washington State and informed her that the board had rejected Ms. Fowler. "Why?" a stunned Ms. DePauw asked. "I don't know," the provost replied. Having already signed their employment contracts and left their jobs at Washington State, the couple had sold their house in Pullman and put money down on a new one in Blacksburg. The moving van was scheduled to arrive in a few weeks. Mr. McNamee calls the rejection "very odd." Charles W. Steger, president of the university, says he was taken aback by the decision. Lay Nam Chang, interim dean of the college of liberal arts, says he wishes the process had been "more inclusive." While their public statements have been measured, some officials confided privately to The Chronicle that they were exasperated by the board's veto of an appointment and then by its refusal to explain why it had done so. A Vicious E-Mail Message "It was like I had the wind knocked out of me," says Ms. Fowler. At first, the provost asked the couple not to tell anyone about the decision while he searched for a behind-the-scenes solution, or, at the very least, some kind of explanation. He got neither. All was not lost, however. Ms. DePauw's superiors at Washington State made it clear that they would welcome her back despite her resignation. Ms. Fowler had taken a one-year leave rather than resigning outright (standard procedure for a tenured professor), and so she too could have her old job back. "People said, 'Oh, that's terrible what happened at Virginia Tech. You're staying here, right?'" Ms. Fowler remembers. At first, she thought her colleagues had a point. Why would anyone leave a secure, rewarding position for an uncertain, possibly hostile environment? The couple spent several days agonizing over what to do before finally, somewhat reluctantly, piling their three cats and two dogs into their cars and driving 2,700 miles across the country into the unknown. Their fields of research help explain why Ms. Fowler and Ms. DePauw chose to go to Virginia Tech despite the board's decision. As a scholar of African-American literature, Ms. Fowler explores discrimination in her work. Ms. DePauw writes about the discrimination faced by people with disabilities. The couple suspects that the board did not want either of them at Virginia Tech. "In all of the work I did at Washington State I talked about standing up for social justice," says Ms. DePauw. "I couldn't not act on my words." Ms. Fowler agrees. "The battle had just come home personally. You can't walk away from it. That would be hypocritical." Both women had heard rumors that an anonymous e-mail message had been sent to a number of board members encouraging them to vote against Ms. Fowler. Neither Ms. Fowler or Ms. DePauw has seen the message. But Mr. Steger, the university's president, confirms its existence, saying it was "not something that expressed the collegial spirit" at Virginia Tech. Another administrator, who has seen the message but asked not to be named, says it was anti-gay, and that it urged the board to reject Ms. Fowler. Both officials said they no longer have a copy of the message. Back in April, Ms. DePauw had received another anonymous e-mail message discouraging her from coming to Virginia Tech. At the time, she dismissed it. But after the board rejected Ms. Fowler, she gave it another look. The writer claims to be giving Ms. DePauw an "honest assessment" of the "serious issues" she will encounter at Virginia Tech. But much of the message is devoted to attacking her academic credentials and "warning" her about anti-gay violence. The e-mail message also alludes to Ms. Fowler: "It would be very difficult if not impossible for you to include your partner in activities involving the 'Old Guard' alumni," it reads. "The rumor mill is very negative without the word officially out yet. I suspect that when this is even more widely known, things will get even worse. Couple all of the above with the current budget situation, and the cards are very much stacked against you." Among professors, the board's statement that the offer was revoked for financial reasons has been largely dismissed as a public-relations ploy. "If they were going to make the decision on the basis of budget concerns, it would not have been one person," says Edward H. Sewell, a professor of communication and president of the Faculty Senate. "Many of us are concerned that it is an issue of discrimination." Like Mr. Sewell, Megan M. Boler, an associate professor of teaching and learning, says the decision has severely damaged morale among professors. "People are saying to me right and left that they are looking for new jobs because this is a hostile and discriminatory environment." Mr. Sewell and Ms. Boler are two of the 225 Virginia Tech faculty and staff members who have signed a petition asking the board to reconsider. The board has not responded to the petition, which was submitted last week. In the wake of the decision, Ms. Roy, the English department's chairwoman, says gay and lesbian faculty members have asked her if they are safe at Virginia Tech. The Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Caucus on campus has 80 people on its e-mail list, though organizers say many same-sex couples at Virginia Tech are not part of the group. "I can assure them that we are an inclusive department, and I feel confident about saying that at the college level too," says Ms. Roy. "But I can't say anything beyond that if I am to be honest, now can I?" A Final Decision? This has not been the kind of fall semester Ms. DePauw and Ms. Fowler had imagined. For Ms. DePauw, the controversy can't help but distract from her duties as graduate dean. Ms. Fowler, the award-winning teacher, spends her days at home rather than in front of a classroom. "I feel like a limb is missing," she says. But both say they will not back down. If a resolution isn't reached by early spring, they will consider their options, including possibly filing a lawsuit. "I'm patient to a point," says Ms. DePauw. But so far, the board has offered little reason to hold out hope. Soon after its decision, Ms. Roy sent a letter to every member asking for an explanation. She received only one reply. It came from Mr. Rocovich, who wrote that he loved Virginia Tech and knew she did too. He added that the board's decision was final. #24 Boston Herald, November 23, 2002 1 Herald Square, Boston, MA, 02106-2096 (Fax: 617-542-1315 ) (E-Mail: letterstoeditor@bostonherald.com ) ( http://www.bostonherald.com ) http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/harv11232002.htm 1920s [Anti-Gay] Harvard scandal exposed by Jules Crittenden A "secret court" of Harvard College administrators interrogated gay students and expelled them in 1920 in a dark chapter of Ivy League history unearthed by Harvard's student newspaper. The hushed-up scandal of 82 years ago, which involved two student suicides and derailed several academic careers, was revealed Thursday in an article by Crimson reporter Amit R. Paley. Paley spotted a strange referenc e to a "secret court" in Harvard's archives and pressed administrators for six months until they released 500 pages of records this fall. "This is a hidden chapter in Harvard's history, in Boston's history, that no one knew anything about," Paley said. "We wanted it out there for debate." Before it was over, six students and a teacher would be dismissed for homosexuality; an alumnus would be blackballed; and two straight men would be dismissed for associating with gays. Harvard President Lawrence Summers, in a prepared statement, called the report "extremely disturbing . . . part of a past we have rightly left behind. I want to express our deep regret for the way this situation was handled, as well as the anguish the students and their families must have experienced." Although Harvard redacted the names of the 10 men, Paley and seven researchers worked for two months cross-checking records and named them. The men are all now dead, though some have living relatives. At least three, including two marked as gay, married and had children. "We don't feel it's our position to judge these people as having been ashamed of what they were and what they did," Paley said about the decision to publish the names and sexual details from the files. "What they suffered at the hands of this court is important historically and for how Harvard views itself. To withhold the names and relegate them to numbers as Harvard did would be an incomplete story." The story begins with the suicide of 21-year-old Cyril Wilcox of Fall River in May 1920, and his family's discovery of explicit letters describing "faggoty parties" in dorm rooms. Wilcox had been expelled for poor academic performance just before he killed himself. George Wilcox beat the truth out of an older, non-Harvard man in Boston, that his brother was spending all his time in gay affairs. George handed lists of names and the letters to college officials. Harvard President A. Lawrence Lowell immediately ordered five deans and professors to convene a secret body known only as "The Court." They began grilling a series of students about their involvement in "unnatural acts." They also questioned heterosexuals, demanding evidence from them, forcing them to deny being gay and pressing them on their own habits of masturbation, then considered unnatural. Ernest R. Cummings, a Harvard dental student, committed suicide after his interrogation, in which he vehemently denied the accusations. The Boston American, a predecessor of the Boston Herald, caught wind of the scandal and reported the suicides. The newspaper was close to the truth, but didn't mention homosexuality. "According to friends of the two in Fall River, Cummings, who was said to have been mentally unbalanced, told a story of an alleged inquisition which he claimed was held in the college office following Wilcox's death," the American reported. "He said that he was taken into the office, which was shrouded in gloom with but one light dimly burning, and there questioned exhaustively. This story, which was denied by the college authorities, was said to have sprung from his disordered mind." An assistant philosophy teacher, Charles B. Clark, accused of accosting a student, was dismissed. Ernest Weeks Roberts, the congressman's son, was not only ordered to leave the campus but ordered to leave Cambridge. Harvard's Alumni Placement Service was advised not to give references for any of the 10 men without consulting "someone in the Dean's office. If they do not know what is meant, tell them to look in the disciplinary file . . ." Kenneth B. Day, dismissed after he admitted to past homosexual acts, never told his family why he left Harvard. His daughter Nancy told the Crimson, "Good Lord . . . I'll stake my life on it my father was not a homosexual." Joseph E. Lumbard, guilty of associating with gay students, returned to Harvard in 1921 and went on to become a prominent federal judge and a member of Harvard's Board of Overseers. Lumbard's grandson, also Joseph E. Lumbard, said the article's revelations were news to his family. "On a personal level, I'm shocked and fascinated," the younger Lumbard told the Herald. "It may have affected how he was as a judge. He was liberal-minded and felt the courts had no business in people's personal lives." The Crimson article has stunned the Harvard community. "There is a huge buzz about it," said Melissa Borga, 20, a junior. "The idea of Harvard doing something like this is absurd to students today." Tom Parry, a 1974 alumnus and Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus member, said, "It's very sobering to read this. Sadly, it is probably typical of what went on... Harvard is not like that now." #25 Honolulu Weekly, November 20, 2002 1200 College Walk, Ste 214, Honolulu, Hawai`i 96817 (Fax: 808/528-3144 ) (E-Mail: letters@honoluluweekly.com ) Out with ROTC [on the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus] By Ian Lind Faculty opposition has at least temporarily torpedoed a new Naval ROTC program on the UH-Manoa campus. The Faculty Senate voted down the administration's NROTC proposal by a 19-10 margin last month, according to minutes of the Senate's Oct. 16 meeting. Faculty attending the meeting cited the need for academic oversight of courses offered for university credit and objected to the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which means gay and lesbian students may not participate in ROTC, although such discrimination is not allowed in other campus programs. Karl Kim, interim vice-chancellor for academic affairs, defended the NROTC proposal as "a way to provide scholarships," as well as "career training" for those students looking toward a Navy career. Kim said ROTC does not award degrees, but credits earned do count toward other UH degrees. He put the cost of the proposed Navy program at $50,000 annually for administrative support, plus on-campus parking for NROTC staff and office and classroom space. The Navy, in return, would provide scholarships for students and military officers to teach the new courses. Existing Army and Air Force ROTC programs at Manoa each currently have about 70 students. During the Senate debate, Kathy Ferguson, director of the Women's Studies Program, pointed to prior studies which have criticized ROTC on academic grounds. "It's about big men and big wars," she said, making for "an uninspired curriculum and pedagogy." In addition, Ferguson warned that ROTC funding comes with strings, and universities often end up paying more than they expect. "The military is the tail that's wagging this dog," Ferguson concluded. Although the debate has unfolded against the background of a looming war in Iraq, it is by no means simply an anti-military echo of the Vietnam War era, according to Robert Bley-Vroman, chair of the Department of Second Language Studies. "Now, the debate revolves around the right of the faculty to review the academic content of programs, and the problems caused when the university is involved in a scholarship program which discriminates against openly gay students," Bley-Vroman said last week. "It is a question of academic governance, fairness and the right use of university resources, rather than simply a question of the position of the military in academic institutions." Manoa administrators have been pushing hard for reconsideration of the issue, perhaps as early as a Faculty Senate meeting scheduled this afternoon, Nov. 20. However, e-mails flying in advance of the meeting reflected a strong faculty view that any attempt to overturn the vote would have to begin again through the Senate's committee process before being taken up by the Senate. #26 Harvard Crimson, November 21, 2002 14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com ) ( http://www.thecrimson.com ) http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255428 The Secret Court of 1920 [at Harvard University] Part I By Amit R. Paley, Crimson Staff Writer At about 6 a.m. on May 13, 1920, Mary Wilcox smelled gas. She immediately identified the source of the fumes: the bedroom of her son, Cyril B. Wilcox, Class of 1922. Mary had reason to be worried about Cyril, who, unlike his older brother George L. Wilcox '14, seemed constantly to get into trouble. Cyril was far from an academic success at Harvard. In April of his freshman year, the Administrative Board placed him on probation for a month. And then, after a miserable showing on his finals - five Es, two Cs, a B and a pass - he was suspended. After a grueling few months at summer school, though, Cyril convinced the Ad Board to readmit him. Things began to fall apart again in the spring of Cyril's sophomore year. "Wilcox seems to me to be a bright enough chap, but he doesn't study apparently," his adviser wrote to Assistant Dean of the College Edward R. Gay on March 3, 1920. When Wilcox received a mid-year record of three Ds, a C and an E, Gay was direct in his threat. "This will, I fear, be your last opportunity to make good at Harvard," he wrote to Wilcox on March 17, "for if your grades in April fail to meet the requirements, the Board could do nothing but request you to withdraw." His future hinged on the April examinations - but Cyril Wilcox never took them. At the beginning of April, right before the crucial tests, he showed up at the office of Professor of Hygiene Robert I. Lee, Class of 1902, with a bad attack of urticaria, commonly known as hives. "It is apt particularly to occur in nervous people, and in people who are under a nervous strain," Lee wrote to Gay on April 13. "Wilcox tells me that after his urticaria was largely over he rather went to pieces nervously, and had what may be best described as an hysterical attack. That fits in with the picture very well. He lost his hour examinations and is quite upset about his work. His mother wants to take him home for a rest. I certainly agree that he should go home and get himself straightened out nervously." Later that day the Ad Board allowed Cyril Wilcox to withdraw from Harvard College due to "ill health." He never returned to Cambridge. From his family home in Fall River, Mass., Cyril wrote several letters to Gay, trying to determine the best possible way to salvage his academic career at Harvard. "Would it be possible for me to return this year, as Dr. Lee suggested, in case I feel equal to it?" his April 15 letter begged Gay. "If not, what stand would I have to take on reentering in September? Is any of my work this year to count?" Gay responded flatly: "I hardly feel that I ought to encourage you to try to come back this year." After Wilcox wrote another letter asking for credit for the 1919-1920 academic year, Gay told him that he could only receive credit for half of French I - and only if he took the second half of French I the following year. The academic woes of her son must have been on the mind of Mary Wilcox as she headed towards 21-year-old Cyril's bedroom, wondering why the room reeked of gas. Then she opened the door. Cyril B. Wilcox was dead. The local paper, The Herald News, reported the next day that he was "asphyxiated by illuminating gas.the gas jet in the room was found partly open, and it had evidently been partly open the greater part of the night." In the early part of the century, inhaling the gas from the lights used at the time was one of the most common ways to commit suicide. Although the medical examiner wrote in his report that Wilcox's death was "most probably accidental, change of pressure in gas pipe extinguishing light, allowing raw gas to fill bed room," his family and friends, as well as Harvard administrators, knew that his death was self-inflicted. Four days after the death, Lee wrote to Gay that Wilcox "committed suicide by inhalation of gas." Cyril's suicide would have seemed the tragic result of too much academic pressure at Harvard were it not for a conversation Cyril had with his older brother George shortly before he committed suicide, during which Cyril told George about his homosexual relationship with Harry Dreyfus, an older man who lived in Boston. What else Cyril told his brother, if anything, is unclear, as are any plans George might have had to deal with the information. But then, almost immediately after the suicide, two letters addressed to Cyril arrived at the Wilcox residence. A nine-page handwritten letter from Ernest Weeks Roberts, Class of 1922 - postmarked the day before Cyril's suicide - left no doubt that Cyril was part of a group of Harvard students involved in homosexual activities. "I haven't made Bradlee yet, but my dear wait, when I do it will last for 2 days and 2 nights without talking it out," Roberts wrote to Cyril. "'Ken' [Kenneth B. Day, Class of 1922] is being sucked foolish by anyone and everybody he can lay hands on. I do him for it once in a while, for diversion. You know since you left I have been chaste not chased." In other parts of the letter he refers to "faggoty parties" in his room and the names of non-Harvard-affiliated Boston men who were involved in the gay scene. A strange letter postmarked the day of Cyril's suicide arrived soon after from Harold W. Saxton '19, filled with code and jargon. Saxton referred to Cyril as "Salomé's Child" and someone else as "Dot." He refers to Roberts' "campaign," raids against clubs, "tricks" and a "souse" party, apparently in reference to a party with alcohol that would have been in illegal in 1920, the first year of Prohibition. Cyril's older brother George, a clerk at the granite mills in Fall River, decided to act. He tracked down his brother's former lover, Harry Dreyfus, who lived in Boston. Dreyfus, after he was beaten by George Wilcox, denied responsibility for Cyril's suicide but gave three names of other men involved: Roberts, Harvard Dental School student Eugene R. Cummings and Pat Courtney, a non-Harvard man living in Boston. About May 22, George Wilcox called on Acting Dean of the College Chester N. Greenough, Class of 1898, to inform him of Cyril's suicide. He presented to Greenough the names he had extracted from Dreyfus and mentioned the two letters from Roberts and Saxton. The next day, after consulting with President A. Lawrence Lowell, Class of 1877, Greenough asked Lee, Regent Matthew Luce, Class of 1891, Gay and Assistant Dean Kenneth B. Murdock to gather evidence on the case to be submitted to the President. They called this five-person body "The Court." The Court was so secretive that even the Ad Board wasn't aware of its existence for more than a week after it was formed. When the Board was informed on June 1, it "had no desire to touch the case and agreed that the matter should not go through the regular channels (Board and Faculty) but straight from the Court to the President," according to The Court's written summary of the case. But, at least at first, it was far from clear how The Court should proceed. Cyril was already dead, Saxton graduated the year before and the other two men were not connected with the University at all. The only actual Harvard student named was Roberts - and he was the one person no one would accuse without great confidence in the charges. Ernest Weeks Roberts was the son of Rep. Ernest William Roberts, a man who had represented Massachusetts in Congress for eight years and was still an important political figure in Washington and Boston. There would need to be strong proof to accuse a congressman's son of being homosexual. The proof came on May 25, when George Wilcox wrote to Greenough and, more importantly, enclosed Roberts' letter to Cyril. "By carefully reading this letter, I think you will obtain all the information you desire," Wilcox wrote. But for some reason, in George Wilcox's own letters to Greenough he chose to refer to several of the men involved not by their real names, but by a strange cipher. Dreyfus was referred to as Parker, Cyril Wilcox as Potter, Saxton as Preston, Roberts as Putnam, Cummings as Pope and Courtney as Piper. George Wilcox also discovered that the "Ken" mentioned in Roberts' letter was Cyril's freshman roommate, Kenneth Day. Referring to all the evidence in the letter, he concluded: "It will be enough anyhow to put Putnam [Roberts] out of business if you choose to do so." In order to proceed methodically, The Court asked Roberts' proctor in Perkins Hall, code-named "S27," to compile a list of all the students seen in Roberts' room, or in the company of the men connected with that room. On May 26, the proctor wrote Greenough that Day and Edward A. Say were "often" found in that room. He also mentioned that Cummings and two other students were somehow involved, although two days later he asked to have the other two students removed from investigation. The case became even more mysterious when Greenough received an unsigned letter dated May 26 from someone who identified himself only as a member of the Class of 1921. The anonymous student knew all the details of Cyril Wilcox's suicide and informed the Acting Dean how Cyril first got involved with the underground gay group. "While in his Freshman year he met in college some boys, mostly members of his own class, who committed upon him and induced him to commit on them 'Unnatural Acts' which habit so grew on him that realizing he did not have strength of character enough to brake [sic] away from it concluded suicide the only course open to him," the anonymous letter read. "The leader of these students guilty of this deplorable practice and the one directly responsible for Cyril Wilcox's suicide is Roberts, 2C. Roberts' rooms at Perkins 28 where he and more of his type have, during the past college year, conducted 'parties' that beggar description and how in the World such parties 'got by' the Proctor is quite beyond me. At these parties were sailors in uniform whom Roberts and friends of his type picked up in the streets of Boston and used for his dirty immoral purposes. At these parties were notorious young male degenerates such as Harold Hussey, and Ned Courtney and many others of the type and many of them dressed in womans [sic] clothes which they brought with them and appeared in public hallways and entrys of Perkins so dressed." The anonymous student also identified Day, Say, Saxton and Cummings by name as students who attended parties in Roberts' room, where, he wrote, "the most disgusting and disgraceful and revolting acts of degeneracy and depravity took place openly in plain veiw [sic] of all present." "Isn't it about time an end was put to this sort of thing in college?" he asked Greenough. "If you will look into the above you will find the charges based on facts." The following day, The Court called its first witness. Kenneth B. Day's parents died before he was eleven years old. Raised by his grandmother, he depended upon the financial assistance of other relatives to pay for his Harvard education. But at college, at least to his family, Day appeared to find success. He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and was interested in track and boxing. In the spring of his freshman year, he finished fourth in the Track Carnival. But tensions with his freshman roommate, Cyril Wilcox, were a constant source of worry. "Wilcox and I are no longer on speaking terms, I am so disgusted with I cannot bring myself to talk to him," Day wrote to his cousin in an April 18, 1919 letter. But two weeks after they had stopped speaking to one another, Wilcox left a note on Day's desk apologizing and the two made up. "He wasn't as bad I thought he was," Day wrote in a later letter. "I couldn't help but shake hands with him and we went to church together, he seemed quite happy to be friendly again and nearly broke down." "Perhaps he can't help being a little queer," Day wrote. "Of course I won't get to [sic] pally with him, but it is so much better to be at least on a speaking basis." On Thursday, May 27, 1920, according to the sparse dates marked in the secret records, Day became the first witness to appear before The Court. There were three pieces of evidence against him. The anonymous letter charged that he attended the parties in Roberts' room, Perkins 28, an accusation the proctor's letter supported. Even more incriminating was the letter to Cyril Wilcox in which Roberts wrote that Day engaged in homosexual acts with Roberts himself and with many others. Day "confessed to H.S. [homosexual] relations with Roberts, after denial at first," according to Court notes. During his freshman year, Day "guessed what was going on, but claimed that his first offense was this year and that he was drunk at the time," according to the notes. He admitted attending some parties in Roberts' room, going every day to see Roberts and calling on Cyril Wilcox six or seven times. In response to questions from The Court, Day said he did not masturbate and had not masturbated for seven years. He also claimed that Roberts' letter's allegations of promiscuity were "a lie" of whole cloth. Day testified that he only had sexual relations with two men. The Court files noted that Day "admits he is probably a little tainted. Mind poisoned." But, according to the notes of the case, Day "says he has cut it out since a month ago." The Court attempted to track down the students considered sexual deviants. Saxton? "Guilty," Day told The Board. Say? "Guilty." Courtney? Hussey? Cummings? All "guilty," he said. Day also raised the name of Nathaniel S. Wollf '19-'23 to The Court for the first time, although he declined to comment whether he was guilty or not. After Day's questioning ended, the pace of The Court's investigation picked up. The Court decided it had no choice but to investigate Roberts, regardless of his powerful father. "I expect you, whatever your engagement may be, to appear at my office tomorrow, Friday, May 28th, at 2:45 P.M.," Greenough wrote to Roberts on May 27. Day received an almost identical letter, apparently to call him back for a second round of questioning. Perhaps The Court wanted to ask Day more questions about Dreyfus after Greenough received a May 27 letter from George Wilcox using the strange cipher. He enclosed a photograph of Dreyfus that he found and described him as "slightly more tall than I perhaps 5'9'' or 10''. He has a thin black moustache. He probably weighs about 140 lb." He added: "I have lately found a letter written by Piper [Courtney] to Potter [Cyril Wilcox] in which he asks Potter [Wilcox] to induce his roommate and Day to come to his room in Boston." George Wilcox apparently did not enclose the letter, for no such correspondence is in the files of The Court. On the afternoon of May 28, Ernest Roberts prepared to face The Court. His room, Perkins 28, appears to have been a center of gay life at Harvard in 1920. During his frequent parties, Harvard students and alumni joined Boston men for raucous parties that would last long into the night. Men dressed in women's clothes. But in public, Roberts was still the son of a former congressman. He tried his hardest to show a decent, clean-cut public image. During World War I he served in the Harvard unit of the Students' Army Training Corps (SATC). And even as he continued to hold several male lovers, Roberts courted a young woman who lived in Brookline named Helen Gay Smith. In between mentions of an "old faggot" and a man named Sak whom he was hoping "to spend the night with," Roberts told Cyril Wilcox in his May 10 letter that he was spending all his time in Brookline with Helen. "She is the kind of girl I can say anything to at all," he wrote. According to his testimony before The Court, he sometimes lived with the Smith family in Brookline rather than staying in Perkins 28. Roberts hoped to apply to Harvard Medical School and become a doctor - a dream that was endangered by poor grades in his sophomore fall. Two Es and two Ds were enough to put him on probation on Dec. 10, 1919. But a quick letter from his father yielded reassurances from Assistant Dean Murdock that the boy would have no trouble getting into the Medical School if his grades merely picked up slightly. Murdock even sent the former congressman a pamphlet on admissions requirements to the Harvard Medical School. The Court believed Roberts to be "certainly the ringleader in the homosexual practices in college." Although at first he denied his involvement, he eventually confessed to homosexual relations with Cummings, Courtney, Hussey, Saxton, Cyril Wilcox and to spending one night with a man not connected with Harvard known only to The Court as "Win" Adams. Roberts claimed he was "led astray" by the now-deceased Wilcox. He also provided new information on the last months of Wilcox's life. Roberts told The Court that Wilcox had "practically lived" with Dreyfus at his apartment on 44 Beacon St. The two lovers had met during the summer, Roberts said, and one fall night at a Beacon Hill club called the Lighted Lamp, Wilcox went home with Dreyfus. After that, Roberts said they were together "every night." But when Wilcox decided to leave Dreyfus, the older man began "threatening to expose him to college authorities," according to Roberts' testimony. Roberts said his first homosexual acts occurred eight or ten years earlier in high school. The testimony Roberts gave to The Court was riddled with contradictions. Despite what he wrote in his letter to Wilcox, Roberts said he had had "no abnormal relations for three months." And despite having boasted in the same letter that he was responsible for "bringing [Day] out," he told The Court that Wilcox was to blame for exposing Day to h omosexuality. Day had been "normal" the year before, Roberts claimed, until he had been "led into it by Wilcox - but not of his own free will." That same Friday, May 28, The Court called Edward A. Say to appear in Greenough's office. The evidence against him was overwhelming. Say was accused of homosexuality in the proctor's list, the anonymous letter and the oral testimony of Roberts and Day. He also figured prominently in Roberts' letter to Wilcox, where Say was described as "bitchy looking and acting." But aside from the information in the Court files, Say's life is almost a complete mystery. The 1919-1920 student directory identifies him as an "unclassified student" (meaning he was not affiliated with a specific class) living in Perkins 24. But he is not listed in the alumni directory and he has no student folder in the Archives. Despite all the accusations against him, Say denied taking part in any homosexual acts, although, under questioning, he admitted to practicing "masturbation regularly, about once a week." Although Say confessed to attending a party in Roberts' room shortly after Thanksgiving, but he said he was "disgusted and left." He assured them that he had "cut all possible relations with the men involved." Men from Boston used to call Perkins frequently to speak with the Harvard boys, and Say said that he answered the telephone frequently. Usually it was Courtney, a man Say described as a "main annoyance," who telephoned. Say said Courtney constantly asked him and his roommate, Joseph E. Lumbard, Jr. '22, to come to Roberts' room, but that they always refused. The Court was unimpressed with Say's defense. His testimony that an injury early in life "kept him out of athletics" only made them more suspicious. "Notably effeminate in some degree," scribbled one Court member in his notes. They asked him if he knew what a "faggoty party" was, but Say said he "could only guess." Some of the remaining entries in the Court notes are undated, so it is unclear in exactly what order some of the other men appeared before The Court. Soon, however, they summoned Saxton, a professional tutor living on 161 Hancock St. in Cambridge, based on the letter he wrote to Wilcox. "When pushed he practically confessed to one act," according to Court notes, "but later retracted." The Court notes indicate several contradictions in his testimony. In the midst of The Court's investigation, Greenough received another letter from George Wilcox, dated May 31, using the same cipher. "Mr. Cummings has called this evening here at the house," he wrote. "I went to talk with him. He says that he personally is alright but that Roberts is not a 'moral man' and is addicted to the same practices that Parker [Dreyfus] is." Wilcox implied that he beat up Cummings as he previously had Dreyfus: "The interview terminated the same as the one I had with Parker [Dreyfus]." Soon it was Cummings' turn to appear before The Court. He told The Court how Cyril "became his confidante" and "told Cummings a good deal of his past." But he said the two had only known each other for three months and that they "had never even been intimate." He admitted attending Roberts' parties but was vehement in his "absolute denial of any h.s. [homosexual] relations." The final student involved in the first investigative wave was Joseph E. Lumbard, Jr. '22, Say's roommate, who was summoned on June 2. He testified that Say knew the rest of the accused "pretty well." Lumbard, though, also knew almost everyone in the group and was aware of the rumors that his roommate had homosexual relations with Courtney and Cummings. The crowd was having a strong influence on his roommate, Lumbard told The Court. Recently, he said, Say had even started using rouge. There had been a marked change since the beginning of the year, according to Lumbard - Say was "secretive and not inclined to be frank." Say, he said, would explain the change by saying he had trouble with his spine and was being cared for closely by his mother. Expressing serious reservations about his roommate, Lumbard told The Court he was "not sure that Say has been telling the truth." Lumbard was clear, though, in saying that he did not believe his roommate or Day should be thrown out of the college. He also appears to have been the first of several witnesses to inform The Court of Roberts' plan to stay at Harvard: "If he is expelled," Lumbard told them, "Roberts threatens publicity." The first party Lumbard and Say attended was in December, he told The Court in a second appearance. He said "faggots" from a club called the Golden Rooster were present at the bash, referred to as a "bitch party." There was dancing, dressing in women's clothes and "some kissing witnessed." Lumbard said he did not drink, but that he danced once, before leaving at about 1:30 a.m. Several times afterward, Lumbard dropped by the parties in Perkins 28 for a few minutes. In response to questioning from The Court, Lumbard said he "stayed because he was interested." He also freely admitted that there were three or four times when four or five men have slept in his room. Courtney slept in the room seven or eight times, he admitted, and Cummings stayed overnight occasionally. Lumbard also said he once slept in the same bed as William Toomey, a Boston man who ran in the same circles as Harry Dreyfuss. He told The Court that he had never had relations with a woman. Apparently connecting onanism with homosexuality, The Court asked Lumbard, as they had several of the students before, if he frequently masturbated. He told them that he had masturbated six years before, but not since then. Just as the investigation appeared to be winding down, a seemingly innocent conversation initiated a whole new investigation - one filled with even more backstabbing and finger-pointing, as the accused students desperately attempted to curry favor in order to remain at Harvard. While Nathaniel S. Wollf '19-'23 chatted with Assistant Dean Gay one day, he happened to mention that he knew the circumstances of Cyril Wilcox's death. Immediately, he was summoned before The Court. Wollf entered Harvard intending to become a doctor. He worked for two months at the Medical School and had spent the year before working at the Dental School, where he met Cummings. He said Cummings talked about the need for wider sex education and hinted at the existence of an undergraduate homosexual group. Under pressure from The Court, Wollf admitted to participating in homosexual acts himself. He said he had "begun the habit" as a 12-year-old in school. The practice increased, he told The Court, when at the age of 16 he attended a prestigious boarding school, which was "permeated with homosexuality" and "mutual masturbation." Since he had been at Harvard, though, Wollf said he had had only two homosexual encounters - until he met Keith P. Smerage, Class of 1921, at the Dramatic Club. The two had supper together and, because of Smerage's constant allusions to homosexuality, Wolff realized that his dining companion was a homosexual, he told The Court. That night he spent several hours in Smerage's room. The two "took off all their clothes," he said, and "mutual masturbation took place - one each." The same thing happened on one other occasion, he said. Wollf told The Court that his second fling with Smerage was his last. "He was fighting hard and felt that he had overcome the habit," read the Court records. "Says he is 90% OK." As a result of Wollf's testimony, The Court summoned Smerage to appear for questioning. A native of Topsfield, Mass., Smerage decided to transfer to Harvard after spending a year studying at Tufts and a month and a half in the SATC. Harvard had a better Dramatic Club, which he eventually joined, and an English department. He said he was first introduced to homosexuality by an older boy in high school and confessed to having had many homosexual relationships. Smerage confessed to knowing "the jargon" and what a "queer" was, although he didn't know what the word "faggot" meant. Smerage also admitted to rouging his nails and knowing the work of Havelock Ellis, a psychologist whose 1897 book Sexual Inversion described the prevalence of homosexuality in American cities. Smerage told The Court that he had "not slept with men in unnatural sense" since entering college and that he had conquered masturbation more than nine months before. He later admitted he had "'fooled' around with the homosexual business" one or two times at Harvard. After he left SATC, an undergraduate whose full name he never knew "reintroduced [him] to the practice." Although he told The Court he'd had heterosexual relations during the summer, Smerage admitted he "prefers homo-sexuality to intercourse with a woman." And then Smerage began naming names. He told The Court about a student Roberts had introduced him to who "has reputation of being queer": Stanley Gilkey '22-'23. Smerage added: "Gilkey got rather gay last semester." He also named eight other students as probable homosexuals. Nonetheless, Smerage wouldn't cooperate fully. "Said he knows fifty names - but won't tell," according to the files. On June 6, Gilkey appeared before The Court. His defense? He was "interested in homo-sexuality as part of interest in criminology." Gilkey said he had read parts of Havelock Ellis' multi-volume Studies in the Psychology of Sex and a great deal of Sex Inversion as well as studying Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. The following year, Gilkey said, he planned to take Anthropology 3: "Criminology." "I think a man should know about everything," he told The Court to explain his interest in homosexuality. "I want to know all I can." Although The Court had heard testimony from others that Gilkey often "boasted of being able to tell 'queer' people," he denied the charge. He "says he can't pick out queer person unless he can back it up by hearsay," Court notes say. Gilkey told the inquisitors that while he masturbated, he "does not think it as dangerous as homo-sexuality." He denied any homosexual behavior and said he "went with a woman summer before last." Although Gilkey admitted to discussing homosexuality with several students he stressed that he "probably has brought homosexual knowledge to no one who was innocent." He begged The Court to call his roommates to testify to his character. Gilkey said they would confirm he was a "good boy, always in bed before they stopped playing cards." The Court continued to examine the students that Smerage had implicated, and eventually "S14," whose real name was redacted, appeared in Greenough's office. Although he admitted that he had masturbated when younger, The Court quickly concluded that he was innocent. In the course of his testimony, though, the student told The Court he had twice been "approached" by Assistant in Philosophy Charles B. Clark, his section leader in Pyschology A: "General Introduction to Psychology." Clark was an erudite man. The 24-year-old was born in Rome and spoke Italian, German and French fluently. At Wesleyan College he was Phi Beta Kappa and during World War I he served as a special agent in the U.S. Dept. of Justice. He received a masters' degree in Philosophy at Harvard in 1918 and was in the third year of his Ph.D. program when he was summoned before The Court. Altogether, Clark taught about 100 students in his sections. The news that a Harvard teacher might be a homosexual led President Lowell to join a special secret session of The Court on June 10 that the two Assistant Deans did not attend. At first, Clark "denied any connection with homosexualism, and he denied talking about it except to help some students to cure themselves." Court records note that his memory was poor and he seemed nervous. He eventually broke down and confessed to approaching "S14" hoping for homosexual relations. Clark told The Court he had "been lying to cure himself and thought he was succeeding." President Lowell told Clark he could not be reappointed or given a Ph.D., and Clark agreed to withdraw his candidacy for the degree. Later, President Lowell himself crossed Clark's name off all Corporation records. Apparently worried about the teaching staff at Harvard, Lowell and Greenough both met separately with the head instructor of Psychology A, Professor Herbert S. Langeld, who assured them that he had never delivered a lecture on homosexuality. "[I]deas on entire perfectly sound," concluded The Court. #27 Harvard Crimson, November 21, 2002 14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com ) ( http://www.thecrimson.com ) http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255429 The Secret Court of 1920, Cont. Part II By Amit R. Paley, Crimson Staff Writer The trial was over. The purge had already begun a week earlier. On June 4, Greenough, at the direction of President Lowell, advised Roberts to withdraw from Harvard at once. Over the next two weeks, The Court handed down and recorded a verdict of "guilty" for a total of 14 men: seven college students; Cummings, the Dental School student; Clark, the Assistant in Philosophy; Saxton, the alumnus; and four men not connected with Harvard. The college students were not just asked to leave campus, they were told to get out of Cambridge - immediately. "Your son, Ernest, is still in Cambridge, in spite of our instruction," Greenough wrote Rep. Roberts on June 12. "Strongly urge that you send for him or come for him yourself at once. He has been ordered to leave Cambridge today. Consequences of disobedience of this order would be most serious." Greenough also sent a letter that week - a letter that would haunt the students for the rest of their lives - to the Alumni Placement Service: "Before making any statement that would indicate confidence in the following men, please consult some one in the Dean's office. If they do not know what is meant, tell them to look in the disciplinary file in an envelope marked 'Roberts, E.W. and others.'" After that day, anyone asking for information about the students' years at Harvard would be given some form of this cryptic sentence alluding to The Court. Since some of the students had left campus before the verdicts were handed down, Greenough began to contact their families about their orders to withdraw. Eugene R. Cummings never found out he was judged "guilty." On June 11, 1920, the 23-year-old dental-school student whose high-school motto was "Never say die!" committed suicide at Harvard's Stillman Infirmary. The medical examiner ruled that the cause of death was "poisoning by corrosive sublimate taken with suicidal intent probably while mentally deranged." A week later, Harvard's fear of exposure was realized when the news of the two suicides appeared in an article in the Boston American on June 19. "2 HARVARD MEN DIE SUDDENLY," screamed the headline of the story about Cummings and Wilcox. "According to friends of the two in Fall River, Cummings, who was said to have been mentally unbalanced, told a story of an alleged inquisition which he claimed was held in the college office following Wilcox' [sic] death," read the article. "He said that he was taken into the office, which was shrouded in gloom, with but one light dimly burning, and there questioned exhaustively. This story, which was denied by the college authorities, was said to have sprung from his disordered mind." Professor of Hygiene Roger I. Lee, a member of The Court, said in the article that Cummings "had been acting in a queer manner," but mentioned nothing about homosexuality or the University's investigation. "Every effort has been made to prevent any knowledge of this affair from becoming public," Greenough wrote to the father of one of the other boys. In Greenough's letters to the parents of some of the students, he makes clear that they were asked to withdraw solely because of their association with homosexuals. "Your son, though we believe him to be innocent of any homosexual act, is in the following ways too closely connected with those who have been guilty of these acts," Greenough wrote to Lumbard's father on June 15. "In the first place, he is guilty of attending a 'party' of a loathsome sort, although while your son was in the room, no homosexual act, he assures us, took place. The nature of this party was announced in advance in such a way that he must have known he was taking grave risks in being present. He pleads that curiosity took him there and kept him there for more than two hours. "Secondly, he is seriously at fault in serving as a kind of intermediary by answering telephone calls and communicating them, thereby making himself a link in the chain. He pleads ignorance of the exact nature of what was going, but here also he should have known that he was taking risks. "Finally, he is seriously at fault in that certain grossly immoral men in Boston spent the night in his room, unquestionably at the invitation of your son's roommate. Yet in the absence of any more vigorous protest from your son than any that he has told us about, we have to regard them as having been allowed to enjoy the joint hospitality of the room." Greenough concluded by saying: "We feel the boy to have been no worse than ignorant, over-curious, and careless. I hope that after the lesson sinks in he will ask for readmission." In September, Lumbard's father wrote to Dean Henry A. Yeomans, "I feel that Joseph has received extremely unjust treatment in being forced to withdraw." Joseph Lumbard applied to other schools and wrote he had been requested to leave Harvard because he was "the room-mate of a student implicated in a very serious affair." Harvard contacted the deans of the other schools and blocked Lumbard's application. "You have given me just the information which we needed, and it goes without saying that we shall inform Mr. Lumbard that we do not care to consider his application for admission to Brown," Dean of Brown University Otis E. Randall wrote to Greenough. "I feel that your action in the matter was wise and just, and that you deserve the support of the colleges to which young Lumbard may make application for admission. How frequently we uncover in the undergraduate life messes of this sort, and how disagreeable it is to deal with such matters!" The deans at Amherst College and the University of Virginia also received letters from Harvard about Lumbard. He spent his year off in New York City, working at a law firm while studying law at night. After he returned to Harvard, he quickly completed his undergraduate courses and then entered the Law School. He soon embarked on a meteoric rise in the legal world, though The Court files came back to haunt him twice. Before his appointment as chief of the criminal division of the United States Attorney's office in New York, Assistant US Attorney Haven Parker wrote to Harvard on April 1, 1931 on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice to discover the cause of Lumbard's suspension from Harvard. He said it would be irresponsible to entrust any immoral person with such great responsibility. Then the Federal Bureau of Investigation got involved. Harvard registrar Sargent Kennedy made a note on Jan. 8, 1953 about FBI Agent Quinn's attempt to discover the reason for Lumbard's withdrawal. Harvard cooperated and informed agent Quinn that he was required to withdraw solely because of social association with the group. The note ends abruptly, "Quinn says this information will be buried." Lumbard eventually rose to serve on the Harvard Board of Overseers. But he never mentioned the reason for his year off to anyone, according to his grandson Joseph E. Lumbard, who lived with him for a year-and-a-half at the end of his life. "That would be the time of thing about which my grandfather would not say anything," he said. "When it came to things like people having different sexual preferences, he felt like that was other people's business." Keith P. Smerage's mother Grace was perhaps the most determined and persistent parent in trying to get her son back into Harvard, despite the decision of The Court not even to consider him for re-admission. Before his withdrawal, she wrote to Greenough, "the disgrace would kill me, or all my happiness at least." She tried to persuade Greenough by inspiring pity for her son, describing his childhood illnesses and poor relationship with his father. The dean was not swayed. After The Court required Smerage to withdraw, the boy wrote a vicious letter on June 15 to Greenough alleging that Harvard was infamous for its homosexuality. "Harvard has a reputation for this sort of thing, that is nation wide. I have heard a most uncomplimentary song Princeton sings of Harvard and along this theme," he wrote. "Through Roberts I met the leader of a similar group to his at Dartmouth. When I asked an acquaintance of mine there if he knew the lad, he said yes, and added, 'he and his gang should have gone to Harvard.'" Smerage also questioned the sexual orientation of Harvard professors. "In town they say, in speaking of this dismissal of but eight - for it has leaked out through some source - 'tell them to look to their faculty,'" he wrote. "I know a lad who was in September a member of the University who heard in town of one of your professors, from a 'queer one' pretending to have lived with said professor last summer, and in consequence he took that professor's course." Smerage added: "I very much regret now, in after-thought, that I gave any names whatsoever.. I realize that to give you names means to get confessions of one case of guilt, and then expulsion. I know of lads still in the University going wrong. To tell would expel them, while a word of warning, a helping hand, without the 'jolt' of ruining their life careers, could help them out." Striking perhaps at the greatest fear of the homophobic administrators, Smerage wrote, "A human streak in me makes me feel rather sore at being one of eight expelled when I am one of at least ten times that number." His mother also wrote a letter to Greenough the same day equally as dramatic in tone. "This is indeed a stricken home," she wrote. "No home where even death has entered can compare with a case like this." Particularly difficult for Smerage's mother was the fact that her son had just recently begun pulling together his life. His academic work was improving, he was elected to the Dramatic Club on May 24, and Smerage said he had given up homosexuality. "I think that thro' this carcass emanates a very different boy than did therefrom such a few months ago," he wrote to his mother the night of his election. "If only I could find a girl, now," he continued. Two weeks later, he was back before The Court. "To think that just as my prayers seemed answered and he had got started right that he should be 'kicked out' and left hopeless," his mother wrote to Greenough. "I felt then and I feel now that you men could have done much good had had perhaps a little less sense of justice and a little more of the of the spirit of Jesus in your hearts when dealing with this case." The family attempted to get the incident behind them. Smerage met weekly with a "wonderful man of godly influence" who tried to help him overcome his homosexual impulses. The Smerages set their sights on having him apply to Rutgers. But when Greenough informed Smerage that he would tell Rutgers the circumstances of his withdrawal, Smerage decided not to apply and soon left the ivory tower for the world of the performing arts. He took the stage name of Richard Keith and took a singing role in the traveling show Blossom Time. Smerage, a pianist and baritone, appeared in many companies in the Boston area. At home in Topsfield he was soloist in the Congregational Church Choir. He moved to New York in the late 1920's, where he found work as an assistant manager in a Greenwich Village café. But on Sept. 8, 1930, Smerage became the third member of the circle to commit suicide. The New York Times reported that he was found dead of gas asphyxiation in an apartment he shared with Philip Towne, a government clerk. "Towne, who works at night, found the cracks about the doors and windows stuffed with paper and four jets open in the kitchen stove." According to the Salem Evening News, the police listed the case as a suicide. Another tragedy had struck two months earlier, when 29-year-old Edward A. Say, already a successful securities salesman well-known in financial circles, was killed in a car crash in Connecticut. "The car descending a steep hill at unsafe speed ploughed through a fence and dropped down a 10 foot embankment, Mr. Say's skull being fractured and a lung punctured," The Waterbury American reported. "He was thrown from the car and later it rolled on him." Because Kenneth Day's parents had both died before he was ten years old, ordinary college reports were sent to his grandmother. However, Greenough sent the letter explaining the cause of Kenneth's withdrawal to his cousin, Homer G. Day, who was also raised by the same grandmother. "The loss of a year to a boy in ordinary conditions, with his parents to fall back upon, might not be so serious a matter," Homer Day wrote to Greenough on June 17, "but in the present case it seems a very high price to pay, as it will mean I fear the end of his education." Homer asked Greenough to clarify what Harvard would say to other colleges if Kenneth tried to transfer. Greenough said Harvard would be required to give other schools an honest impression. "That impression, as you know, is in this case of mixed good and evil," he wrote to Homer. Kenneth spent the next year taking classes at the New York University School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance. He lived in the same room with his cousin. "I have known where he has been every minute of the time and know his friends," Homer wrote to Greenough on August 22, 1921. "I know that the offence which cause him to leave College has never since then occurred." Homer told Greenough that he even resorted to spying on his cousin to make sure he wasn't involved with homosexuals. "After leaving his office, he spent an hour or more practically every night at the West Side branch of the YMCA gymnasium in boxing and other physical exercise, where I have made it a point to join him whenever possible at unexpected times," he wrote. Except for twice dining at the house of the Lumbard family, Homer said Kenneth had no communication with anyone involved in the case. In August of 1921, Kenneth tried to reapply to Harvard. "More than thing else in my life, I want to go back to college and show it, and my cousin Homer and myself that I am not the cur I might have turned out to be," he wrote. Homer agreed to support him financially. But Kenneth never returned to Cambridge. "I am very sorry to have to tell you that we do not see how you can return to Harvard," Greenough wrote to Kenneth on Sept. 28, 1921. "The matter has been very thoroughly gone into and taken up with the President, whose position in the matter is embodied in this ruling." Greenough, in fact, disagreed with Lowell's refusal to allow Kenneth to be readmitted to Harvard. He had argued that Wollf, Gilkey, Day and Lumbard could potentially be readmitted in the fall of 1920, but that certainly those four should be allowed to come back eventually. In a Sept 17, 1920 letter to Yeomans, he indicates that Lowell was strongly against readmitting any of the four. "I do not concur with Mr. Lowell," he wrote to Yeomans. Although Lowell eventually agreed to readmit three of the four students, Kenneth Day never finished college. He never mentioned to anyone - even his family - why he left Harvard. "Good Lord!" said his daughter, Nancy Day, when told the real reason he left. "I never heard that. I'll stake my life on it that my father was not a homosexual. My father was a skirt-chaser, he liked women," said Day, who asked that only her maiden name be used. "I just don't think that homosexuals have the enjoyment of women like he had." After he was forced to withdraw from Harvard, Donald Clark continued to lead the life of an academic. He next headed to the University of California's Mills College campus, where he taught for several years, and in the fall of 1927 he helped the David Mannes School create a new department of cultural studies. In 1933 he published a book of poetry, The Single Glow, under the name Axton Clark. He also composed music and published a translation of the letters of Christopher Columbus from Italian and a translation of Heinrich Mann's In the Land of Cockaigne from the German. He later moved to Denver, Colo. where he was librarian at National Jewish Hospital. His obituary in the Rocky Mountain Herald said that he died of tuberculosis. The Court only wanted Stanley Gilkey to take one year off. "Your son, though we believe him to be innocent of any homosexual act, is in the following ways too closely connected with those who have been guilty of these acts," Greenough wrote to Gilkey's father on June 15. "First, he has, by reading and conversation found out too much about homosexual matters. Secondly, he has been most indiscreet in saying in a public restaurant that a certain student looked to him like a man guilty of homosexual practices. In the third place, he has been too closely acquainted with the ringleader in these practices, and has visited his room too often. Your son knew perfectly well what kind of a man this ringleader was, but partly through curiosity, and partly through a desire not to impair a relationship which permitted him to borrow the other man's clothes, had allowed matters to drift along. "The acts in question are so unspeakably gross that the intimates of those who commit these acts become tainted, and, though in an entirely different class from the principals, must for the moment be separated from the College. "At the same time we feel the boy to have been no worse than overcurious and careless," Greenough wrote. "I hope.he will ask us for readmission." After a year off, Gilkey was readmitted to the college. Following his graduation, he worked for two years at the Bankers Trust Company in Paris before returning to New York to pursue theater. Over the course of his four-decade career, Gilkey produced more than a dozen Broadway shows. He also produced a show for Martha Graham's dance company and was the first general manager of the Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center, where he worked under Academy Award-winning director Elia Kazan. Gilkey never married. After his retirement, he moved to San Francisco. In his 50th reunion report, he invited all his classmates to visit him: "I am hale and hearty, and swing, too." He died on Nov. 3, 1979 at the age of 79. Harold W. Saxton had trouble getting a job as a teacher after his appearance before The Court. When he applied for a teaching position at the Hallock School in Great Barrington, Mass. in 1922, Dean Gay advised the school not to hire him. "In the spring of 1920 Saxton became involved with certain undergraduates in offences of such moral turpitude that the undergraduates were removed from the university immediately," Gay wrote. "Saxton, of course, was beyond our reach, but it is regarded as highly undesirable that he should be recommended for any position, especially that of teaching in a boys school." Later that year, Saxton applied for a position at the Massachusetts Department of Education, but Gay wrote: "It is impossible for us to recommend Harold W. Saxton for any position whatsoever. It is my personal opinion that he should never be appointed as a teacher." Saxton eventually found employment as a teacher in South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and then Martha's Vineyard, according to a 1923 class report that he composed from his job at Hebron Academy in Maine. On June 23, 1924, Saxton applied for a job as a French or math teacher at a country day school through the Harvard alumni appointment office. He appeared at the office and "in his talk he made a favorable impression," according to notes from the appointment office. But after Saxton left, a staffer at the office looked through the files and found the June 15, 1920 letter from Greenough that said, "I strongly suggest that your office make no statement implying that Harvard College has confidence in.H.W. Saxton '19." The alumni appointment did not recommend Saxton for any jobs. One June 24, Saxton wrote to Greenough, "I wish to see you at your earliest convenience in regard to a serious charge you have made against my character." According to his student folder, the two met on June 26. Four days later, he wrote to Greenough: "I wish you to know that you are justified." As the publications office began compiling the 25th anniversary report in 1943, the Dean of the College wrote to the publication staff: "I have now gone over the sordid details regarding Harold Winfield Sexton 19 in the confidential disciplinary files. The case was a most serious one but he had already graduated at the time disciplinary action was taken in the case of the various young men involved. It would seem to be the best thing to do would be to give up trying to locate his whereabouts and either omit his name entirely or just include a brief statement: No information in recent years." His entry in the 25th anniversary report read: "No information about him has come to hand in recent years." Less than a year after Ernest Weeks Roberts was forced to withdraw from Harvard because of his homosexual activities, he married Helen Gay Smith on Feb. 13, 1921. After the wedding, they moved in with Helen's family in Brookline and on Dec. 24, 1921, Ernest Weeks, Jr. was born. Roberts Sr. was an interior decorator and a staunch Republican who wrote in the class 25th-anniversary report that he and Helen had been "blessed with the happiest of marriages." In a statement to FM, University President Lawrence Summers reflected on The Court of 1920 more than 80 years after the fact: "These reports of events long ago are extremely disturbing. They are part of a past that we have rightly left behind. "I want to express our deep regret for the way this situation was handled, as well as the anguish the students and their families must have experienced eight decades ago. "Whatever attitudes may have been prevalent then, persecuting individuals on the basis of sexual orientation is abhorrent and an affront to the values of our university. We are a better and more just community today because those attitudes have changed as much as they have." #28 Harvard Crimson, November 21, 2002 14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com ) ( http://www.thecrimson.com ) http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255430 The Secret Court of 1920, Cont. Part III By Amit R. Paley, Crimson Staff Writer An 82-Year Secret This article is the result of a six-month effort by FM to obtain the secret court files of 1920. 500 pages of document were eventually released. Although the name of every student or alumnus involved in the case was blacked-out by the office of the Dean of the College, FM was able to identify the main individuals involved by combing through newspaper records, death certificates, freshman registers, student directories, class reunion reports, official student folders and other archival materials. The bulk of the material comes from a series in the University Archives catalogued as "Secret Court Files, 1920." The 82-year-old files have never before been made public. "It came in as a special accession from University Hall, from a locked filing cabinet. Whoever sent it over probably didn't even know what it was," said Assistant Processing Archivist Andrea B. Goldstein. The materials in the archives appear to have been written and typed by the members of The Court themselves, not their secretaries. "The handwritten notes look as if someone took scraps of paper, held it on their lap and wrote with a blunt pencil," Goldstein said. "The letters looked like the Dean himself was typing, not a professional secretary. It was like a person typing who wasn't used to typing." In March of 2002, FM first asked the University Archives for access to the files. According to a March 13, 1989 vote of the Harvard Corporation, Harvard will "ordinarily authorize the use of University records.concerning individuals which shall be more than eighty years old, or the individual being alive, after his/her decease, whichever is later." Although the Secret Court Files of 1920 fall outside of the 80-year restriction, because of the sensitive nature of the materials the Archives staff referred FM's requests to Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68, whose office has jurisdiction over the files. On March 24, FM wrote to Lewis formally requesting access to the files. Lewis denied FM's request. On April 20, FM sent a letter to Lewis and University Archivist Harley P. Holden, appealing the earlier decision. As a result, Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor and Director of the University Library Sidney Verba convened an advisory committee - including representatives from the Office of the Governing Boards, the General Counsel's Office, the University Archives and the Dean of Harvard College - to rule on the matter. On May 17, the committee agreed that, provided the College verified that no student directly involved in the case is still living, FM could view a redacted set of the records. Lewis wrote that redaction would be necessary because "the records to which you requested access are related to a disciplinary case." On June 9, FM appealed the decision of the committee to redact the names of the students involved, arguing that the homosexuality of the students involved should not be treated as an ordinary disciplinary case. "Though the sexual orientation of those students was treated as a disciplinary case in 1920, there is nothing embarrassing or criminal about it in 2002," FM wrote to Verba. The committee denied FM's appeal, and the redacted files were released. In this article, wherever the name of a student appears in direct quotation from material from the secret files, FM has substituted the redacted notation (i.e. S1) for the last name of the student (i.e. Roberts) in order to increase readability. [END] #29 Associated Press, November 23, 2002 http://www.startribune.com/stories/568/3452519.html UW-Madison to contribute funding to for gay student recruitment MADISON, Wis. - University of Wisconsin-Madison officials agreed to reverse their position on funding a program to help recruit lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students to the campus. Fearing a negative response from high school districts, the university had opted not to fund "Shadow Day," a student government initiative aimed partly at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, said Paul Barrows, UW-Madison's vice chancellor for student affairs. "It's creating so much pain," said Barrows. "I'm going to go ahead and do the program as proposed." The Associated Students of Madison created the program, aiming to bring students from Milwaukee and Madison area high schools to the university to follow college students around. Any high school student could participate, but the initiative targeted racial minorities and so-called LGBT students. "I guess I'm glad that (Barrows has) kind of seen that this is important and that students think it's important," Associated Students of Madison Chairman Bryan Gadow said. "If we claim to be as progressive a university that we say we are, we need to follow it up with recruiting practices for all types of students." The students had worked on the project since the beginning of September, and expected the venture would cost about $8,000, largely for busing, food and advertising. The event was planned for Friday. But Jennifer Epps, the committee chairwoman, said the event was canceled after she learned from UW director of admissions Rob Setzer two weeks ago that the university would not pay its share - $6,000 - if sexual orientation was a factor in who was recruited. A student newspaper reported the cancelation Friday, focusing attention on the issue. Barrows said UW-Madison officials worried that high schools would not be prepared to deal with such a politically sensitive recruitment effort if it involved students' sexual orientation. He said the university wants to encourage those students to come to campus, but the recruitment message must be carefully crafted. "We have to meet these districts where they are. A lot of people look at these issues differently than we do in our politically correct way of looking at the world," Barrows said. Student leaders said they were told the university did not want to stir up unwanted controversy, especially because it has no official mandate to diversify itself based on sexual orientation. Other universities also have stepped up efforts to attract gay and lesbian students. Earlier this year, officials from about 40 New England attended a first-ever college fair for gay students in Boston. Other schools have showcased gay and lesbian students in brochures. UW-Madison does not have a policy against recruiting based on sexual orientation, but does not pursue it in particular. "I think it's important to say that we welcome diversity in our students and that includes LGBT students, it includes students of color, it includes disabled students," said Provost Peter Spear. Joseph Laskowski, a gay UW-Madison student who had planned to help with Shadow Day, said he was glad officials changed their minds, but they were wrong to make the initial decision. "The prospective students who were going to come to Madison were going to get such a negative message, that 'we don't want you here,'" he said. Gadow said Shadow Day will likely happen next semester. . On the Net: University of Wisconsin-Madison: http://www.wisc.edu #30 Boston Globe, November 24, 2002 Box 2378, Boston, MA, 02107 (Fax: 617-929-2098 ) (E-Mail: letter@globe.com ) ( http://www.boston.com/globe ) http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/328/metro/Harvard_repudiates_1920s_school_ court_+.shtml Harvard repudiates 1920s school 'court' By Associated Press CAMBRIDGE - What began as an inquiry into a student's suicide in 1920 ended with Harvard University convening a secret tribunal that labeled 14 men "guilty" of being homosexual, and forcing the students among them to leave not only the school but the city of Cambridge. The hidden history of the body known only as "The Court," first reported by the Harvard Crimson student newspaper, describes Harvard's desperate efforts, which were kept secret for more than eight decades, to hide from public view a secret gay subculture on campus. "These reports of events long ago are extremely disturbing. They are part of the past that we have rightly left behind," Harvard president Lawrence Summers wrote in a statement to the Crimson. "I want to express our deep regret for the way this situation was handled, as well as the anguish the students and their families must have experienced eight decades ago." The strange legacy began when a Harvard student, Cyril B. Wilcox, 21, committed suicide in his Fall River home in May of 1920 by inhaling gas. He was having academic problems, as well as health problems chalked up to nerves, and had been asked to withdraw from the college a short time before. The death might have passed as simply a tragic end to the life of a dropout had he not told his brother, George, about a homosexual relationship he had with an older Boston man. Shortly after the death, two letters arrived for Cyril Wilcox, the first leaving no doubt that Wilcox was part of a group of gay men at Harvard, and the second a cryptic letter full of codes and jargon. Cyril's brother tracked down one of the men and beat him until he offered up the names of three other gay men. George Wilcox called on the acting dean of the college, Chester N. Greenough, to inform him of Cyril's suicide, and passed on the names, and mentioned the two letters. The next day, after consulting with president A. Lawrence Lowell, Greenough convened a group of administrators, including regent Matthew Luce and assistant dean Kenneth B. Murdock, to gather evidence on the case. They called this five-person body "The Court." The Court was so secret that even the college's Administrative Board, which oversees student disciplinary matters, wasn't aware of its existence for more than a week after it was formed. When the board was informed, it "had no desire to touch the case and agreed that the matter should not go through the regular channels [Board and Faculty] but straight from the Court to the President," according to the court's written summary of the case. The court demanded that men associated with the secret group of carousers - including the son of a congressman - who gathered in dorm rooms to hold parties late into the night, sometimes in women's clothing, testify before the court and tell them what they knew of the gay parties on campus. One anonymous student who wrote to the court about the gay subculture said that "the most disgusting and disgraceful and revolting acts of degeneracy and depravity took place openly in plain veiw (sic) of all present." The court files noted that one man questioned by the court "admits he is probably a little tainted. Mind poisoned." When the "trial" ended, the court handed down verdicts of guilty for 14 men: seven college students; a dental school student; a teacher; a recent graduate; and four men not connected with Harvard. The college students were not just asked to leave campus, they were told to get out of Cambridge - immediately. "Your son, Ernest, is still in Cambridge, in spite of our instruction," a court member wrote former US Representative Ernest William Roberts on June 12. "Strongly urge that you send for him or come for him yourself at once. He has been ordered to leave Cambridge today. Consequences of disobedience of this order would be most serious." Eugene R. Cummings never even found out about his verdict, because the 23-year-old man committed suicide at Harvard's infirmary in June. The news of the two suicides appeared in the Boston American on June 19 with the headline "2 HARVARD MEN DIE SUDDENLY," referring to Cummings and Wilcox. "Every effort has been made to prevent any knowledge of this affair from becoming public," a court member wrote to the father of one of the other boys. In letters to parents of some of the students, Greenough made clear that their sons were asked to withdraw solely because of their association with gays. Summers called the episode "abhorrent and an affront to the values of our university." "We are a better and more just community today because those attitudes have changed as much as they have," he said. #31 Windy City Times (glbt), November 20, 2002 325 W. Huron, Suite 510, Chicago, IL 60610 (Fax: 312-397-0021) ( E-Mail: editorial@wctimes.com ) ( http://www.wctimes.com/ ) Turning the Pages: John D'Emilio [of University of Illinois at Chicago] By Gregg Shapiro The World Turned: Essays on Gay History, Politics, and Culture (Duke University Press, 2002, $18.95), a collection of 16 essays by educator and writer John D'Emilio, looks at the events in the late 20th century that changed attitudes and perceptions about the LGBT community during the 1990s and into the present day. The subjects, which include Bayard Rustin, '60s activists, Larry Kramer, Bill Clinton, and even the author himself (the essay "My Changing Sex Life"), give the reader a new perspective on the people and events that brought us to where we are today, at the beginning of the 21st century. Gregg Shapiro: Can you please say a few words about your role at the University of Illinois at Chicago? John D'Emilio: I'm the director of the Gender and Women's Studies Program. I was hired specifically to teach and develop gay/queer-related courses. We are in the process of developing an undergraduate major in Gender and Women's Studies. Within that major there will be a bunch of courses on sexuality and identity. GS: In assembling the book, The World Turned: Essays on Gay History, Politics, and Culture, were there essays that ended up being excluded due to space constrictions or were you able to include everything in the book that you wanted to? JD'E: I did get everything in that I wanted. There were some essays that were excluded, shorter pieces especially, that were very current when I wrote them, but there would be no point in reprinting them. Or that they would be unnecessarily repetitive of the content of other longer essays that developed a point more fully. As an example of that, when I was working at NGLTF (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) in the mid-'90s, it was especially a moment when family issues seemed to be in the news all the time and I wrote quite a number of short pieces on family issues of one sort or another, so those stayed out. GS: Whom do you see as the specific audience for the book, aside from lesbian and gay readers? For example, is it intended to be used in an academic setting? JD'E: I think it could definitely be used in an academic setting. Although, my guess is that the courses for which it might be used in an academic setting would be courses that had a higher concentration of gays and lesbians, because they would be sexuality related courses or courses about gender issues. I would love it if it got into courses on the sociology of American life in the 1990s. GS: Activist Harry Hay's name comes up often in the book. With his recent death, is there anything else that you would like to say to memorialize him? JD'E: I think his life is an interesting example of the unexpected in history. Here he was, just one of many gay men who, in the middle of the century, were living a double life. He was married, but he also thought of himself as gay. Yet, what is it about his personal experience that allowed him to make this leap that was historically so important. No one can say that if it wasn't for Harry Hay there would be no gay and lesbian movement. Of course there would have been a gay and lesbian movement. But the way it happened had something to do with this one unique individual. He does have a place in history that's an important one. GS: The essay, "Why is this year different from any other?" which was written 10 years ago continues to have resonance 10 years later, especially in light of the recent Republican victories in the 2002 election. JD'E: It does resonate in this sense, that if you are a person of progressive political beliefs, the direction of the country, in the biggest sense politically, is very, very scary. But one of the differences, and who knows why, between 1992 and 2002, is that in this important election, yes, there were some anti-gay ballot initiatives, but gays haven't been particularly targeted in the current conservative political climate in the big way that we were a target in 1992. In 1992, we were part of the defining moment of this right wing. In the year 2002, they seem to have other or bigger fish to fry. That shift is part of what I hope gets drawn by reading all of the essays collectively. Even in this very conservative era, which I lose sleep over at night, gay men and lesbians, bisexuals, our whole community is becoming more embedded in the fabric of everyday existence. That's the change that the '90s brought us. It didn't bring us the end of oppression. It didn't bring us utopia, but we crossed some kind of divide where, instead of being on the margin or exceptional or we don't belong here, there is a fairly widespread recognition that this is part of American life, that we are part of American life. GS: Even something as simple as the success of Will & Grace on prime-time television, is an indication of change. JD'E: Will & Grace. There are so many things. The fact that E. Lynn Harris is a bestselling novelist. It would have been hard to imagine that 15 or 20 years ago. GS: You draw an important correlation, in at least three of the essays (especially the first three) between '60s activism and gay liberation. It seems obvious, but at the same time, it seems like a connection that has been glossed over. Why do you think that it has been overlooked by the activists from the '60s or by historians? JD'E: I think there are two reasons, one of which is an innocent one and one of which is a little less innocent. The innocent one is that, in a sense, our biggest moment in the sun comes when the '60s are ending. The Stonewall Riot, which has become this symbolic moment in queer history. The '60s are ending by then and that is all of a sudden when we appear. So the gay story often seems to be a story of the '70s, rather than a story of the '60s. And yet, there are so many figures in the life of protest in the '60s that we can associate with the queer sensibility. GS: Certainly. Bayard Rustin . JD'E: .Rustin, Allen Ginsberg, and some names that are not as familiar today as they were a generation ago. But their significance tells us something; that even before Stonewall, gay life was really emerging out of its shadows and the radicalism of the '60s did speak to the condition of gay and lesbian people. Many mainstream historians see it as diversionary. The '60s are about these mainline stories that have been told over and over again and they're not figuring out how to rewrite the '60s so that our experience is not only integral to it, but helps us understand what the '60s were about. GS: It's interesting, too, that the civil-rights marches on Washington are important symbols of the activism of the time. For the gay community, our marches on Washington have also been significant. You talk about how our marches, especially the 1987 march, were "markers of change." Do you think there will continue to be a need for us to march on Washington? JD'E: One can't know that in advance. One of the wonderful lessons of Bayard Rustin's life, who figures in the book, he was the organizer of the first (1963) March on Washington. When there was going to be a 20th anniversary march, in 1983, he was against it. He was against it because he said that there needs to be a reason to march other than, "look, here we are." In 1963, for civil rights, the March on Washington allowed all of the upheaval around the country to coalesce in a single moment larger than all of the individual protests, and there was a Civil Rights Bill before Congress. In 1987, all of the agitation and concern and anger around AIDS was coalescing into a new kind of activism, and the national government was still ignoring the AIDS epidemic in scandalous ways. And the Supreme Court had just ruled on Hardwick (vs. Bowers), so there was a reason to make one's presence felt very publicly and collectively in Washington. If, for instance, there was serious chance of passage of a national gay-rights bill, then one would go to Washington. But to do it just to go to Washington? Why? . John D'Emilio reads at 57th Street Books, 1301 E. 57th Street, Chicago, (773) 684-1300 Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C29AE1.F3398F30 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Higher Ed LGBT Articles Digest #102
#22 is a good read...This one is pretty long so let me know if you don't get it all...
 
Higher Education LGBT Articles Digest #102, for the week ending 11-24-02


1. CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION 7 players charged in sexual assault of teammate at Methodist College
2. ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION Editorial: Morehouse College must reaffirm its stance against bigotry
3. THE MISSOULIAN Protesters plan to voice dissatisfaction over the University of Montana regents' decision to deny same-sex partners of UM employees the opportunity to buy into the school's health plan
4. YALE DAILY NEWS Yale Divinity School professor Margaret Farley received New Ways Ministry's Bridge Building Award for her challenge to Catholic policy on homosexual rights
5. CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION Beating of Student and College's Response to Forum - they cancelled it - Set Off Debate on Homophobia at Morehouse
6. DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE (University of Utah) Drag Queens Strut Their Stuff on Stage
7. IOWA STATE DAILY Vandals paint anti-gay hate speech on buildings
8. IOWA STATE DAILY Editorial: A reminder written in black spray paint
9. DES MOINES REGISTER Drake University investigates reports of hate crime; Officials have no suspects in graffiti and vandalism that targeted gay and Hispanic students
10. TOLEDO BLADE Gay group lashes out at officials of Bowling Green State University; Forum will focus on hate-crime response
11. EXPRESS-TIMES (Easton, PA) Lehigh University organizes anti-Phelps demonstration
12. NASPA NetResults Out At Work: Being A Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Or Transgender Student Affairs Professional
13. NASPA NetResults Expectations And Possibilities: The Work Of Lgbt Campus Resource Centers By Ronni Sanlo, UCLA
14. THE PANTAGRAPH (Bloomington, IL)  Rev. Gregory Dell tells Illinois Wesleyan University audience that intolerance is a 'death-dealing plague'
15. ASSOCIATED PRESS Protesters assail University of Montana regents' ban on same-sex benefits
16. MISSOULA INDEPENDENT A civil matter: Reactivating the push for same-sex benefits at University of Montana
17. RED AND BLACK (University of Georgia) Assault at Morehouse College ups fears for homosexuals at University of Georgia
18. THE ADVOCATE (Baton Rouge, LA) LSU students representing a local gay-rights group protest outside Wal-Mart to pressure the company into extending employee benefits to same-sex partners and include gays and lesbians in its anti-discrimination policy
19. DES MOINES REGISTER Uproar over gay student leader at Central College in Pella
20. ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION District Attorney alleges hate crime in Morehouse College bat attack
21. BOSTON GLOBE Arguing for a consistent sexual ethic:  an interview with Yale Divinity School professor Sister Margaret Farley
22. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE "Out' is in on campus: Colleges tailor recruiting materials to include gays
23. CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION Reversal Of Fortune:  Virginia Tech rescinds an offer to a new dean's lesbian partner and ignites a controversy
24. BOSTON HERALD  A "secret court" of Harvard College administrators interrogated gay students and expelled them in 1920 in a dark chapter of Ivy League history unearthed by Harvard's student newspaper
25. HONOLULU WEEKLY Faculty opposition has at least temporarily torpedoed a new Naval ROTC program on the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus
26. HARVARD CRIMSON  The Secret Court of 1920 - Part I [see #24 above for summary]
27. HARVARD CRIMSON  The Secret Court of 1920 - Part II
28. HARVARD CRIMSON  The Secret Court of 1920 - Part III
29. ASSOCIATED PRESS University of Wisconsin-Madison officials agree to reverse their position on funding a program to help recruit LGBT students to campus
30. BOSTON GLOBE  Harvard repudiates 1920s anti-gay school 'court'
31. WINDY CITY TIMES (Chicago glbt)  Interview with historian John D'Emilio, author of "The World Turned: Essays on Gay History, Politics, and Culture"


#1
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Monday, November 18, 2002
1255 23rd St. N.W., Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20037
Phone: 202-466-1000; FAX: (202) 452-1033
E-mail: opinion@chronicle.com, URL: ( http://chronicle.com )
http://chronicle.com/daily/2002/11/2002111804n.htm

7 FOOTBALL PLAYERS CHARGED IN ASSAULT OF TEAMMATE AT METHODIST COLLEGE
By Megan Rooney

Seven football players at North Carolina's Methodist College have been arrested on charges that they assaulted a teammate in the locker room after practice last week and sodomized him with a pen. One of the players has been charged with second-degree sexual assault, and the six others have been charged with misdemeanor hazing.

The victim, a freshman, reported the incident to the college's police department on Monday night, and, after an investigation, the arrests were made on Wednesday. Antonio Wilkerson, a senior, was charged with hazing in addition to the sexual-assault charge. He was released on a $5,000 bond. The six other players, a junior and five seniors, were released without bond.

According to a report in a local newspaper, The Fayetteville Observer, the upperclassmen got into a wrestling match with the freshman in the locker room after a practice session. The attackers reportedly held the victim down and attempted to write on his buttocks with a felt-tip pen, and one of them sexually assaulted him with the pen.

The dean of students is now mulling an array of punishments for the upperclassmen, which could range from performing community service to being expelled. All seven students were barred from playing in their team's last game of the season, which was held on Saturday against Shenandoah University. They are still free to attend classes.

According to Cynthia J. Curtis, a college spokeswoman, this is the first reported act of hazing at Methodist since the college's founding in 1956. While hazing is not specifically banned by the college, it is considered a form of assault.

"Any unwanted physical behavior that violates someone else is wrong, and we won't allow it," said Ms. Curtis.


#2
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 18, 2002
72 Marietta Street NW, Atlanta, GA, 30303
(Fax: 404-526-5746 ) (E-Mail:  journal@ajc.com )
( http://www.accessatlanta.com )
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/opinion/1102/18morehouseedit.html

Editorial:  Morehouse must reaffirm its stance against bigotry
       Atlanta's all-male Morehouse College is a jewel in the crown of the
nation's historically black colleges and universities.  It counts among its
alumni a who's who of distinguished and powerful African-American men,
including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
       Because of its prominence, the school is under scrutiny for its
handling of a vicious attack two weeks ago.  One young man beat another with
a baseball bat, reportedly for peeking at him in a dormitory shower.  The
assailant was suspended, arrested and charged with aggravated assault.  His
victim suffered a cracked skull and other injuries and is recovering in the
school infirmary.
       Although police are still investigating a motive, some students are
calling the attack a hate crime - a horrific example of homophobia that
embarrassed administrators are hoping to sweep under the rug.
Unfortunately, several early missteps by college administrators have only
helped to feed those perceptions.
       Immediately after the incident, outspoken students and gay activists
wanted college president Walter Massey to address the student body directly,
but he declined to do so.  When the Student Government Association held an
ad-hoc forum to discuss the incident without permission, a dean at the
school vowed to suspend SGA programs for the rest of the semester as
punishment.  Fortunately, her ill-advised threat was subsequently withdrawn.
       Massey has scheduled a forum for Tuesday to allow to students to
discuss the assault.  Equally important, he has finally spoken the words so
many of his students needed to hear - a welcome clarification of the
college's well-known mission of teaching black male students to become
honorable, productive men.
       "Being a man," Massey told Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Add
Seymour, "doesn't have anything to do with your sexual orientation."
       To its credit, Morehouse routinely requires students to attend
diversity training classes and sessions on how to handle harassment,
although it's abundantly clear that at least one student didn't get the
message.  Over the next several weeks, the college must take great pains to
reinforce its policy of tolerance.
       The true test of greatness comes when an individual or an institution
is under pressure.  At this moment, Morehouse has a great opportunity, and
an obligation, to help its students confront anti-gay bigotry.


#3
The Missoulian, November 18, 2002
Box 8029, Missoula, MT, 59801
(Fax: 406-523-5221 ) (E-Mail:   newsdesk@missoulian.com )
http://www.missoulian.com/display/inn_news/news03.txt

Protesters to greet regents in Missoula
By Betsy Cohen of the Missoulian
       The Montana Board of Regents will be getting an earful from the
public when the board gathers in Missoula this week to hammer out its
strategies for the upcoming legislative session.
       When the regents kick off their two-day meeting Thursday at the
University of Montana, they'll be greeted by dozens of people - maybe more -
who plan to voice dissatisfaction over the regents' decision to deny
same-sex partners of UM employees the opportunity to buy into the school's
health plan.
       In February, the ACLU sued the state, the Board of Regents, the
university system and the commissioner of higher education on behalf of univ
ersity employees and their partners, seeking to force schools to offer
benefits.
       Thursday's rally is organized by the Coalition for Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender Equality, the Outfield Alliance, UM's Diversity
Council, Working for Equality and Economic Liberation, the Multicultural
Alliance, Community Action for Justice in Americas and the Western Montana
Gay and Lesbian Community Center.
       "A lot of people have been telling us - the coalition - that they are
not happy with the regents' decision, and we feel this is a good time to
express that," said Mona Bachmann, a spokesperson for the Coalition for
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality.
       "I think there will be a lot of people who will have something to say
to the regents, and they will have about three minutes each to speak at the
public comment period," she said.
       The various university, community and statewide groups that are
sponsoring the rally believe the regents are violating the basic human right
of equal pay for equal work, Bachmann said.
       Rally organizers encourage people who support their mission to meet
at 7:20 a.m. Thursday at the North Ballroom on the third floor of the
University Center.
       Public comment is scheduled for 7:40 a.m. Thursday on the regents'
Agenda.


#4
Yale Daily News, November 18, 2002
Yale University, New Haven, CT
(E-Mail:  yale@yaledailynews.com )
( http://www.yaledailynews.com )
http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=20874

Gay rights ministry honors Yale theologian
By Christine Hung, Contributing Reporter
       Yale Divinity School professor Margaret Farley received New Ways
Ministry's Bridge Building Award Saturday for her challenge to Catholic
policy on homosexual rights, mounted through decades of writings and
lectures.
       The awards luncheon in Woolsey Hall featured testimonials to Farley's
accomplishments and character, along with a talk by Farley on gay and
lesbian issues, sexual ethics, and gender from a Catholic perspective.
       "I have not been allowed to leave these issues behind, for they have
become more pressing, not less," Farley said.  "Homophobia is in the air we
breathe.  You don't know that it's even there until someone begins to
recognize it."
       The Maryland-based New Ways Ministry gives the Bridge Building Award
to Catholics who have promoted greater acceptance of homosexuals in the
Roman Catholic Church and in society at large through scholarship,
leadership or pastoral initiative.
       An outspoken advocate of lesbian and gay rights, Farley has written
or co-edited six books and published numerous articles on topics including
sexual ethics, ethics and spirituality, and social ethics.
       Farley has taught courses on Christian ethics at the Divinity School
since 1971.  She also serves as co-chairwoman of Yale's Interdisciplinary
Bioethics Project; director of the Divinity School Project on Gender, Faith,
and Responses to HIV/AIDS in Africa; and co-director of the All-Africa
Conference: Sister to Sister.
       Letty Russell, a professor emeritus at the Divinity School, described
her colleague as a troublemaker.
       "How does she keep up such courageous stands and survive in the
church?" Russell said.  "Only Margaret knows how she does it."
       But Russell added that when it comes to advocating her cause, Farley
"does not go alone - and you may find yourself going with her."
       The testimonials Saturday also highlighted Farley's accomplishments
in smaller, more personal arenas.
       "Please don't be fooled by Margaret's petite stature - her powers are
outstanding," Farley's niece Colleen Hammell said.
       Hammell went on to describe how Farley comforted Hammell's gay
brother and reaffirmed his Catholic faith when he was dying of AIDS.
       "I truly believe that it was her majestic words that gave my dying
brother hope," Hammell said.
       Farley's longtime friend Helen Marie Burns, of the Institute of the
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, described Farley as a courageous woman who
challenged those around her to think more deeply and carefully.
       "She was a presence in the midst of the community both caring and
challenging," said Burns.
       Farley said the disputes within the Catholic Church over homosexual
rights are enough to discourage anyone from trying to reconcile different
viewpoints.  But she said the continued struggle to establish connections
between the Church and gay and lesbian communities serves as a reminder of
the presence of God.
       "We must go on building bridges across gaps in understanding and
love - bridges strong enough so that we can meet in shared lands," said
Farley.


#5
The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 19, 2002
1255 23rd St. N.W., Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20037
Phone: 202-466-1000; FAX: (202) 452-1033
E-mail: opinion@chronicle.com; URL: http://chronicle.com
( http://chronicle.com/daily/2002/11/2002111903n.htm )

Beating of Student and College's Response to Forum Set Off Debate on Homophobia at Morehouse
By RICHARD MORGAN

In the wake of an alleged antigay beating, Morehouse College is facing a controversy over perceived homophobia on its campus and a moratorium placed on student-government activities because of an unauthorized forum that dealt with antigay student sentiment.

On November 3, Gregory Love, a junior, was beaten "six or seven times about the face, head, shoulder, back, and arms" with a baseball bat while using a dormitory shower, according to a campus police report.

The report, which details only Mr. Love's account of the events, states that Mr. Love, who wasn't wearing his glasses at the time, peered at a student in another shower stall, thinking that the man was Mr. Love's roommate. That student, Aaron Price, a sophomore, apparently interpreted Mr. Love's action as a sexual advance and said, "What you lookin' at?" Mr. Love responded: "I thought you were my roommate. I was about to say 'What's up?'"

Mr. Price left, but returned soon afterward with a bat and beat Mr. Love, the campus police report said. Mr. Love was seriously injured in the beating, according to the report, and afterward searched for pieces of his teeth and called out -- without success -- for help. After knocking on his resident director's door and getting no response, Mr. Love walked to the campus infirmary, where a nurse determined that his injuries required "extensive medical care." He was sent to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery to treat a fractured skull and received 20 stitches.

Mr. Price, who turned himself in to the authorities the day after the beating, has since been expelled. He was charged with one count of aggravated assault and another of aggravated battery. He is free on a $10,000 bail bond.

Neither Mr. Love nor Mr. Price was available for comment on Monday.

Although gay organizations at the college and in the greater Atlanta area have portrayed the incident as an antigay beating, Mr. Love has said that he is not gay.

Walter E. Massey, the college's president, said on Monday that "no matter what the motivation," the beating was "a gross violation."

The student forum on homophobia and the resulting moratorium on student-government activities occurred just over a week after the beating.

On November 11, students chose homophobia as the impromptu topic of a weekly forum sponsored by the Student Government Association.

Eddie Gaffney, the college's vice provost for student affairs, imposed the ban soon afterward. He said he thought his action was appropriate because the students had called the forum "at the last minute," had not obtained the necessary approvals, and had failed to provide sufficient "structure" for a meeting on such a sensitive topic.

Although he did not attend the meeting, he said that it "got out of control." He added that "there were folk who were hurting" at the meeting, but that the "appropriate people" to handle the "integrity issues" involved were not present. "Sometimes," he continued, "with young people, if we don't stop them at a certain point, we lose that window of opportunity to instruct."

Although the student government's ability to govern remained intact -- and the organization was not, as was rumored, completely suspended -- it was barred from continuing any of its programs for several days.

Mr. Massey, who had been traveling when the moratorium was imposed, lifted it soon after his return later in the week. In a statement issued on Friday, he called its imposition the result of a "gross miscommunication" and added, "There is no such thing as an 'off limits' topic at Morehouse."

Student-government members on Monday declined to comment on the moratorium or the beating.

For Morehouse, a private historically black college and one of only four remaining all-male colleges in the country, "homophobia is not a new topic," said Mr. Massey in an interview on Monday, but, he clarified, "the only thing we're dealing with here is perceived homophobia."

Because it is an all-male institution, he said, students at Morehouse "quite often have physical encounters" that administrators must "constantly deal with," Mr. Massey said.

Morehouse students are "very wary" of anything that can be interpreted as gay, Mubarak Guy, a sophomore and friend of Mr. Price's, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "A lot of people believe that [Mr. Love] deserved to get beaten up if he was looking in the shower stall," Mr. Guy said. "But everyone thinks the bat was a little extreme. ... Nobody deserves to get beaten with a bat."

Mr. Massey said that he expects to announce soon the creation of a committee, headed by a faculty member, that will bring in experts in "sexual-orientation issues" from peer institutions to consult with Morehouse administrators on the college's efforts to promote tolerance.


#6
Daily Utah Chronicle, November 19, 2002
240 Union Building,
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112
(E-Mail: letters@chronicle.utah.edu) ( http://www.utahchronicle.com )

Drag Queens Strut Their Stuff on Stage [at University of Utah]
By Sheena McFarland, smcfarland@chronicle.utah.edu

       Men in drag - dressed in everything from tight, black leather pants
to flamboyant, yellow feather coats - danced and sang Monday night in the
Union Ballroom.
          The show featured drag queens from The Royal Court of the Golden
Spike Empire and started off with an educational panel about the drag queen
community in Salt Lake City.
       The panel participants, many of whom performed in the show, addressed
why they chose to dress as women.
       "I did this because I respect my mom, sisters and aunts so much,"
said Mark Thrash, who didn't perform in drag, but rather dances and lip
syncs to songs sung by women.  "Growing up, I just admired the way the women
in my life carried themselves with such respect and pride."
       The panel also discussed the stereotypes about the gay community that
drag shows can perpetuate.
       "Any one individual could give the gay community a bad image.  We
have overly feminine men, overly masculine women, leather community - which
is a form of drag - and others.  You have to look at our organization as a
whole, and the good we do," said Bobby Childers, the royal court's leader,
known as the emperor.
       The royal court is a non-profit organization that donates its
proceeds to various gay organizations in the state.
       Monday night's event - which raised $67 in performer tips from the
audience - benefitted the U's Lesbian Gay Student Union, said Chris Kannon,
who is the organizing member of the event and the co-president of the union.
The event cost the programming council about $100 to host.
       "I suggested LGSU to the Union Programming Council, and it was a
program the drag show could benefit, so it just came together," Kannon said.
       The audience of about 150 cheered and clapped as the six performers
danced, sang and lip synced the night away.
       "I find it interesting to see guys dress as girls and then try to
dance as girls, sometimes they can and sometimes they can't," Jim Smith
said.
       Chris Sheard, a freshman in biomedical engineering, also enjoyed the
show.  "It's just a fun night out," he said.


#7
Iowa State Daily, November 19, 2002
108 Hamilton Hall, Ames, Ia., 50011
(E-Mail: letters@iowastatedily.com ) ( http://www.iowastatedaily.com )
http://www.iowastatedaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/11/19/3dd9d689a1209

Vandals paint hate speech on buildings [at Iowa State University]
By Stefanie Peterson, Daily Staff Writer
       Two campus buildings were vandalized with derogatory slurs about
homosexuality spray painted on its outer walls.  The vandalism was
discovered on Monday.
       "Die Fag Die Fag" was written on the Durham Center and "Dean of Fags"
was written on the Student Services Building.
       Jeff Sorensen, systems analyst for Academic Information Technologies,
said he assumed the message outside Durham was painted sometime during the
weekend because it was not there when he left work on Friday.  He said he
believes the message was targeted directly at him because of his involvement
with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activities on campus.
       Dorothy Lewis, director of AIT, said she called DPS immediately after
seeing the message.
       "I was very disappointed that someone had taken this approach to any
kind of problem or disagreement," she said.  "The sort of language that was
used was inappropriate for a campus discussion.  It wasn't a discussion - it
was an attack, really."
       Jerry Stewart, director of the Department of Public Safety, said ISU
Police received a report at 2:15 p.m. stating that windows on the ground
floor of the building had been spray painted.
       Stewart said they sent an officer to Durham and the Student Services
Building to speak with Sorensen and photograph the writings.
       The message on the Student Services Building could be directed to a
number of people and offices within, including Peter Englin, dean of
students, who has been "outspoken in terms of his willingness to bring up
issues about LGBT students on campus," said Todd Herriott, adviser for the
LGBTAA.
       The Student Services Building also includes offices specifically
geared toward providing services to LGBT students, Herriott said.
       The defacements don't reflect the student body's collective opinion,
he said.
       "I think a couple individuals got bored and thought 'Hey, this will
be funny,'" Herriott said.  "I do agree that the vast majority of students
on campus would not go as far as to spray-paint the side of a building, but
I wouldn't go as far as to say that the vast majority of campus is entirely
accepting or embracing of LGBT students on campus."
       Englin said he encourages those behind the messages to speak
personally with him about their actions and the emotions behind them.
       "I would hope that the person who is responsible would come visit
with me," he said.  "I'm awfully proud to be the dean of students with a
[Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Student Services] office and would ask
folks to respond with conversation, dialogue and education as we sort
through this."
       Jeremy Hayes, coordinator for LGBTSS, agreed.
       "I hope whoever did this will engage in dialogue about it, including
why they did it and why they chose those words," said Hayes, graduate in
educational leadership and policy studies.
       He said the Student Services Building will continue to serve as a
resource for LGBT students.
       "Our services are still here," Hayes said.  "It's important for
people to know we have the support of the institution and administration."
       Stewart said ISU Police are asking anyone who might have seen
suspicious activity at or near the buildings to come forward.
       "Spray-painting is considered criminal mischief under Iowa statue.
By state statute, this does qualify as a hate crime, which means there is a
penalty enhancement," he said.  "Upon conviction, persons would receive a
sentence that is one degree higher than the penalty for an offense that is
not bias motivated.
       "This certainly is a crime that we take seriously and have zero
tolerance for," he said.
       Sorensen said the event renewed his drive to work toward tolerance on
the ISU campus.
       "At the same time that I wouldn't want people dealing with coming out
to see that kind of hatred, I think it's also important for both the
straight community and the LGBT community to be aware that that sort of
hatred still exists on campus," he said.
       "It identifies that there is still a lot of education and tolerance
work that needs to be done."


#8
Iowa State Daily, November 19, 2002
108 Hamilton Hall, Ames, Ia., 50011
(E-Mail: letters@iowastatedily.com ) ( http://www.iowastatedaily.com )
http://www.iowastatedaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/11/19/3dd9cdf76fd46

Editorial:  A reminder written in black spray paint
by Editorial Board, Iowa State Daily
       Seven torn pages of the Daily that covered the words spray-painted on
the side of the Student Services Building.  The Daily pages were taped over
the words "Dean of Fags" that had, thanks to an unknown vandal (or vandals)
and a can of spray paint, appeared sometime during the weekend.
       "Dean of Fags," it's assumed, was referring to the Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender Student Services office.
       Not far away, on the side of the Durham Center, the words "Die Fag
Die Fag" were also spray painted.
       We've come a long way.  And yet, nowhere at all.
       The message on the Student Services Building is odd.  Why attack Dean
Peter English?  A staff member with LGBTSS said it's the first time in
recent memory that anybody working for the Dean of Students Office could
remember vandalism being directed at them.
       Staff members in the Dean of Students Office decided to tape the old
newspapers over the vandalism to keep a sense of openness with students who
may be seeking the help of LGBTSS.  Covering up this kind of ignorant
intolerance is never the answer, but we also need to extend great courtesy
to those students who may be timidly approaching the office in need of help
and would clearly be turned away by hate speech.
       Although it would be nice to think hate crimes like this have no
place on our campus any more, they can't be ignored.  The individual or
individuals responsible for these actions did some homework.  Those who
wander around campus most likely don't see the Student Services Building and
make the link to LGBTSS, much less know precisely where on the building to
hit.
       As well, it was years ago when Jeff Sorensen, now a technician in the
Durham Center, was the faculty adviser to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender and Ally Alliance.  And while it's been a few years since
Sorensen was in the spotlight of LGBT activism on campus, he still believes
the message was targeted toward him.
       During his time with the LGBTAA, Sorensen said fliers were set on
fire, though the flames never caught.  Even last year, posters the LGBTAA
placed on campus that featured both homosexual and heterosexual pairs
kissing were torn down.  The group wanted to use the ripped posters to
demonstrate the attitude of the campus toward the LGBT community.  While
that may not have been a scientific test, nobody can argue with the hatred
displayed in these two acts of vandalism.
       Those responsible for the vandalism have been invited to open
dialogue.  Do so.  The opinions the vandal or vandals were trying to
express, perhaps, have a place on this campus.  The methods do not.  Utilize
the forums at our fingertips, but do not make childish jabs at those in our
community.
       . Editorial Board:  Cavan Reagan, Amber Billings, Ayrel Clark,
Charlie Weaver, Rachel Faber Machacha, Zach Calef.


#9
Des Moines Register, November 19, 2002
Box 957, Des Moines, Ia., 50304
(Fax: 515-284-8560 ) (E-Mail: letters@news.dmreg.com )
( http://desmoinesregister.com )
http://www.dmregister.com/news/stories/c4780927/19775667.html

Drake investigates reports of hate crime
University officials have no suspects in graffiti and vandalism that
targeted gay and Hispanic students.
By Maggie O'Brien, Register Staff Writer
       Incidents of intolerance and harassment aimed at gay and Hispanic
students this fall are under investigation at Drake University.
       Someone used spray paint to write slurs last month on a gay student
group's displays celebrating National Coming Out Week.
       The group had set up rainbow-colored doors on campus to promote
tolerance and understanding.  Nearly all the doors were covered with
anti-gay graffiti.  One door was stolen and dumped elsewhere on campus.
       The incident has been reported to the university as a hate crime.
Des Moines police are investigating.
       "We've never encountered this kind of blatant homophobia," said Drew
Gulley, social chair of the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Ally Alliance of
Drake.  "It's disgusting and rather vulgar."
       Someone also placed bundles of sticks near the doors, Drake student
body President Thomas Laehn said.
       "I thought it was a sign of solidarity at first," he said.  "Then I
realized that it was more malicious."  An old English term for a bundle of
sticks is also a derisive term for gays.
       Soon afterward, the Drake Student Senate unanimously passed a
resolution condemning the act.
       About 300 colleges and universities across the country prohibit
discrimination based on sexual orientation, and some institutions extend the
same protection to gender identity.  Iowa's three state universities
prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.  The University of Iowa
also prohibits discrimination based on gender identity.
       Drake's discrimination policy includes sexual orientation.
       Other acts of vandalism targeted the Hispanic student group La Fuerza
Latina. Signs announcing Hispanic Heritage Month in October were destroyed,
university officials said.
       Claudia Sato, head of La Fuerza Latina, could not be reached for
comment Monday.
       In addition, the Coalition of Black Students headquarters was
burglarized twice in the past month.  It is unclear whether those break-ins
were racially motivated since no graffiti was left.
       "At first we thought it was more of a burglary, but once BGLAAD and
LFL had their incidents, we kind of started noticing a pattern," said
Gabrielle Johnson, president of the Coalition of Black Students.  "None of
the Greek groups or the predominantly Caucasian organizations had problems."
       Drake President David Maxwell said all the incidents are being
investigated by campus security and the dean of students' office, but
officials have no suspects.
       Gulley, the gay student leader, said university officials aren't
doing enough to find and punish whoever is responsible.
       "We're not getting the sense that direct action is being taken," he
said.
       FBI hate-crime statistics include incidents reported on college
campuses.  None of Iowa's three state universities reported hate crimes in
1998.  Two years later, however, a University of Iowa dental student was
charged with a hate crime for sending e-mail threats to minority students.
Tarsha Claiborne, who is black, pleaded guilty last year and was put on
probation for four years.
       In September 1998, Wartburg College officials asked police to
investigate as hate crimes some racial slurs written on doors in campus
dormitories where black women lived.  Grinnell College organized a
candlelight march in October 1998 to protest racist and homophobic graffiti
scrawled on dorm-room doors.


#10
Toledo Blade, November 19, 2002
541 Superior St., Toledo, OH, 43660
(Fax: 419-245-6191 ) (E-Mail: letters@toledoblade.com )
( http://www.toledoblade.com )
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20021119&Category=NEWS19&ArtNo=111190038&Ref=AR

Gay group lashes out at officials of BGSU
Forum will focus on hate-crime response
By Erica Blake, Blade Staff Writer
       BOWLING GREEN - When Jason Justice and his fellow Vision members
returned to their office after the group's weekly meeting last Tuesday, they
were shocked to find a milky substance sprayed across the office and an
offensive sign posted to the door.
       Tonight, members of the Bowling Green State University gay and
lesbian student organization plan to substitute their weekly meeting with a
community forum to discuss the university's response to these sorts of hate
crimes.
       The community forum will be held at 9 tonight in room 308 of the
university's Bowen-Thompson Student Union.  And according to Mr. Justice,
Vision's president, members of the university's gay, lesbian, and bisexual
community hope to air their concerns about the "nonchalant" way in which the
case was handled by campus police and the seeming lack of action by the
university itself.
       "I think that students should have been informed about this - and be
informed in future incidents - and that administrators should be held
accountable to make sure these things are followed up on," the 21-year-old
junior said.
       Vision is a student organization for gay and lesbian members of the
university and their supporters, formed in the early 1980s.  Like other
student organizations, the group has an office on the fourth floor of the
university's student union, a building that is open 24 hours a day.  It was
on the locked office door Tuesday that members found the offensive note and
milky substance.
       As of yesterday, police were still investigating the incident and had
no suspects, university Police Chief James Wiegand said.
       Mr. Justice said that although identifying the vandals is a concern,
bigger issues evolved from the incident, namely the way in which police
handled the investigation.
       The feeling that the incident was trivialized by campus police led
the student group to file a complaint against the department Friday alleging
"insensitivity and a nonchalant attitude."
       Chief Wiegand said the department is investigating the complaint but
has not yet made any staff or policy changes.
       "It's no different than any other complaint that's filed," said the
chief, who plans to be at tonight's meeting.  "It's now an internal affairs
issue, and we will be investigating it, and I don't think it would be
appropriate to comment on it."
       Mr. Justice said Vision's concerns don't end with the police
department.  Members of the group are looking for answers as to what the
university's policy is for reporting hate crimes and what sort of help is
available for the victims of such incidents.  In a letter sent out to all
students, faculty, staff, and administrators, Mr. Justice called for a
change in the university's response.
       "While it has certainly been very encouraging to receive countless
e-mails and phone calls of concern from compassionate students, faculty,
staff, and administration, there has yet to be any kind of administrative
support which we have not sought out ourselves," Mr. Justice wrote.
       Julie Haught, a lecturer in the English department, threw her support
behind Vision's efforts for change and offered to facilitate tonight's
forum.  She said she is concerned that the university doesn't treat gay and
lesbians fairly - mainly by refusing benefits for partners of faculty
members in same-sex marriages.
       Wanda Overland, dean of students, said university administrators look
forward to the forum as a way of gleaning more information on what concerns
students and staff have.  She said the university had organized a task force
this fall to consider gay and lesbian issues.
       "We certainly do not condone discrimination of any form, and we try
to do our utmost to investigate what happened," she said.


#11
Express Times, November 19, 2002
30 N. 4th Street, P.O. Box 391, Easton, PA 18044-0391
(Online Mailer: http://penn.nj.com/expresstimes/submit.html )
( http://penn.nj.com/expresstimes )
http://www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1037700361216920.xml

Lehigh U. organizes demonstration to counter church
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
By John Zukowski, The Express-Times
       Lehigh University officials are organizing a non-violent protest
against the Dec. 6 and 7 pickets by the anti-homosexual Westboro Baptist
Church.
       Officials will meet with students Nov. 21 to plan what Lehigh
University spokeswoman Tracey Moran called "counter programming" against the
picketers who are coming to Lehigh to protest a diversity plan at the
university.  Church members have said diversity programs often include
homosexuals.
       In a statement, the university condemned the tactics of the Topeka,
Kan. church, which has held thousands of anti-homosexual demonstrations with
signs such as "God Hates Fags."  However, the church's message also provides
an opportunity for discussion through on-campus forums, lectures, and
speeches, Moran said.
       "As an institution of higher learning, we do believe that
conversation, discourse and dialogue is an important thing," she said.  "In
this case, what has been really wonderful is that our students have come
forward and they want to have a voice in it."
       However, those discussions won't include members of the Westboro
Baptist Church, Moran said.  Previously, members challenged the university
to include them in any forums about homosexuality.
       Instead, church members likely will protest at two places the
university and police determined would be safe areas to demonstrate:  the
corner of Morton and Webster streets at 2 p.m. Dec. 6 and the corner of
Packer Avenue and Fillmore Street at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7.
       Westboro Baptist spokeswoman Shirley Phelps-Roper said it was
hypocritical that church members weren't asked to join any of the events on
campus.
       "Sometimes you get people at universities who really believe in
fundamental fairness and will include all sides, but often they scream about
tolerance but are actually intolerant," she said.  "That's because they'll
tolerate everything except God.  They are really the intolerant people
because they hate God."
       She also dismissed the idea that it was not possible to engage in
constructive dialogue with them and that their views were hateful.
       "They're going to rethink how hateful it is when they stand in
judgment before God," she said.
       The picket is part of a three-day protest the group has scheduled for
Bethlehem from Dec. 6 to Dec. 8, which includes pickets of seven Bethlehem
churches and Cedar Crest College.
       The group is protesting the churches to show support for the Rev.
Marshall Griffin of St. Paul's Baptist Church in Bethlehem, who suggested
during a Sept. 11 ecumenical service that the terrorist attacks may have
been retribution for homosexual unions.  They are protesting Cedar Crest
College because the college recently awarded an honorary degree and named a
scholarship for tennis player Billie Jean King.
       Cedar Crest has not planned any protest, rally, or workshop in
expectation of the visit from the Westboro protesters, said the school's
Director of College Relations Michael Traupman.
       However, a statement by Cedar Crest College President Dorothy
Gulbenkian Blaney said police notified the college about the protest.
       "Legal advice to the trustees from the college's counsel at Pepper
Hamilton LLP indicates that the law requires that the college permit this
demonstration to take place," the statement said.  "Cedar Crest campus
security is prepared to assure a safe and orderly protest."
       Lehigh University President Gregory Farrington's office issued some
guidelines about how to interact with the protesters.  The letter advised
students not to approach them, not to yell at them and to utilize
non-violent methods.
       The letter also warned students that the protesters "use vulgar
language, graphic signs and illustrations and tactics aimed at inciting
others into a confrontation."
       So far, Lehigh has planned the following events in reaction to the
picket:
       . A series of speakers, testimonials and music to non-violently
protest the Westboro Baptist Church 7 p.m. Dec. 7 at Packer Memorial Church
at Lehigh.
       . The Rev. Elizabeth Goudy of the predominantly gay Metropolitan
Community Church in Bethlehem will speak Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. about
homosexuality and the Bible and policies of churches toward homosexuals.
       . Muhlenberg College Theater Arts Professor James Peck, who is
Matthew Shepard's cousin, will speak at a chaplain's forum 4 p.m. Dec.3 in
the Humanities Center.  Shepard was the gay man beaten and left tied to a
fence to die in Wyoming.
       Westboro church members also will protest at the following Bethlehem
churches:  Cathedral Church of the Nativity, Salem Lutheran Church, Trinity
Episcopal Church, First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, UCC Church of the
Manger, Wesley United Methodist Church, and St. Simon and St. James Roman
Catholic Church.
       One local minister who also condemned the church's tactics said
church members nonetheless have decided to give the protesters a place
outside the church to stand.
       "We're going to adopt a position of Christian hospitality and make
sure they have a safe spot to stand on," said the Rev. Bill Lentz of Wesley
United Methodist Church.  "But we will not engage them."
       . Reporter John A. Zukowski can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by
e-mail at jzukowski@express-times.com.


#12
NASPA NetResults
http://www.naspa.org/NetResults/article.cfm?ID=855&category=Feature

OUT AT WORK: BEING A GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, OR TRANSGENDER STUDENT AFFAIRS PROFESSIONAL
by Beverly A. McCreary, University of Hawai'i at Manoa
November 19, 2002
From NASPA's NetResults

Being out as a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual at work is an interesting combination of personal, political and professional, and it is impossible to divorce the individual from the act of being out. It is this very mixture that makes the decision challenging. Many of us wait for the day, when being out is a non-issue, because the assumption of heterosexuality has been challenged. However, we are not there yet, and for many LGBT student affairs professionals, the decision to be out at work requires some thought and deliberation.

I was both excited and a little intimidated at the prospect of writing an essay on being out as a student affair professional and providing mentorship to students. I came out (to myself and publicly) toward the middle of my professional career, transitioning from a heterosexual identity to a lesbian identity at the university that I had been working at for five years. The staff went from knowing me as the married mother of a two-year-old, to the lesbian mother of a two-year-old. In this process I have been very privileged to have immediate supervisors who fully supported my being out on campus, and in the work that I do. In addition, some of the most rewarding professional interactions that I have had with students have come out of this work. It is from this frame that I write about being out at work. This essay will address some of the general issues around being out at work and some of the ways that professionals can become active mentors. A reference list at the end will identify resources for issues that are not addressed.

The 1990's saw forward movement on many issues concerning LGBT individuals in higher education. For example of the 3000 institutions of higher education, approximately 250 of these institutions now include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policy (see http://www.lgbtcampus.org/resources/nondiscrimination.html for a list). However, there has been uneven movement within the areas of concern for the LGBT community. Most specifically, gender identity is included in the non-discrimination policy of fewer institutions, (Shepard, Yeskel, & Outcalt, 1995). In addition, many states have seen a political climate swing toward the right, negatively impacting legal issues such as domestic partner benefits, retirement benefits and adoption (see http://www.glad.org, http://www.hrc.org, or http://www.ngltf.org for information on these issues). Finally, even within student affairs, reports suggest that individuals experience discrimination based upon their sexual orientation, from homophobic comments to actions that purposely exclude lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals (Croteau & Lark, 1995; for a bibliography of campus climate surveys see http://www.lgbtcampus.org/resources/campus_climate.html ). The good news is that LGBT professionals who are out at work report more satisfaction with their decision to be out, despite experiencing more harassment.

Student affairs professionals are used to concentrating on the needs of our students. However, for the professional who is contemplating being out at work, the first place to focus is on you. As I came to identify as lesbian, I had many positive experiences of support from friends and colleagues. However, I also had negative experiences. For example, one colleague suddenly had difficulty working with me on committees, reviewing cases, and providing supervision to students. He began challenging my abilities and expertise, devaluing my opinion, and undermining my work with students. I found the support of my partner, supervisor, and close colleagues invaluable at this time. It was a challenging experience to have to focus on personal issues within a professional context.

    * Personal support: The student affairs professional who is considering being out at work, needs to assess where he or she is in terms of his or her own identity development, place in his or her career, the job currently held, and level of personal and professional support. "Coming out" is not a one-time event, but a continuous process, and individuals require different levels of support along the way. Do you have a supportive partner? Are you and your partner at the same level of identity development? Do you have supportive friends? Are you out to your family, and are they supportive? Do you have a person or community to access if you experience difficulties at work? It is important to recognize that individuals of color often report different experiences and needs from those of European Americans. For example, many individuals of color report the coming out experience to be different, and the intersection of racial and sexual orientation identity to present unique challenges that are often not addressed in the models of sexual orientation identity development (Gore, 2000; Greene, 2000).

    * Institutional support: Another concern is the level of institutional support. This support can be assessed in a variety of ways. Does the university have a non-discrimination policy that includes sexual orientation? The inclusion of sexual orientation in the institution's non-discrimination policy suggests that there is protection within the institution, and procedures are in place if the professional should encounter discrimination. Another way to assess the institution's support is to identify if there is an active staff/faculty group on campus. Does that group include individuals in similar positions as you? An individual in this position may consider contacting a staff member whom is out on campus and discussing some of the issues within the institution. An issue that is not covered in this essay is that of professionals employed by religiously affiliated institutions. For these individuals there may be complications beyond the scope of this paper (see reference list).

    * Geographic location: The late 1990's saw a swing back to a more conservative political environment. Therefore, another important consideration for the professional is the geographic location of the institution and the surrounding political climate. This will likely impact the policies of the university. However, it will also impact the existence of an LGBT community. As I was coming out, I had the luxury of a strong local LGBT community. There were many out gay, lesbian and bisexual professionals in my area who offered support and expertise. However there are areas of the country where there is not an active LGBT community, and support may be more of an issue for the professional. I recently moved to another area of the country, and have been surprised at the difference in community visibility and involvement. There is more of a sense of isolation and alienation, for when an event occurs on campus, there is not the same immediate community support.

Becoming a mentor to LGBT students

The lack of role models for LGBT youth is a common topic in popular and scholarly writing. As openly LGBT professionals in a university setting, individuals can provide a concrete example for students. I am continually amazed at how students come to hear about me and then utilize me as a support or resource.

As with being out at work, being a mentor can be a very personal experience; students often want to know about you and how you have negotiated certain issues. Therefore, it is important for the professional considering mentoring to know his or her personal comfort around being out -- what you are willing to talk about, and where you want to maintain your privacy. Students may, at times, push your comfort zones, and if you have not thought about it beforehand, you may find yourself revealing aspects of your life that you are not comfortable having public. Additionally, it is important to recognize that your comfort zone will change, depending upon the circumstances, the student, the role that you are serving, and your own personal situation at the time.

    * Informal mentoring: This form of mentoring can occur as the professional becomes more visible on campus. As a professional increases his or her activity, students often seek out that individual for advice, discussion and support. I tend to be more conservative than some of my colleagues in what I am comfortable discussing with students. However, one of the most powerful discussions that I had was with a group of students subsequent to the opening of the "Love Makes A Family" photography exhibit on campus. The students had questions about parenting, extended family involvement, and custody issues. This conversation truly melded my personal experience, political issues, and the developmental needs of the students.

    * Formal mentoring: This type of mentoring can occur through LGBT mentor programs on the university campus, where faculty/staff are matched with students. For example, Brown University ( http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Office_of_Student_Life/OSL.Programs.sh tml ) and UCLA (http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~mentors/ ) offer formal mentoring programs for LGBT students. Another area of formal mentoring involves being a part of campus organizations promoting LGBT issues -- joining the advisory board for an LGBT student office, joining the staff/faculty LGBT group, participating in an LGBT speaker's bureau, or advising an LGBT student group. As a professional becomes more active in some of the "formal" mentoring opportunities, she or he will find that the informal contact with students increases. Many "debriefing" sessions, after a speaking engagement evolve into informal conversations about issues that are on the student's minds. I find out valuable information about what is happening at the university, and within my student's lives during these discussions.

    * Mentoring within the academic environment: This type of mentoring involves looking at the academic course content and including issues around LGBT concerns when appropriate. There are many courses on campus where a unit or component on LGBT issues is very appropriate; the fact that it is not included continues to diminish the importance and visibility of sexual orientation in the curriculum and on campus. In the areas of history, psychology, political science, communications, theatre/dance, literature, or philosophy, content regarding sexual orientation is often lacking. As a professor, bringing that content into class, demonstrates to students that you are a potential ally and you might be surprised how many students want to talk with you about further readings, and at times non-academic issues.

In the Professional Associations

Through NASPA's GLBT Knowledge Community ( http://www.naspa.org/communities/kc/community.cfm?kcid=7) and ACPA's Standing Committee for LGBT Awareness, (http://www.geocities.com/sclgbta/ ), our major professional associations provide opportunities for networking, educational programming, and professional development. Professional associations of many student affairs specialties (e.g., academic advising, admissions, student unions, housing/residential life, etc.) also offer LGBT caucuses, committees, or networks. These structures provide important support, mentoring, networking, and professional development for LGBT graduate students and new, mid-career, and senior professionals.

In this essay, I have addressed some of the areas student affairs professionals might consider in becoming more visible as LGBT on campus. Unfortunately there are still challenges in being an out lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual within institutions of higher education. However, for those of us who are able, being visible and vocal, continually naming the institutional heterosexism, and working for equality can continue forward movement. My commitment to being a visible lesbian and mentor to students is reconfirmed every time a student comes into my office to talk about a problem; as I meet a student on campus and casually chat about his/her life; and as I see students walk across the stage at graduation, despite the difficulties that I know they encountered while at the university.

Additional Resources:

Cole, M. (2000). Education, Equity and Human Rights: Issues of Gender, 'Race', Sexuality, Special Needs and Social Class. Routledge/Falmer: New York. ( http://www.routledge.com)

Croteau, J.M. & Talbot, D.M. (2000). Understanding the Landscape: An Empirical View of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues in the Student Affairs Profession. In V.A. Wall & N.J. Evans (Eds), Toward Acceptance (pp. 3-28). Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America.

Gore, S. (2000). The Lesbian and Gay Workplace: An Employee's Guide to Advancing Equity. In B. Greene & G.L. Croom (Eds), Education, Research, and Practice in lesbian, Gay Bisexual, and Transgendered Psychology: A Resource Manual (pp. 282-302). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publication, Inc. ( http://www.sagepub.com)

Green, B. (1997). Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Among Lesbians and Gay Men. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. ( http://www.sagepub.com)

Levine, H. & Love, P.G. (2000). Religiously Affiliated Institutions and Sexual Orientation. In V.A. Wall & N.J. Evans (Eds), Toward Acceptance (pp. 89-108). Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America.

Sanlo, R.L. (1998). Working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender College Students. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ( http://www.greeenwood.com)

Shepard, C.F., Yeskel, F., & Outcalt, C. (1995) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Organizing: A Comprehensive Manual. National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. ( http://www.ngltf.org)

Von Destinon, Evans and Wall (2000). Navigating the Minefield: Sexual Orientation Issues and Campus Politics. In V.A. Wall & N.J. Evans (Eds), Toward Acceptance (pp. 371-386). Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America.

Beverly A. McCreary, Ph.D. is a Gender Equity Counselor at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. She is the NASPA Region VI Chair for the GLBT Issues Knowledge Community Leadership Team. She can be reached at bmccrear@hawaii.edu.


#13
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA)
NetResults
http://www.naspa.org/NetResults/article.cfm?ID=827

EXPECTATIONS AND POSSIBILITIES: THE WORK OF LGBT CAMPUS RESOURCE CENTERS
by Ronni Sanlo, UCLA
November 11, 2002
From NASPA's NetResults

Recently there have been articles in mainstream magazines and newspapers about why college campuses should not "recruit" lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) students. I'm always grateful for such articles because they serve to remind me why my work in higher education is so important. They also remind me that few campuses are yet safe for LGBT college students or even LGBT student affairs professionals. Admittedly, I sometimes get comfortable at UCLA where LGBT people are more included in campus life. That's not to say that things are perfect at UCLA. They're not, but at least LGBT students, faculty, and staff may correctly expect to achieve and succeed in a fairly welcoming environment.

One of the many arguments of those who criticize LGBT work on college campuses-and one with which my colleagues and I struggle--is documentation. "How many gay students are there on your campus?"--as if a specific number means we may embark on this work. I often respond by saying that if Admissions would only include boxes for sexual orientation and gender identity , we'd probably have an answer to that question, but that still would not give us a complete picture. I suspect that even if colleges and universities provided such boxes, few LGBT students would respond. They do not trust that the information would be protected and that they would not experience something negative as a result of their honesty. The reality is that we simply don't know how many LGBT students are on any campus, or in any school or community. Further, we remain uniformed as to their issues of retention and their persistence to graduation.

Therese Eyermann and I wrote a chapter in the new book Our Place on Campus: LGBT Services and Programs in Higher Education (2002, Sanlo, Rankin, & Schoenberg, http://www.greenwood.com ) that addresses the issue of documenting LGBT students on college campuses. In a longitudinal survey of 6500 students who live in the residence halls at UCLA, fewer than 1% responded to a question that asked if one is heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. When we changed the question from labels to behaviors--Are you sexually attracted to men, women, or both? --no fewer responded to that question than to any other question on the survey. The result each year since we changed the question is that about 10% of the population indicated they were sexually attracted to someone of the same sex. We don't know what labels they use or if they've ever acted upon their attraction, but at least we know beyond anecdotal evidence that LGBT people are on our campuses.

Regardless of how or even if LGBT students, faculty, and staff identify themselves, and regardless of whether there are one or 1,000, they should never experience discrimination because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. No one, inclusive of race, nationality, socioeconomic class, ability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and even religion, should have to experience institutional discrimination and personal harassment on today's college and university campuses. Every campus, regardless of philosophy, mission, religious affiliation, or location, should be safe for every student to learn and every faculty and staff to teach and to work. If a campus does not value each student equally, it should ethically publicize who is not welcome so that students have the option of attending--and spending--at institutions where they are expected and where they will be valued. It is exactly this philosophy that drives the work of LGBT campus resource center directors. As I learned from my work in LeaderShape, we LGBT directors "care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible." We place our hearts on the line through advocacy, risk not being taken seriously on our campuses, and get nitched into this LGBT work so that upward mobility into senior positions is nearly impossible. But we do it because-as I learned from my grandfather the Rabbi-we believe in Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. Bleeding hearts perhaps, but isn't that, after all, why we're in student affairs?

Four years ago Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered. We still remember and mourn him. Sadly, what happened to Matthew is nothing new. We see hate-motivated violence against LGBT people and other targeted social groups on the rise. In any weekly LGBT publications there are stories of brutal attacks. The simple truth is that we live in a society that tolerates intolerance, and gay bashing comes in many forms, even on our campuses.

    * Whenever hate mongers like Fred Phelps and his kind protest on campus, that's gay bashing.

    * Whenever a student is disowned by family and funding for college is withdrawn, that's gay bashing.

    * Whenever any student is ridiculed, isolated, confronted, or attacked for not conforming to rigid constructions of gender expression, that's gay bashing.

    * Whenever faculty exclude the stories of our lives, our experiences, and our accomplishments in the classroom, that's gay bashing.

    * When LGBT professionals are continuously overlooked for senior student affairs positions, that's a form of gay bashing.

    * And when a professor tells a student that research on LGBT issues is too narrow, that, too, is gay bashing.

    * Whenever any one of us is taught to hate ourselves, each of us is demeaned, and that certainly is gay bashing.

On most college campuses, LGBT students know that their schools aren't safe. They're often left to their own advocacy and safety. In a powerful 1998 study of college students by forensic psychologist Karen Franklin, http://www.karenfranklin.com/home.html , many students on campus said they regularly use anti-gay epithets. The reason is that during their younger years, no one told them to stop. The message was that it's okay to gay-bash in this way. In fact, that's so gay is the current phrase of choice among your college students to describe things that are horrible or disgusting. It hurts the hearts and affects the abilities of our LGBT students, most of whom remain deeply in the closet, afraid to speak out or defend themselves or others. We in student affairs and we LGBT people have a right-or, rather, an obligation-to speak up, to fight back with all the energy, with all the unity, and with all the love of which we are capable.

Luckily, we do have our successes on campuses. Through the hard work of our LGBT campus resource center directors (see http://www.lgbtcampus.org ), LGBT student affairs personnel, our very smart students, some very brave allies, and a heck of a lot of courage all the way around, we are moving forward, creating socially just campuses with our sisters and brothers from a multitude of identities. For example:

    * LGBT student groups as well as faculty/staff and alumni organizations are flourishing;

    * mentoring programs are reaching out; domestic partner benefits are being offered;

    * sexual orientation and gender identity policies are being included;

    * LGBT studies departments are being created;

    * LGBT campus resource centers are being recognized as valuable professional departments in student affairs divisions;

    * LGBT students are being recognized for their incredible and lasting contributions;

    * and LGBT alumni are being sought by development offices as the new untapped fundraising market.

Because of the work of LGBT campus resource center directors, there are now a number of ways in which one might identify a welcoming campus.

    *Are the words sexual orientation and gender identity in the non-discrimination policies?

    * Is the non-discrimination policy printed on campus documents?

    * Are the words sexual orientation and gender identity mentioned during orientation and campus tours, or during staff and faculty new employee orientations?

    * Do the senior student affairs officers include LGBT terminology in their talks and meetings?

    * Are there LGBT student organizations?

    * Is there a professionally staffed LGBT campus resource center?

    * Are there LGBT-friendly staff in student heath services who understand the effects of the disease of homophobia?

    * Are there privacy spaces in campus recreation locker rooms and shower facilities?

    * Are domestic partner benefits available for families of LGBT student affairs professionals?

    * Is there a Lavender Graduation honoring the lives and achievement of LGBT students at the end of the academic year?

All of this is a huge dynamic change for many campuses. Such change rarely happens overnight or without challenge. But with fearless student affairs professionals who understand the value of each student and each staff person, change does occur. As Gandhi taught us, be the change you wish to see in the world. I challenge you to create a campus in which every student and every staff person-inclusive of all of their characteristics-is expected and is welcomed.

Dr. Ronni Sanlo is the director of the UCLA LGBT Campus Center (http://www.lgbt.ucla.edu), author of numerous books and articles about LGBT college students, and is the founding chair of the National Consortium of Directors of LGBT Resources in Higher Education (http://www.lgbtcampus.org). She may be reached at sanlo@ucla.org


#14
The Pantagraph, November 21, 2002
301 West Washington St., Bloomington, IL, 61701
(Fax: 309-829-8497 ) (E-Mail:  bwills@pantagraph.com )
http://www.pantagraph.com/stories/112102/new_20021121026.shtml

Pastor calls intolerance 'death-dealing plague' [at Wesleyan University]
By Kelly Josephsen, Pantagraph staff
       BLOOMINGTON - The Rev. Gregory Dell was at Illinois Wesleyan
University for AIDS Awareness Week, but AIDS wasn't the disease he wanted to
talk about.
       He did, however, have a "plague" on his mind:  "I'm not speaking
about AIDS.  I am speaking about the plague of intolerance, the plague of
bigotry, the plague of exclusion.  That is the plague I want you to consider
as we come through this week of awareness."
       Dell, a 1967 IWU alumni, has fought intolerance throughout his
career.  He is pastor of Broadway United Methodist Church in Chicago and a
vocal supporter of equal rights for gay, lesbian and bisexual people.  His
longtime support of same-sex marriages led to his temporary suspension from
the ministry in 1999.
       On Wednesday, he talked about an older, white heterosexual couple who
started attending his church, which is known for its diversity and openness
to gays.  They showed up as the church hierarchy planned to put him on trial
for his stance on same-sex marriage.
       A colleague told Dell the couple had been going to churches across
northern Illinois, speaking against homosexuality.  He responded: "If they
want to be here, they are welcome."
       The couple attended Dell's services without incident.
       One day, the man told Dell he had intended to disrupt the services,
but changed his mind after talking with a church member on Christmas Eve.
       He asked the young man if he were eager to go home for the holidays.
The young man responded, "I am home.  My AIDS diagnosis proved to my family
that God and they should not love me."
       A few months later, Dell saw the couple holding signs of support at
his trial; between them stood the young man from Christmas Eve.  The
would-be protester told Dell, "I never realized the way I thought translated
into hurting real people."
       Dell doesn't consider the couple particularly heroic for their change
of heart, but their actions prove ordinary people can stand up to their own
bigotry.
       "God has said, 'If you're going to be alive, you can not tolerate
intolerance,'" Dell said.
       Being human means realizing all people have equal value regardless of
gender, race or sexual orientation, Dell said.  People who don't realize
that contribute to the "plague of intolerance."
       "It is a death-dealing plague," he said, "that attacks us at the very
core of our being."


#15
Associated Press, November 21, 2002
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?tl=1&display=rednews/2002/11/21/build/local/84-regents-protestors.inc

Protesters assail regents' ban on same-sex benefits [at Montana University]
       MISSOULA (AP) - A Montana University system policy barring health
insurance benefits for partners of gay employees is a matter of
discrimination and injustice, dozens of protesters told the state Board of
Regents here Thursday.
       More than 100 demonstrators, many carrying signs saying "Equal Pay
for Equal Work," assailed the policy as the board began its two-day meeting.
       "It's time to acknowledge that the refusal to honor and recognize
committed same-sex relationships on an equal par with cross-sex ones also
comes from nothing but bigotry and fear," said Mona Bachman of Missoula.
       Bridget Whearty, a University of Montana student, said the policy is
a slap in the face of her and other lesbians, and an embarrassment to the
state.
       "I cannot support this myth of the last best place," she said.
"Montana is the last best place for straight people.  I am ashamed of my
home."
       But supporters of the restriction on health benefits said it properly
reinforces the value of traditional marriages and follows the laws defining
what constitutes a married couple.
       "You strengthen the family by your decision," said John Bates of
Hamilton.  "You've chosen the harder right over the easier wrong."
       "Homosexuals are less than 4 percent of the population and want to be
treated as if their lifestyle is normal, and it's not," said Chris Jones of
Missoula.
       Thursday's demonstration was the most significant the regents have
seen in years, with students and the general public seldom coming before the
board to protest regent actions.
       The issue of health benefits for same-sex couples has been a hot one
for almost three years.
       In February 2000, Commissioner of Higher Education Richard Crofts
cited financial and legal concerns in turning down an advisory committee's
recommendation that health benefits be extended to same-sex partners of
employees.
       Three months later, the regents unanimously endorsed the decision,
leaving in place a policy that allows spouses and unmarried, heterosexual
partners of employees to obtain health insurance.
       Two University of Montana faculty members and their partners sued the
university system early this year, contending the policy on benefits
discriminates against them.
       An arson fire destroyed one couple's house shortly after the suit was
filed.  No arrests have been made, and the lawsuit is pending in state
District Court in Helena.
       A discrimination claim filed by the two couples with the state Human
Rights Commission was dismissed last month.
       LeRoy Schramm, attorney for the regents, said despite arguments by
supporters of the university system policy, he has not argued that state law
prohibits benefits for same-sex partners.
       "That is a power that you don't want to compromise," he said.  "I was
not going to argue that you could not do this.  This is not something that
we think we are forbidden from doing."
       Critics on Thursday focused on that issue, insisting the regents have
the discretion to change their stand and treat all employees fairly
regardless of sexual orientation.
       Casey Charles, a spokesman for Outfield Alliance, a gay and lesbian
faculty advocacy group, said the existing policy should be changed because
it hurts the quality of education in the university system.
       "If the university system wants to attract and keep top-notch
faculty, staff and students, and reap the fiscal and academic benefits from
that recruitment, the adoption of this proposal will act as an important
step in that direction," he said.


#16
Missoula Independent, November 21, 2002
P.O. Box 8275, Missoula, MT 59801
(Fax: 406/543-4367 ) ( http://www.missoulanews.com )
(Online Mailer: http://www.missoulanews.com/News/Letters/LetterTo.asp )
http://www.everyweek.com/News/News.asp?no=2866

A civil matter
Reactivating the push for same-sex benefits at University of Montana
by Jed Gottlieb
       It's time to get back on the bus, says Mona Bachmann of the Coalition
for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality.  It's time to remind
the community of the lawsuit against the Montana University System that
seeks benefits for same-sex domestic partners of university employees, and
it's time to remind the Board of Regents of broad-based support for the
suit, she says.  To that end, Bachmann and a coalition of co-sponsors have
planned a demonstration to coincide with the board's Thursday, Nov. 21
meeting on campus.
       When Bachmann uses the get-on-the-bus metaphor, she invokes classic
civil rights images-Martin Luther King and the Montgomery, Ala. bus boycott,
Brown v. the Board of Education, the forced busing of public school
students, and civil rights advocates riding hundreds of miles to rallies on
the Washington mall.  For Bachmann the metaphor makes perfect sense.
       "This is a civil rights issue," she says.  "It's actually one of the
major civil rights issues of our time."
       Civil rights issue or not, it's wrapped up in a lawsuit.  And
lawsuits just aren't glamorous.
       The suit, which was filed last February by lead plaintiffs Nancy
Siegel, Carol Snetsinger, Carla Grayson and Adrianne Neff along with the
Montana American Civil Liberties Union, has faced a Hydra of obstacles that
have continuously forced the de-emphasis of the seminal issue in the media.
       "Unfortunately, lawsuits crawl slowly through the courts and just
aren't as compelling as a really tragic thing like the arson" says Karl
Olson, executive director of the statewide gay rights organization Montana
Pride.  "Nevertheless we do want to try to motivate people to have an
interest in what's happening with the lawsuit."
       On Feb. 8, 2002, four days after the suit was filed and the four
plaintiffs had appeared at a press conference, the home of Grayson and Neff
was gutted by an arson fire.  Grayson and Neff and Siegel and Snetsinger
also received letters filled with a white powder with the words "Die Dykes
Anthrax" on them.  The letters did not contain anthrax.
       The arson made the front pages and TV and radio news across the state
and nation.  But the event that precipitated it, the suit, wasn't widely
covered.
       "The arson is dramatic and big news naturally," says Bachmann.  "But
it's pretty easy for this [lawsuit] to get lost in arson and the
investigation."
       No arrests have been made in the investigation, but in August police
focused much of their attention on Grayson and Neff as potential arsonists,
a move that kept the couple in the spotlight and again shifted media
coverage away from the issue of same-sex partner benefits.
       Then on Oct. 19, the Missoulian printed a headline announcing
"Benefits discrimination lawsuit dismissed."
       "A lot of people saw that and thought the lawsuit was dismissed, that
that was it," says Bachmann.  "But it wasn't, not at all."
       The headline, which Bachmann feels was misleading, referred to the
case being dismissed not by the district court but by the Montana Human
Rights Commission.  In discrimination cases, the law requires plaintiffs go
through the Human Rights Commission as well as the courts.  Because the
Montana Human Rights Act doesn't mention sexual orientation as an area in
which one can be discriminated against, the commission dismissed the case.
       The crucial decision now is in the hands of District Judge Thomas
Honzel of Helena.  Honzel has heard oral arguments from both sides and is in
the midst of deciding what to do with the case.  Even with the confusion and
lack of coverage over the past months, Bachmann admits that gay issues have
received more Montana press recently than they have in the past.
       "Interestingly enough, all these gay issues have been really
important in Missoula and in Montana over the last year," she says.
"There's this unfair insurance policy and the lawsuit, and then there's been
the arson, the homophobia, the Mike Taylor incident and Joey Jayne and Josh
King, the two representatives in Lake County that were smeared with that
postcard campaign."
       Bachmann refers to Mike Taylor's decision to drop out of the senate
race after complaining that attack ads portrayed him as a gay hairdresser,
and a mailing that targeted King and Jayne, both of whom were running for
house seats in Lake County, as being pro-homosexual.  There is also a
stalled effort to allow for same-sex partner benefits for city and county
employees.
       Olson regrets that the lawsuit and other gay issues haven't been
covered with more depth, but even he is too busy to give any one issue his
full attention.
       "We have a lot of irons in the fire, but that's how we like it," he
says.  "We're very busy working on some really good stuff and tangible
stuff.  And it's been my particular interest and goal [to make] the issue of
equality and discrimination as tangible as possible."
       Too many people don't realize that equality is not an abstract
theory, says Olson, and that the result of the lawsuit will have real
impacts on people.  This is why it is so important to remind and reenergize
people who have seen the issue fall beneath the community radar, say
organizers.
       "It's just a chance to express to the regents and community that the
regents' decision [to not extend same-sex benefits] was unjust and we hold
them responsible for it even though time has gone by, even though we are
going to the court system for justice," says Bachmann.


#17
Red and Black, November 21, 2002
University of Georgia, 540 Baxter Street, Athens, GA 30605
(Fax:  706-433-3033)  ( http://www.redandblack.com )
http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/11/21/3ddcf81a15fd3

Assault [at Morehouse College] ups fears for homosexuals [at University of Georgia]
Jessica Lee Reece
       John Lynch's first experience with anti-gay stereotypes at the
University happened the day he moved into the residence hall his freshman
year.
       "(A hallmate) told me 'I don't know why gay people come out.  I think
they're just looking for attention,'" Lynch said.  "I couldn't believe it."
       Now a senior at the University and executive director of the Lambda
Alliance, Lynch said there is still "homophobic behavior on this campus."
       And the problem is not isolated to the University.
       Two weeks ago, Gregory Love, a junior at Morehouse College in
Atlanta, was beaten by Aaron Price, a sophomore, for looking at him in the
shower of their residence hall.
       Price said he interpreted the act as an unwanted homosexual advance.
Love told police he mistook Price for his roommate.
       University Dean of Students Rodney Bennett said the incident is a
"clear example for the need for civility across racial, ethnic and sexual
lines."
       "It saddens me to know that in 2002 we have to work with students who
have behaved the way that student is alleged to have behaved," Bennett said.
       "It's unfortunate, but it's reality."
       Bennett also said dealing with the stereotypes of being gay in a
black community, as in the case of the student at Morehouse, especially can
be difficult.
       To address gay issues at the University, the Minority Affairs
Committee of the Student Government Association hosted a mediated discussion
last month.
       The discussion, titled "Gay vs. Straight: Is there really a battle?,"
prompted a passionate discussion, said committee co-chair Charlie Bailey, a
sophomore from Pine Mountain.
       "It is a problem on campus," he said.  "There is discrimination
against people that are gay or lesbian or bisexual ... but, really, it's a
problem across the country."
       SGA President Sachin Varghese said that he does not think there is an
"atmosphere of hate" at the University.
       "While there is obviously no consensus on this issue, I don't think
we have a real contentious atmosphere," Varghese said.  "You wouldn't expect
(what happened at Morehouse) to happen at UGA."
       But Bennett disagreed.
       He said that although the incident occurred in Atlanta, the
stereotypes that prompted it exist everywhere, and communication needs to be
facilitated to dispel any misconceptions.
       "This time it happened at Morehouse College," Bennett said.  "Next
time, it could happen at the University of Georgia."


#18
The Advocate, November 22, 2002
525 Lafayette St., Baton Rouge, LA, 70821
(Fax: 504-388-0371 ) (E-Mail: bbankston@theadvocate.com )
( http://www.theadvocate.com )
http://www.theadvocate.com/stories/112202/bus_walmart001.shtml

Wal-Mart policies draw protest [at Louisiana State University]
By Chad Calder, Advocate business writer, ccalder@theadvocate.com
       A handful of LSU students representing a local gay-rights group
protested outside of Wal-Mart on Perkins Road Tuesday to pressure the
company into extending employee benefits to same-sex partners and include
gays and lesbians in its anti-discrimination policy.
       The demonstration was part of a national day of protest against
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., organized by the United Food and Commercial Workers
Union.  The group also claims the Bentonville, Ark., retailer underpays its
workers and denies them access to adequate health care.
       About five members of Spectrum Alliance paced along Perkins Road in
front of the store Thursday morning, holding signs and chanting slogans
including: "We won't take it.  We will fight.  Equal pay, equal rights."
       None of the protesters have ever worked at Wal-Mart.
       Wal-Mart, which passed Exxon Mobil Corp. last year as the nation's
largest company, did not return a call to its media relations department for
comment.
       Protester Anna Byars said that while most of the passers-by who
responded did so favorably, there were a number of shaking heads,
downward-pointed thumbs and extended middle fingers.
       She said the group wants sympathizers to contact the company and
request changes or take their business elsewhere.
       But she admitted asking Baton Rougeans to forsake Wal-Mart's
convenience and cost savings for their cause might be a tall order.
       Nevertheless, she said, "to us it's about more than being able to buy
sheets for two bucks."
       Byars said Wal-Mart is behind the curve among Fortune 500 companies
by excluding homosexuals from its anti-discrimination policy.
       "It's as simple as adding a few words," protester Jason Avant, a
senior from Prairieville majoring in biological sciences, said.
       It was the second time this week that gay rights in the workplace has
surfaced as an issue.
       Capital City Alliance, another gay rights group, announced Monday a
survey that found only 19 of 50 large Baton Rouge employers have policies
that specifically ban discrimination against homosexuals.
       Byars said that while Spectrum Alliance is a gay-rights group, it is
sympathetic to the union's push for better pay.
       She said Wal-Mart "is very convenient and you can get a lot of what
you need, but I think Wal-Mart has gotten to the top by exploiting (its)
workers - not paying them enough so they can offer lower prices.
       "They're going to stay on top as long as they exploit their workers
to give people good deals on things."
       In a recent article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, a Wal-Mart
spokeswoman responded to such charges by saying the company is competitive
with the rest of the retail industry and wouldn't have any success hiring if
it wasn't.
       But critics have charged that Wal-Mart has it backward - that the
company's size makes it the standard-bearer for the industry's benefit and
wage standards.
       Mike Porter, retail analyst with Morningstar in Chicago, said labor's
attack on Wal-Mart makes sense for unions because Wal-Mart is the nation's
largest employer, outside of the federal government.
       "It's certainly a big target," he said.
       While he said only time will tell how much success labor will have,
unionization would definitely hurt the company.
       "That is one thing that could knock them down a lot," he said.  "It's
such a low-margin business and even a small increase in salaries could have
a big impact on (profit) margins."
       Also, he said, "in the stock market's mind that would make them less
valuable a company."
       Low labor costs are a significant factor in Wal-Mart's ability to
compete on prices, Porter said.
       Low labor costs allow the company to offer lower prices; low prices
attract more customers to buy more products, higher profits allow the chain
to grow; and growth allows the company to pressure suppliers for lower
prices.
       "It's a big cycle, really," Porter said.
       For its part, Wal-Mart addresses unions on its Web site with the
statement: "At Wal-Mart, we respect the individual rights of our associates
and encourage them to express their ideas, comments and concerns.  Because
we believe in maintaining an environment of open communications, we do not
believe there is a need for third-party representation."
       And while protests may be the only options for groups such as
Spectrum Alliance, they play right to the strengths of Wal-Mart - its
customer loyalty.
       And Porter said Wal-Mart has a reputation as a formidable opponent.
       "Wal-Mart plays hardball and that's a somewhat recent development,"
he said.  "Some would say it started the day Sam Walton died," referring to
the company's founder.
       Porter said Wal-Mart hasn't taken much heat nationally on gay rights
issues, noting only the recent charges that the company has forced employees
to work "off the clock" in order to meet stores' financial goals.
       "That's really been the main thing they've gotten a lot of flak for,"
he said.
       And other than being asked Thursday to move the protest from the
front of the store to the side of the road, Spectrum Alliance got no
response from the company.
       Avant was undaunted by the possibility that the protest would have no
effect on Wal-Mart's policies.
       "That doesn't make it any less important that I'm out here," he said.
       Mark Schafer, a political science professor at LSU who dropped by to
show support for the effort, agreed.
       "I think it's admirable for them to get out and stand up for what
they believe in," he said.
       "I wish more of my students did."


#19
Des Moines Register, November 22, 2002
Box 957, Des Moines, Iowa 50304
(Fax 515286-2511 ) (E-MAIL: letters@news.dmreg.com )

Uproar over gay matter in Pella Central College
By Kyle Munson, Register Music Critic
       Brad Clark began his senior year at Pella's Central College this fall
as one of the most popular, hardworking students on campus.
       President of the student body.  Double major in political science and
economics.  Leader in InterVarsity, a Madison, Wis.-based Christian
fellowship organization that has one of its largest chapters at Central.
       As of this week, Clark is still student body president, making plans
for law school next year.
       But he's no longer an InterVarsity leader. In fact, he wants the
college to yank the group's official status.
       The reason:  He came out of the closet.
       When he did, the InterVarsity leaders gave him an ultimatum:  Repent
your homosexuality.  Refuse, and either resign or be booted off the
leadership team.
       Ka-boom!  (That's the sound of an issue exploding.)
       Marty Feeney, the communication professor who oversees the student
newspaper at Central, calls it the biggest controversy on campus in his 16
years.
       Faculty debated the matter this week in a forum.  Alumni are firing
lengthy e-mails off to the administration.  Student journalists at other
Iowa colleges are writing about it.
       The Register's own front-page story on Nov. 5 prompted people from
around the country to e-mail Clark.
       "Yeah, I wanted my sexuality on the front page of the paper," he
deadpanned.
       By announcing that he is gay, Clark stirred a sleeping dragon that is
much bigger than his beef with InterVarsity.
       Central's 19th-century religious roots in the Reformed Church are now
rubbing up against the 21st century's more open society.
       Politically, the college's nondiscrimination policy must be
reconciled with the way a student group governs itself based on religious
doctrine.
       In the last decade, InterVarsity at Central has skyrocketed in
popularity. Its 400 members now make up nearly one-third of the campus
population and dominate the Student Senate.
       Even Jason Brown, a full-time InterVarsity leader at Central and
other Iowa colleges, admitted that his organization's imposing size might
inadvertently contribute to a more polarized climate on the Pella campus.
       It's not the first flap over gay rights at Central.  Eight years ago,
another openly gay student was escorted out of InterVarsity's leadership but
chose to transfer to another school.
       The difference today is that Clark is more outspoken, has his
presidency as a platform, and is resolved to remain at Central.
       When I caught up with him on campus last week, though, everything
seemed calm.  He said it's difficult to focus on hitting the books, but
otherwise he hasn't been harassed - other than the stray bit of pointed
scripture dropped into his mailbox.
       Ironically, there were fliers all around the college buildings
advertising a concert by Jill Sobule, the pop singer whose biggest hit, "I
Kissed a Girl," is about an initial lesbian experience.
       Sitting in the middle of the student union, Clark talked about how he
realized he was gay in middle school while growing up in Pella.  He spent
Sunday mornings with his family in church and thought he might be able to
pray himself straight.
       In college, he continued to wrestle with his faith and sexuality.  He
came out to a few close friends before finally mustering the courage to do
the same in September with his fellow Christian leaders.
       "I didn't think it would come down to exclusion," he said.
       The line from InterVarsity is a familiar one:  They hate the sin, not
the sinner.
       Technically, they say it's not Clark's sexual orientation that's the
sticking point.  It's his refusal to believe it's wrong.
       You could boil down the two camps to this:
       Brad to InterVarsity:  Hold up, Bible thumpers.  Your fundamentalist
claptrap is the sort of stance that was taken against minorities and women
back in the day.
       InterVarsity to Brad:  Wait a minute, heathen.  Your slippery slope
of moral relativism is what has modern America slouching towards the gutter.
       Students are coming at this debate from all sorts of angles.
       Not even Dan Huitink, Clark's roommate for next semester, is on the
same page as his friend.  The junior in social sciences isn't a member of
InterVarsity but voted in Student Senate for the organization to remain
recognized by the college.
       "Why would you ever have a leader that didn't subscribe to what you
believed in?" Huitink said.
       Clark is left wondering why he would want to be a member of a group
that didn't give him a fair shot at becoming a leader.
       "Right now, I wouldn't classify myself as a Christian," Clark told
me.
       Meanwhile, Jason Brown is left bemoaning the "democratic liberalism
of our country where . . . individual rights are king and unless every
aspect of my being is publicly affirmed I can't be a whole person."
       Until somebody can nail down an updated quote from God on this
specific situation, I say amen to individual rights.
       A liberal arts college should be all about the experiences and ideas
that students bring into the classroom, and sanctioned organizations should
care less whom students take back to their dorm rooms.


#20
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 22, 2002
72 Marietta Street NW, Atlanta, GA, 30303
(Fax: 404-526-5746 ) (E-Mail:  journal@ajc.com )
( http://www.accessatlanta.com )
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/metro/atlanta/1102/22morehouse.html
DA alleges hate crime in Morehouse bat attack
By Add Seymour Jr. and Steve Visser, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff
Writers
       Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard will prosecute as a hate
crime the baseball bat beating of a Morehouse College junior by another
student.
       On Thursday, Howard said prosecutors will announce at the arraignment
for Aaron Price, 19, that they will seek the enhanced penalty that could add
as much as five years to a sentence.  Anyone convicted under the hate crime
law also has to serve 90 percent of the sentence.
       "Crimes targeting individuals based on sexual orientation - which are
especially egregious because of their clear intent to threaten entire groups
far beyond the initial victim - are unacceptable and will not be tolerated
in Fulton County," Howard said.
       The case has stirred the campus, with many students saying the
Morehouse administration was slow in dealing with the situation and concerns
about homophobia on campus.
       Morehouse officials, in response, announced the formation of a panel
to look at how the campus deals with diversity, tolerance and homophobia.
The first three members of the panel were named Thursday.
       They are: Peter Gomes, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and
Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church at Harvard University; Paul Burkgett,
senior adviser to the president at the University of Rochester; and Caryn
McTighe Musil, vice president of diversity, equity and global initiatives at
the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
       "The college will devote the high level of resources this issue
deserves," school President Walter Massey said.
       Price, a Morehouse sophomore, has been indicted by a grand jury on
aggravated assault and aggravated battery charges in the attack.
       The victim, Gregory Love, told police he wasn't wearing his glasses
when he went into his dormitory bathroom to take a shower Nov. 3.
       Love said he looked into Price's stall because he mistakenly thought
Price was his roommate.  Price, thinking it was a sexual advance, left the
shower and retrieved a bat to beat Love, according to police reports.  Love
suffered a fractured skull and has been recovering in the Morehouse
infirmary.  Price was expelled from school and is free on $10,000 bail.
       Gay and lesbian groups had been urging Morehouse officials to treat
the issue as a hate crime, something Massey continually said he would leave
to police to determine.
       Local groups applauded Howard's action.
       "It demonstrates to people the danger of oppression based on
someone's identity," said Craig Washington, executive director of Atlanta's
gay and lesbian community center.  "It's one thing to not be comfortable
with someone for who they are.  It's quite another to brutalize them and to
deny them their human rights because of who they are."
       Massey also formed an internal task force on diversity and tolerance
to coordinate new campus initiatives dealing with tolerance, harassment,
anger management and diversity.
       That group will include students, faculty and staff, as well as
alumnus George Roberts, director of Communities of Color for HIV/AIDS at the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
       "This panel is just one example of our ongoing efforts to openly and
honestly address issues of homophobia and promote tolerance and appreciation
of differences at Morehouse," he said.
       Members of the Atlanta University Center gay and lesbian group
African-Americans for Safe Space, Everywhere For All (ASSEFA) immediately
offered a list of names of local and national gay and lesbian people they'd
like to be included in both groups.
       "Hopefully, this 'diversity' panel will focus on the issue at hand -
the hatred of gay people by some in our community and the black-on-black
violence it can produce," said Khalid Kamau, an ASSEFA member.  "Morehouse
has not returned any of our calls.  We pray they will now."


#21
Boston Globe, November 23, 2002
Box 2378, Boston, MA, 02107
(Fax: 617-929-2098 ) (E-Mail: letter@globe.com )
( http://www.boston.com/globe )
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/327/metro/Arguing_for_a_consistent_sexual_
ethic+.shtml
Spiritual Life
Arguing for a consistent sexual ethic
By Rich Barlow
       Many Christians, if asked, probably would say that their religion
condemns homosexuality.  In fact, argues Sister Margaret Farley, a Yale
Divinity School professor, Christian tradition neither condemns nor blesses
gay relationships.  She says some Biblical writers believed homosexuality
made men passive, which was considered a liability.  Others considered
homosexuality a chosen trait, a view that modern science largely rejects.
       Farley, former president of the Catholic Theological Society of
America, makes the case that Christianity should devise a consistent ethic
for straight and gay sexuality.  Her view is partly formed by personal
experience - her nephew, whom Farley greatly admired, died of AIDS.
       Last week, she received an award from New Ways Ministry, a Maryland
group promoting better relations between the Catholic Church and gay
Catholics.
       Q.  What are the odds that the Catholic Church will change its
attitudes toward homosexuality?
       A.  I have no idea.  The other Christian churches still have
tremendous problems because the people in the pews have not moved on the
issue.  Our concern should be not just the position that leaders take, but
the understanding that everyone has in the church.
       Q.  The church is against homophobia, but is it possible to agree
with the church's position on homosexuality without unleashing homophobia
among some people?
       A.  It's not just the Catholic Church, but religious judgments do
contribute to the force of the opposition to homosexuals, and therefore in
some sense undergird whatever is in the society that even leads to violence.
       Q.  Does that make it incumbent upon the church to modify its
position?
       A.  I don't think it's quite fair to say if (homophobia) is going to
be the consequence, you have to change your teaching.  I think changing
teaching has to do with new understandings, and until the new understandings
come, anyone who promotes that teaching would change it without integrity.
       Q.  Even if someone could, using diligent scholarship, construct an
argument against homosexuality from the church's tradition, wouldn't liberal
Christians insist on tolerance?
       A.  Yes, but the church leaders have insisted on that, too.  It's
another matter what they have to say about gay marriage, but I think that
the main documents of the church in the last 10 years have assumed a
responsibility of tolerance within society, which is why they've opposed
unfair discrimination against gays and lesbians.
       It's one thing to say we respect people's rights to make choices
about how they live their lives, and in this society, it is unconscionable
to try to prevent them from those choices.  It's quite another thing to say,
well, we just go with the majority opinion on what people think is right and
wrong, and tolerance means they can be as right as we are.  Tolerance does
not mean that you have to agree with everyone.  It just means that you
respect them as persons and that, within the limits of the law, you don't
oppose them in what they are choosing to do.
       Q.  What effects will the Vatican's reported consideration of a ban
on gay priests have?
       A.  I think that would be a very unfortunate step to take.  I think
that it would intensify the conflict over this issue.  We have had gays in
the clergy, in the episcopacy, forever.  I don't think that that became a
crunch issue until there was a need to somehow scapegoat somebody for the
sexual abuse cases in this country.  So the issue has not been whether a gay
person can be ordained.  In fact, we're the only church where that hasn't
been an issue so far. ...
       It has not been an issue for us because we have assumed celibacy on
the part of the church.  The issue is gay sexual activity.  I take it that
those who want a ban on gay priests are implying that priests who are gay
can't be celibate.  And that seems to me a false logic.  The victims have
been young adults, and therefore the implication is this must be activity
between gay persons.  But I think that's not necessarily so.
       Q.  Would you support civil unions or gay marriage?
       A.  Yes, I would.  You can't find an absolute prohibition nor
blessing of heterosexual sex (in scripture and church tradition), either.
There are criteria for when sex is appropriate in any relationship, and my
conclusion is the criteria are the same for heterosexuals and for gays or
lesbians.  In a Christian context, I say if some kind of commitment is
called for, then it's incumbent upon the faith community to think seriously
about supporting these gay unions within the church.


#22
San Francisco Chronicle, November 23, 2002
901 Mission St., San Francisco, CA, 94103
(Fax: 415-896-1107 ) (E-Mail:  chronletters@sfgate.com )
( http://www.sfgate.com  )
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/11/23
/BA242294.DTL

"Out' is in on campus
Colleges tailor recruiting materials to include gays
Tanya Schevit, Chronicle Staff Writer
       When Derrick Koh was looking for a college, something interesting
caught his eye in the recruiting booklet of San Jose State University - a
rainbow flag was clearly visible in a campus scene photo.
       "I was trying to find some place that was gay-friendly," said Koh,
23, now a senior at San Jose State.  "I thought, 'Hmmm, I think this is
quite a good place for me.'"
       With a dramatic rise in the number of students coming out as gay and
lesbian in high school, more colleges and universities are starting to pay
attention to them.  They are tailoring recruiting materials to let the
students and their parents know that they offer a safe and welcoming campus,
and are even attending special recruiting fairs for gay and lesbian
students.
       "I think any time we can encourage all students to feel welcome in
the college admissions process, that is a promising trend," said Dea Nelson,
publications coordinator for enrollment services at San Jose State.
       San Jose State is not alone.  In May, Stanford and Harvard were among
about 45 universities at a special college recruiting fair in Boston for gay
and lesbian youth.  UC Berkeley has a gay-themed floor in a residence hall,
and its gay and lesbian service center has a table at the annual Cal Day, an
event for prospective students and the community.
       "As the economy changes and schools are competing for the graduating
class of high school seniors, they want to make sure they have a diverse
class," said Mary Kate Cullen, public policy director for the Gay, Lesbian
and Straight Education Network, based in New York.  "More schools are saying
they have an open-door policy and that they have policies in place to ensure
gay and lesbian students won't be discriminated against."
       The presence of gay and lesbian clubs on high school campuses has
exploded during the past five years, from fewer than 100 to well over 1,000,
Cullen said.  That has created a need as high-schoolers look to move on to
college.
       It is important that students feel comfortable asking colleges
questions about their openness to gay and lesbian students, said Mark
Taggart, program coordinator for the Massachusetts Governor's Commission on
Gay and Lesbian Youth, which put on the gay and lesbian recruiting fair this
year.
       "I know a lot of students have struggled with how 'out' they are on
their college applications.  A lot of their leadership is in gay
organizations," Taggart said.  The fair "made them feel that they could go
up to colleges that were obviously committed to gay and lesbian issues."
       Taggart said he was surprised by the overwhelming response to this
year's fair and expects at least 100 schools to show up for a fair planned
for next year.
       Other efforts have also proven extremely popular.  Cullen's group
produced the college guide "Finding an LGBT-Friendly Campus" this year for
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.
       The guide, which quickly sold out its first printing, recommends
talking to students on campus, looking for gay and lesbian clubs, and
checking out anti- discrimination policies and course offerings.
       Nelson said she has seen a dramatic rise in interest from high school
counselors in the past few years in a workshop that she gives at the annual
conference of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
       "Counselors are starting to see they need to be better advocates for
their gay and lesbian students," she said.  "In the past, where we have
gotten a roomful of gay and lesbian counselors, now we see 40 to 50 straight
counselors. "
       Marco Colon, 16, a junior at Berkeley High School, said colleges are
finally "getting with the times."  He said a campus that went out of its way
to be welcoming to gay students would be more attractive to him.
       "That would definitely be something I would consider, that I would
make a choice over," said Colon, who is gay.  "Schools want to have an even
mixture of people.  It just makes sense to be accepting of more than just
race."
       Marcela Muniz, assistant dean of admissions at Stanford University,
said administrators saw the Boston college fair as a unique opportunity to
extend a welcome to gays and lesbians.
       "In our office, we do our best to reach out to as many types of
students as possible," Muniz said.  "We feel that to be part of an event
like this lets students know we have a gay-lesbian-bisexual community here
and that we welcome them and that they would feel comfortable here."
       Bayliss Camp, who was the alumni recruiter for Stanford at the Boston
college fair, said students were encouraged by the campus turnout.
       Camp did not come out as gay until his freshman year, but the
attitude of the college as a whole toward gays was something he considered
when he was looking for a school.
       "It made a big difference to me that Stanford had a (gay and lesbian)
center and that Yale was having a celebration for gay and lesbian pride
week," said Camp, who graduated from Stanford in 1995.
       . E-mail Tanya Schevitz at tschevitz@sfchronicle.com.


#23
Chronicle of Higher Education, November 22, 2002
1255 23rd Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037
(Fax: 202-452-1033) (E-Mail: editor@chronicle.com )
( http://chronicle.com )

Reversal Of Fortune
Virginia Tech rescinds an offer to a new dean's lesbian partner and ignites
a controversy
By Thomas Bartlett
       Blacksburg, Va. - Three faculty members holding hand-lettered signs
stood in the back of the room.  "Appoint Shelli Fowler," read one.  "Honor
Fowler's Contract," said another.  The third message echoed the question
that's been whispered in hallways at Virginia Tech for the past five months:
"What If It Is Discrimination?"
       The signs, displayed last week during a meeting of the university's
Board of Visitors, refer to the board's last-minute decision to revoke a job
offer made to Shelli Fowler, an associate professor of English and
comparative American cultures at Washington State University.  The offer had
been approved in April by faculty members and administrators as part of a
package to recruit her partner, Karen DePauw, as graduate dean.  The board
revoked Ms. Fowler's offer in June.  The reversal, which appears to be
unprecedented in Virginia Tech's history, came after Ms. Fowler had signed
an employment contract with the university and less than a month before she
and Ms. DePauw were to move to Blacksburg from Pullman, Wash.
       After two months of silence on the issue, the board issued a terse
statement blaming the budget.  While it is true that Virginia Tech, like
many institutions, has serious financial problems, the funds had already
been allocated for Ms. Fowler's position.  What's more, 11 new faculty hires
were approved at the same board meeting.  And Virginia Tech, like most
colleges, frequently offers jobs to the partners of new hires.  In fact, the
board had approved one earlier this year, though in that case the couple was
heterosexual.
       Why, professors asked, was Ms. Fowler singled out?
       What really led to Ms. Fowler's rejection, according to many
professors and university officials, was an anonymous, anti-gay e-mail
message sent to a number of board members and administrators, reportedly
urging them not to hire the couple.  If it were true that Ms. Fowler was
discriminated against on the basis of her sexual orientation, it would be an
ironic twist on the university's recent push to diversify by hiring more
female and minority faculty members.
       Virginia Tech's aggressive strategy has drawn fire from critics who
argue that too much emphasis has been put on race.
       John G. Rocovich, a lawyer and the head of the board, refuses to
elaborate or explain why it took nearly two months to issue the
two-paragraph statement blaming the budget.  "It's not my fault what people
understand or what they do not understand," he says.  When asked if he could
assure faculty members that the decision did not reflect anti-gay bias, as
many suspect, he declined to do so, saying he saw no need to comment
further.  None of the other board members contacted by The Chronicle would
comment.
       The rejection of Ms. Fowler has upset hundreds of professors here,
chilled relations between administrators and board members, and has gay and
lesbian faculty members worried that they are no longer welcome at the
university.
       For Ms. Fowler and Ms. DePauw, who both chose to come to Blacksburg
anyway, the emotional cost has been high, leaving them hurt, angry, and
uncertain about their futures in academe.
       A Perfect Fit
       Neither of them was job hunting.  But when Ms. DePauw got a letter
last year asking her to apply for the position of graduate dean at Virginia
Tech, she considered it.  After 22 years at Washington State, where she had
risen from assistant professor to graduate dean, maybe it was time for a new
challenge, she thought.  After talking with Ms. Fowler, her partner of eight
years, she gave it a shot.
       Following her campus visit, Ms. DePauw emerged as the top candidate.
When the university officially offered her the job, she asked about a job
for her partner and was assured that the university did its best to find
positions for spouses and partners of new hires.  She also made it clear at
the time that her partner was a woman.  "They didn't blink at the pronoun,"
says Ms. DePauw, who already knew about the university's policy not to
discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.
       As it turned out, Ms. Fowler was a perfect fit.  The English
department needed a specialist in African-American literature, Ms. Fowler's
field.  In addition, Virginia Tech was expanding its writing programs, and
Ms. Fowler has a background in teaching composition.  Besides, Ms. Fowler's
classroom credentials are impressive:  She was the first woman to win
Washington State's universitywide teaching award, beating out more than
2,000 fellow professors for the honor.
       Her interviews at Virginia Tech went well.  When Ms. Fowler was
grilled by a roomful of English professors on her research and pedagogy, she
displayed the easygoing confidence that had won praise from students at
Washington State.  Afterward, an overwhelming majority voted to support her
candidacy.
       "I've never been more excited about a hire," says Lucinda Roy, the
English department's chairwoman. Mark G. McNamee, the provost, was similarly
convinced.  "This was one of those cases where there appeared to be mutual
interest, a good fit, and it had gone through the process."
       Rather, it had almost gone through the process.  The final step,
approval from the Board of Visitors, was only a rubber stamp.  As far as
anyone, including a professor who has been at the university for more than
30 years, can remember, the board has never nixed the hiring of a professor.
Until now.
       The bad news was delivered by Mr. McNamee.  He called Ms. DePauw at
her office at Washington State and informed her that the board had rejected
Ms. Fowler.
       "Why?" a stunned Ms. DePauw asked.
       "I don't know," the provost replied.
       Having already signed their employment contracts and left their jobs
at Washington State, the couple had sold their house in Pullman and put
money down on a new one in Blacksburg.  The moving van was scheduled to
arrive in a few weeks.
       Mr. McNamee calls the rejection "very odd."  Charles W. Steger,
president of the university, says he was taken aback by the decision.  Lay
Nam Chang, interim dean of the college of liberal arts, says he wishes the
process had been "more inclusive."
       While their public statements have been measured, some officials
confided privately to The Chronicle that they were exasperated by the
board's veto of an appointment and then by its refusal to explain why it had
done so.
       A Vicious E-Mail Message
       "It was like I had the wind knocked out of me," says Ms. Fowler.  At
first, the provost asked the couple not to tell anyone about the decision
while he searched for a behind-the-scenes solution, or, at the very least,
some kind of explanation.  He got neither.
       All was not lost, however.  Ms. DePauw's superiors at Washington
State made it clear that they would welcome her back despite her
resignation.  Ms. Fowler had taken a one-year leave rather than resigning
outright (standard procedure for a tenured professor), and so she too could
have her old job back.  "People said, 'Oh, that's terrible what happened at
Virginia Tech. You're staying here, right?'" Ms. Fowler remembers.
       At first, she thought her colleagues had a point.  Why would anyone
leave a secure, rewarding position for an uncertain, possibly hostile
environment?  The couple spent several days agonizing over what to do before
finally, somewhat reluctantly, piling their three cats and two dogs into
their cars and driving 2,700 miles across the country into the unknown.
       Their fields of research help explain why Ms. Fowler and Ms. DePauw
chose to go to Virginia Tech despite the board's decision.  As a scholar of
African-American literature, Ms. Fowler explores discrimination in her work.
Ms. DePauw writes about the discrimination faced by people with
disabilities.  The couple suspects that the board did not want either of
them at Virginia Tech.  "In all of the work I did at Washington State I
talked about standing up for social justice," says Ms. DePauw.  "I couldn't
not act on my words."  Ms. Fowler agrees.  "The battle had just come home
personally.  You can't walk away from it.  That would be hypocritical."
       Both women had heard rumors that an anonymous e-mail message had been
sent to a number of board members encouraging them to vote against Ms.
Fowler.  Neither Ms. Fowler or Ms. DePauw has seen the message.  But Mr.
Steger, the university's president, confirms its existence, saying it was
"not something that expressed the collegial spirit" at Virginia Tech.
Another administrator, who has seen the message but asked not to be named,
says it was anti-gay, and that it urged the board to reject Ms. Fowler.
Both officials said they no longer have a copy of the message.
       Back in April, Ms. DePauw had received another anonymous e-mail
message discouraging her from coming to Virginia Tech.  At the time, she
dismissed it.  But after the board rejected Ms. Fowler, she gave it another
look.
       The writer claims to be giving Ms. DePauw an "honest assessment" of
the "serious issues" she will encounter at Virginia Tech.  But much of the
message is devoted to attacking her academic credentials and "warning" her
about anti-gay violence.  The e-mail message also alludes to Ms. Fowler:
       "It would be very difficult if not impossible for you to include your
partner in activities involving the 'Old Guard' alumni," it reads.  "The
rumor mill is very negative without the word officially out yet.  I suspect
that when this is even more widely known, things will get even worse.
Couple all of the above with the current budget situation, and the cards are
very much stacked against you."
       Among professors, the board's statement that the offer was revoked
for financial reasons has been largely dismissed as a public-relations ploy.
"If they were going to make the decision on the basis of budget concerns, it
would not have been one person," says Edward H. Sewell, a professor of
communication and president of the Faculty Senate.  "Many of us are
concerned that it is an issue of discrimination."
       Like Mr. Sewell, Megan M. Boler, an associate professor of teaching
and learning, says the decision has severely damaged morale among
professors.  "People are saying to me right and left that they are looking
for new jobs because this is a hostile and discriminatory environment."
       Mr. Sewell and Ms. Boler are two of the 225 Virginia Tech faculty and
staff members who have signed a petition asking the board to reconsider.
The board has not responded to the petition, which was submitted last week.
       In the wake of the decision, Ms. Roy, the English department's
chairwoman, says gay and lesbian faculty members have asked her if they are
safe at Virginia Tech.  The Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Caucus on campus has
80 people on its e-mail list, though organizers say many same-sex couples at
Virginia Tech are not part of the group.
       "I can assure them that we are an inclusive department, and I feel
confident about saying that at the college level too," says Ms. Roy.  "But I
can't say anything beyond that if I am to be honest, now can I?"
       A Final Decision?
       This has not been the kind of fall semester Ms. DePauw and Ms. Fowler
had imagined.  For Ms. DePauw, the controversy can't help but distract from
her duties as graduate dean.  Ms. Fowler, the award-winning teacher, spends
her days at home rather than in front of a classroom.  "I feel like a limb
is missing," she says.
       But both say they will not back down.  If a resolution isn't reached
by early spring, they will consider their options, including possibly filing
a lawsuit.  "I'm patient to a point," says Ms. DePauw.
       But so far, the board has offered little reason to hold out hope.
Soon after its decision, Ms. Roy sent a letter to every member asking for an
explanation.  She received only one reply.  It came from Mr. Rocovich, who
wrote that he loved Virginia Tech and knew she did too.  He added that the
board's decision was final.


#24
Boston Herald, November 23, 2002
1 Herald Square, Boston, MA, 02106-2096
(Fax: 617-542-1315 ) (E-Mail: letterstoeditor@bostonherald.com )
( http://www.bostonherald.com )
http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/harv11232002.htm

1920s [Anti-Gay] Harvard scandal exposed
by Jules Crittenden
       A "secret court" of Harvard College administrators interrogated gay
students and expelled them in 1920 in a dark chapter of Ivy League history
unearthed by Harvard's student newspaper.
       The hushed-up scandal of 82 years ago, which involved two student
suicides and derailed several academic careers, was revealed Thursday in an
article by Crimson reporter Amit R. Paley.  Paley spotted a strange referenc
e to a "secret court" in Harvard's archives and pressed administrators for
six months until they released 500 pages of records this fall.
       "This is a hidden chapter in Harvard's history, in Boston's history,
that no one knew anything about," Paley said.  "We wanted it out there for
debate."
       Before it was over, six students and a teacher would be dismissed for
homosexuality; an alumnus would be blackballed; and two straight men would
be dismissed for associating with gays.
       Harvard President Lawrence Summers, in a prepared statement, called
the report "extremely disturbing . . . part of a past we have rightly left
behind.  I want to express our deep regret for the way this situation was
handled, as well as the anguish the students and their families must have
experienced."
       Although Harvard redacted the names of the 10 men, Paley and seven
researchers worked for two months cross-checking records and named them.
The men are all now dead, though some have living relatives.  At least
three, including two marked as gay, married and had children.
       "We don't feel it's our position to judge these people as having been
ashamed of what they were and what they did," Paley said about the decision
to publish the names and sexual details from the files.  "What they suffered
at the hands of this court is important historically and for how Harvard
views itself.  To withhold the names and relegate them to numbers as Harvard
did would be an incomplete story."
       The story begins with the suicide of 21-year-old Cyril Wilcox of Fall
River in May 1920, and his family's discovery of explicit letters describing
"faggoty parties" in dorm rooms.  Wilcox had been expelled for poor academic
performance just before he killed himself.  George Wilcox beat the truth out
of an older, non-Harvard man in Boston, that his brother was spending all
his time in gay affairs.  George handed lists of names and the letters to
college officials.
       Harvard President A. Lawrence Lowell immediately ordered five deans
and professors to convene a secret body known only as "The Court."  They
began grilling a series of students about their involvement in "unnatural
acts."
       They also questioned heterosexuals, demanding evidence from them,
forcing them to deny being gay and pressing them on their own habits of
masturbation, then considered unnatural.
       Ernest R. Cummings, a Harvard dental student, committed suicide after
his interrogation, in which he vehemently denied the accusations.  The
Boston American, a predecessor of the Boston Herald, caught wind of the
scandal and reported the suicides.  The newspaper was close to the truth,
but didn't mention homosexuality.
       "According to friends of the two in Fall River, Cummings, who was
said to have been mentally unbalanced, told a story of an alleged
inquisition which he claimed was held in the college office following
Wilcox's death," the American reported.  "He said that he was taken into the
office, which was shrouded in gloom with but one light dimly burning, and
there questioned exhaustively.  This story, which was denied by the college
authorities, was said to have sprung from his disordered mind."
       An assistant philosophy teacher, Charles B. Clark, accused of
accosting a student, was dismissed.  Ernest Weeks Roberts, the congressman's
son, was not only ordered to leave the campus but ordered to leave
Cambridge.
       Harvard's Alumni Placement Service was advised not to give references
for any of the 10 men without consulting "someone in the Dean's office.  If
they do not know what is meant, tell them to look in the disciplinary file .
. ."
       Kenneth B. Day, dismissed after he admitted to past homosexual acts,
never told his family why he left Harvard.  His daughter Nancy told the
Crimson, "Good Lord . . .  I'll stake my life on it my father was not a
homosexual."
       Joseph E. Lumbard, guilty of associating with gay students, returned
to Harvard in 1921 and went on to become a prominent federal judge and a
member of Harvard's Board of Overseers.
       Lumbard's grandson, also Joseph E. Lumbard, said the article's
revelations were news to his family.
       "On a personal level, I'm shocked and fascinated," the younger
Lumbard told the Herald.  "It may have affected how he was as a judge.  He
was liberal-minded and felt the courts had no business in people's personal
lives."
       The Crimson article has stunned the Harvard community.
       "There is a huge buzz about it," said Melissa Borga, 20, a junior.
"The idea of Harvard doing something like this is absurd to students today."
Tom Parry, a 1974 alumnus and Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus member, said,
"It's very sobering to read this.  Sadly, it is probably typical of what
went on... Harvard is not like that now."


#25
Honolulu Weekly, November 20, 2002
1200 College Walk, Ste 214, Honolulu, Hawai`i 96817
(Fax: 808/528-3144 ) (E-Mail: letters@honoluluweekly.com )

Out with ROTC [on the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus]
By Ian Lind
       Faculty opposition has at least temporarily torpedoed a new Naval
ROTC program on the UH-Manoa campus.  The Faculty Senate voted down the
administration's NROTC proposal by a 19-10 margin last month, according to
minutes of the Senate's Oct. 16 meeting.
       Faculty attending the meeting cited the need for academic oversight
of courses offered for university credit and objected to the military's
"don't ask, don't tell" policy, which means gay and lesbian students may not
participate in ROTC, although such discrimination is not allowed in other
campus programs.
       Karl Kim, interim vice-chancellor for academic affairs, defended the
NROTC proposal as "a way to provide scholarships," as well as "career
training" for those students looking toward a Navy career.
       Kim said ROTC does not award degrees, but credits earned do count
toward other UH degrees.  He put the cost of the proposed Navy program at
$50,000 annually for administrative support, plus on-campus parking for
NROTC staff and office and classroom space.
       The Navy, in return, would provide scholarships for students and
military officers to teach the new courses.  Existing Army and Air Force
ROTC programs at Manoa each currently have about 70 students.  During the
Senate debate, Kathy Ferguson, director of the Women's Studies Program,
pointed to prior studies which have criticized ROTC on academic grounds.
"It's about big men and big wars," she said, making for "an uninspired
curriculum and pedagogy."
       In addition, Ferguson warned that ROTC funding comes with strings,
and universities often end up paying more than they expect.  "The military
is the tail that's wagging this dog," Ferguson concluded.
       Although the debate has unfolded against the background of a looming
war in Iraq, it is by no means simply an anti-military echo of the Vietnam
War era, according to Robert Bley-Vroman, chair of the Department of Second
Language Studies.
       "Now, the debate revolves around the right of the faculty to review
the academic content of programs, and the problems caused when the
university is involved in a scholarship program which discriminates against
openly gay students," Bley-Vroman said last week.  "It is a question of
academic governance, fairness and the right use of university resources,
rather than simply a question of the position of the military in academic
institutions."
       Manoa administrators have been pushing hard for reconsideration of
the issue, perhaps as early as a Faculty Senate meeting scheduled this
afternoon, Nov. 20.  However, e-mails flying in advance of the meeting
reflected a strong faculty view that any attempt to overturn the vote would
have to begin again through the Senate's committee process before being
taken up by the Senate.


#26
Harvard Crimson, November 21, 2002
14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
(E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com )
( http://www.thecrimson.com )
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255428

The Secret Court of 1920 [at Harvard University]
Part I
By Amit R. Paley, Crimson Staff Writer
       At about 6 a.m. on May 13, 1920, Mary Wilcox smelled gas.  She
immediately identified the source of the fumes:  the bedroom of her son,
Cyril B. Wilcox, Class of 1922.
       Mary had reason to be worried about Cyril, who, unlike his older
brother George L. Wilcox '14, seemed constantly to get into trouble.  Cyril
was far from an academic success at Harvard.  In April of his freshman year,
the Administrative Board placed him on probation for a month.  And then,
after a miserable showing on his finals - five Es, two Cs, a B and a pass -
he was suspended.  After a grueling few months at summer school, though,
Cyril convinced the Ad Board to readmit him.
       Things began to fall apart again in the spring of Cyril's sophomore
year.  "Wilcox seems to me to be a bright enough chap, but he doesn't study
apparently," his adviser wrote to Assistant Dean of the College Edward R.
Gay on March 3, 1920.
       When Wilcox received a mid-year record of three Ds, a C and an E, Gay
was direct in his threat.  "This will, I fear, be your last opportunity to
make good at Harvard," he wrote to Wilcox on March 17, "for if your grades
in April fail to meet the requirements, the Board could do nothing but
request you to withdraw."
       His future hinged on the April examinations - but Cyril Wilcox never
took them.  At the beginning of April, right before the crucial tests, he
showed up at the office of Professor of Hygiene Robert I. Lee, Class of
1902, with a bad attack of urticaria, commonly known as hives.
       "It is apt particularly to occur in nervous people, and in people who
are under a nervous strain," Lee wrote to Gay on April 13.  "Wilcox tells me
that after his urticaria was largely over he rather went to pieces
nervously, and had what may be best described as an hysterical attack.  That
fits in with the picture very well.  He lost his hour examinations and is
quite upset about his work.  His mother wants to take him home for a rest.
I certainly agree that he should go home and get himself straightened out
nervously."
       Later that day the Ad Board allowed Cyril Wilcox to withdraw from
Harvard College due to "ill health."  He never returned to Cambridge.
       From his family home in Fall River, Mass., Cyril wrote several
letters to Gay, trying to determine the best possible way to salvage his
academic career at Harvard.  "Would it be possible for me to return this
year, as Dr. Lee suggested, in case I feel equal to it?" his April 15 letter
begged Gay.  "If not, what stand would I have to take on reentering in
September?  Is any of my work this year to count?"
       Gay responded flatly: "I hardly feel that I ought to encourage you to
try to come back this year."
       After Wilcox wrote another letter asking for credit for the 1919-1920
academic year, Gay told him that he could only receive credit for half of
French I - and only if he took the second half of French I the following
year.
       The academic woes of her son must have been on the mind of Mary
Wilcox as she headed towards 21-year-old Cyril's bedroom, wondering why the
room reeked of gas.  Then she opened the door.  Cyril B. Wilcox was dead.
       The local paper, The Herald News, reported the next day that he was
"asphyxiated by illuminating gas.the gas jet in the room was found partly
open, and it had evidently been partly open the greater part of the night."
In the early part of the century, inhaling the gas from the lights used at
the time was one of the most common ways to commit suicide.
       Although the medical examiner wrote in his report that Wilcox's death
was "most probably accidental, change of pressure in gas pipe extinguishing
light, allowing raw gas to fill bed room," his family and friends, as well
as Harvard administrators, knew that his death was self-inflicted.  Four
days after the death, Lee wrote to Gay that Wilcox "committed suicide by
inhalation of gas."
       Cyril's suicide would have seemed the tragic result of too much
academic pressure at Harvard were it not for a conversation Cyril had with
his older brother George shortly before he committed suicide, during which
Cyril told George about his homosexual relationship with Harry Dreyfus, an
older man who lived in Boston.
       What else Cyril told his brother, if anything, is unclear, as are any
plans George might have had to deal with the information.  But then, almost
immediately after the suicide, two letters addressed to Cyril arrived at the
Wilcox residence.  A nine-page handwritten letter from Ernest Weeks Roberts,
Class of 1922 - postmarked the day before Cyril's suicide - left no doubt
that Cyril was part of a group of Harvard students involved in homosexual
activities.
       "I haven't made Bradlee yet, but my dear wait, when I do it will last
for 2 days and 2 nights without talking it out," Roberts wrote to Cyril.
"'Ken' [Kenneth B. Day, Class of 1922] is being sucked foolish by anyone and
everybody he can lay hands on. I do him for it once in a while, for
diversion.  You know since you left I have been chaste not chased."  In
other parts of the letter he refers to "faggoty parties" in his room and the
names of non-Harvard-affiliated Boston men who were involved in the gay
scene.
       A strange letter postmarked the day of Cyril's suicide arrived soon
after from Harold W. Saxton '19, filled with code and jargon.  Saxton
referred to Cyril as "Salomé's Child" and someone else as "Dot."  He refers
to Roberts' "campaign," raids against clubs, "tricks" and a "souse" party,
apparently in reference to a party with alcohol that would have been in
illegal in 1920, the first year of Prohibition.
       Cyril's older brother George, a clerk at the granite mills in Fall
River, decided to act.  He tracked down his brother's former lover, Harry
Dreyfus, who lived in Boston.  Dreyfus, after he was beaten by George
Wilcox, denied responsibility for Cyril's suicide but gave three names of
other men involved:  Roberts, Harvard Dental School student Eugene R.
Cummings and Pat Courtney, a non-Harvard man living in Boston.
       About May 22, George Wilcox called on Acting Dean of the College
Chester N. Greenough, Class of 1898, to inform him of Cyril's suicide.  He
presented to Greenough the names he had extracted from Dreyfus and mentioned
the two letters from Roberts and Saxton.
       The next day, after consulting with President A. Lawrence Lowell,
Class of 1877, Greenough asked Lee, Regent Matthew Luce, Class of 1891, Gay
and Assistant Dean Kenneth B. Murdock to gather evidence on the case to be
submitted to the President.  They called this five-person body "The Court."
       The Court was so secretive that even the Ad Board wasn't aware of its
existence for more than a week after it was formed.  When the Board was
informed on June 1, it "had no desire to touch the case and agreed that the
matter should not go through the regular channels (Board and Faculty) but
straight from the Court to the President," according to The Court's written
summary of the case.
       But, at least at first, it was far from clear how The Court should
proceed.  Cyril was already dead, Saxton graduated the year before and the
other two men were not connected with the University at all.
       The only actual Harvard student named was Roberts - and he was the
one person no one would accuse without great confidence in the charges.
Ernest Weeks Roberts was the son of Rep. Ernest William Roberts, a man who
had represented Massachusetts in Congress for eight years and was still an
important political figure in Washington and Boston.  There would need to be
strong proof to accuse a congressman's son of being homosexual.  The proof
came on May 25, when George Wilcox wrote to Greenough and, more importantly,
enclosed Roberts' letter to Cyril.
       "By carefully reading this letter, I think you will obtain all the
information you desire," Wilcox wrote.  But for some reason, in George
Wilcox's own letters to Greenough he chose to refer to several of the men
involved not by their real names, but by a strange cipher.  Dreyfus was
referred to as Parker, Cyril Wilcox as Potter, Saxton as Preston, Roberts as
Putnam, Cummings as Pope and Courtney as Piper.
       George Wilcox also discovered that the "Ken" mentioned in Roberts'
letter was Cyril's freshman roommate, Kenneth Day.  Referring to all the
evidence in the letter, he concluded: "It will be enough anyhow to put
Putnam [Roberts] out of business if you choose to do so."
       In order to proceed methodically, The Court asked Roberts' proctor in
Perkins Hall, code-named "S27," to compile a list of all the students seen
in Roberts' room, or in the company of the men connected with that room.  On
May 26, the proctor wrote Greenough that Day and Edward A. Say were "often"
found in that room.  He also mentioned that Cummings and two other students
were somehow involved, although two days later he asked to have the other
two students removed from investigation.
       The case became even more mysterious when Greenough received an
unsigned letter dated May 26 from someone who identified himself only as a
member of the Class of 1921.  The anonymous student knew all the details of
Cyril Wilcox's suicide and informed the Acting Dean how Cyril first got
involved with the underground gay group.  "While in his Freshman year he met
in college some boys, mostly members of his own class, who committed upon
him and induced him to commit on them 'Unnatural Acts' which habit so grew
on him that realizing he did not have strength of character enough to brake
[sic] away from it concluded suicide the only course open to him," the
anonymous letter read.  "The leader of these students guilty of this
deplorable practice and the one directly responsible for Cyril Wilcox's
suicide is Roberts, 2C.  Roberts' rooms at Perkins 28 where he and more of
his type have, during the past college year, conducted 'parties' that beggar
description and how in the World such parties 'got by' the Proctor is quite
beyond me.  At these parties were sailors in uniform whom Roberts and
friends of his type picked up in the streets of Boston and used for his
dirty immoral purposes.  At these parties were notorious young male
degenerates such as Harold Hussey, and Ned Courtney and many others of the
type and many of them dressed in womans [sic] clothes which they brought
with them and appeared in public hallways and entrys of Perkins so dressed."
       The anonymous student also identified Day, Say, Saxton and Cummings
by name as students who attended parties in Roberts' room, where, he wrote,
"the most disgusting and disgraceful and revolting acts of degeneracy and
depravity took place openly in plain veiw [sic] of all present."
       "Isn't it about time an end was put to this sort of thing in
college?" he asked Greenough.  "If you will look into the above you will
find the charges based on facts."  The following day, The Court called its
first witness.
       Kenneth B. Day's parents died before he was eleven years old.  Raised
by his grandmother, he depended upon the financial assistance of other
relatives to pay for his Harvard education.  But at college, at least to his
family, Day appeared to find success.  He was a member of the Sigma Alpha
Epsilon fraternity and was interested in track and boxing.  In the spring of
his freshman year, he finished fourth in the Track Carnival.
       But tensions with his freshman roommate, Cyril Wilcox, were a
constant source of worry.  "Wilcox and I are no longer on speaking terms, I
am so disgusted with I cannot bring myself to talk to him," Day wrote to his
cousin in an April 18, 1919 letter.
       But two weeks after they had stopped speaking to one another, Wilcox
left a note on Day's desk apologizing and the two made up.  "He wasn't as
bad I thought he was," Day wrote in a later letter.  "I couldn't help but
shake hands with him and we went to church together, he seemed quite happy
to be friendly again and nearly broke down."
       "Perhaps he can't help being a little queer," Day wrote.  "Of course
I won't get to [sic] pally with him, but it is so much better to be at least
on a speaking basis."
       On Thursday, May 27, 1920, according to the sparse dates marked in
the secret records, Day became the first witness to appear before The Court.
There were three pieces of evidence against him.  The anonymous letter
charged that he attended the parties in Roberts' room, Perkins 28, an
accusation the proctor's letter supported.  Even more incriminating was the
letter to Cyril Wilcox in which Roberts wrote that Day engaged in homosexual
acts with Roberts himself and with many others.  Day "confessed to H.S.
[homosexual] relations with Roberts, after denial at first," according to
Court notes.  During his freshman year, Day "guessed what was going on, but
claimed that his first offense was this year and that he was drunk at the
time," according to the notes.  He admitted attending some parties in
Roberts' room, going every day to see Roberts and calling on Cyril Wilcox
six or seven times.
       In response to questions from The Court, Day said he did not
masturbate and had not masturbated for seven years.  He also claimed that
Roberts' letter's allegations of promiscuity were "a lie" of whole cloth.
Day testified that he only had sexual relations with two men.
       The Court files noted that Day "admits he is probably a little
tainted. Mind poisoned."  But, according to the notes of the case, Day "says
he has cut it out since a month ago."
       The Court attempted to track down the students considered sexual
deviants.  Saxton?  "Guilty," Day told The Board.  Say?  "Guilty."
Courtney?  Hussey?  Cummings?  All "guilty," he said.  Day also raised the
name of Nathaniel S. Wollf '19-'23 to The Court for the first time, although
he declined to comment whether he was guilty or not.
       After Day's questioning ended, the pace of The Court's investigation
picked up.  The Court decided it had no choice but to investigate Roberts,
regardless of his powerful father.  "I expect you, whatever your engagement
may be, to appear at my office tomorrow, Friday, May 28th, at 2:45 P.M.,"
Greenough wrote to Roberts on May 27.  Day received an almost identical
letter, apparently to call him back for a second round of questioning.
       Perhaps The Court wanted to ask Day more questions about Dreyfus
after Greenough received a May 27 letter from George Wilcox using the
strange cipher.  He enclosed a photograph of Dreyfus that he found and
described him as "slightly more tall than I perhaps 5'9'' or 10''.  He has a
thin black moustache.  He probably weighs about 140 lb."  He added: "I have
lately found a letter written by Piper [Courtney] to Potter [Cyril Wilcox]
in which he asks Potter [Wilcox] to induce his roommate and Day to come to
his room in Boston."  George Wilcox apparently did not enclose the letter,
for no such correspondence is in the files of The Court.
       On the afternoon of May 28, Ernest Roberts prepared to face The
Court.  His room, Perkins 28, appears to have been a center of gay life at
Harvard in 1920.  During his frequent parties, Harvard students and alumni
joined Boston men for raucous parties that would last long into the night.
Men dressed in women's clothes.
       But in public, Roberts was still the son of a former congressman.  He
tried his hardest to show a decent, clean-cut public image.  During World
War I he served in the Harvard unit of the Students' Army Training Corps
(SATC).  And even as he continued to hold several male lovers, Roberts
courted a young woman who lived in Brookline named Helen Gay Smith.
       In between mentions of an "old faggot" and a man named Sak whom he
was hoping "to spend the night with," Roberts told Cyril Wilcox in his May
10 letter that he was spending all his time in Brookline with Helen.  "She
is the kind of girl I can say anything to at all," he wrote.  According to
his testimony before The Court, he sometimes lived with the Smith family in
Brookline rather than staying in Perkins 28.
       Roberts hoped to apply to Harvard Medical School and become a
doctor - a dream that was endangered by poor grades in his sophomore fall.
Two Es and two Ds were enough to put him on probation on Dec. 10, 1919.  But
a quick letter from his father yielded reassurances from Assistant Dean
Murdock that the boy would have no trouble getting into the Medical School
if his grades merely picked up slightly.  Murdock even sent the former
congressman a pamphlet on admissions requirements to the Harvard Medical
School.
       The Court believed Roberts to be "certainly the ringleader in the
homosexual practices in college."  Although at first he denied his
involvement, he eventually confessed to homosexual relations with Cummings,
Courtney, Hussey, Saxton, Cyril Wilcox and to spending one night with a man
not connected with Harvard known only to The Court as "Win" Adams.  Roberts
claimed he was "led astray" by the now-deceased Wilcox.
       He also provided new information on the last months of Wilcox's life.
Roberts told The Court that Wilcox had "practically lived" with Dreyfus at
his apartment on 44 Beacon St.  The two lovers had met during the summer,
Roberts said, and one fall night at a Beacon Hill club called the Lighted
Lamp, Wilcox went home with Dreyfus.  After that, Roberts said they were
together "every night."  But when Wilcox decided to leave Dreyfus, the older
man began "threatening to expose him to college authorities," according to
Roberts' testimony.
       Roberts said his first homosexual acts occurred eight or ten years
earlier in high school.  The testimony Roberts gave to The Court was riddled
with contradictions.  Despite what he wrote in his letter to Wilcox, Roberts
said he had had "no abnormal relations for three months."  And despite
having boasted in the same letter that he was responsible for "bringing
[Day] out," he told The Court that Wilcox was to blame for exposing Day to h
omosexuality.  Day had been "normal" the year before, Roberts claimed, until
he had been "led into it by Wilcox - but not of his own free will."
       That same Friday, May 28, The Court called Edward A. Say to appear in
Greenough's office.  The evidence against him was overwhelming.  Say was
accused of homosexuality in the proctor's list, the anonymous letter and the
oral testimony of Roberts and Day.  He also figured prominently in Roberts'
letter to Wilcox, where Say was described as "bitchy looking and acting."
But aside from the information in the Court files, Say's life is almost a
complete mystery.  The 1919-1920 student directory identifies him as an
"unclassified student" (meaning he was not affiliated with a specific class)
living in Perkins 24.  But he is not listed in the alumni directory and he
has no student folder in the Archives.
       Despite all the accusations against him, Say denied taking part in
any homosexual acts, although, under questioning, he admitted to practicing
"masturbation regularly, about once a week."  Although Say confessed to
attending a party in Roberts' room shortly after Thanksgiving, but he said
he was "disgusted and left."  He assured them that he had "cut all possible
relations with the men involved."
       Men from Boston used to call Perkins frequently to speak with the
Harvard boys, and Say said that he answered the telephone frequently.
Usually it was Courtney, a man Say described as a "main annoyance," who
telephoned.  Say said Courtney constantly asked him and his roommate, Joseph
E. Lumbard, Jr. '22, to come to Roberts' room, but that they always refused.
       The Court was unimpressed with Say's defense.  His testimony that an
injury early in life "kept him out of athletics" only made them more
suspicious.  "Notably effeminate in some degree," scribbled one Court member
in his notes.  They asked him if he knew what a "faggoty party" was, but Say
said he "could only guess."
       Some of the remaining entries in the Court notes are undated, so it
is unclear in exactly what order some of the other men appeared before The
Court.  Soon, however, they summoned Saxton, a professional tutor living on
161 Hancock St. in Cambridge, based on the letter he wrote to Wilcox.  "When
pushed he practically confessed to one act," according to Court notes, "but
later retracted."  The Court notes indicate several contradictions in his
testimony.
       In the midst of The Court's investigation, Greenough received another
letter from George Wilcox, dated May 31, using the same cipher.  "Mr.
Cummings has called this evening here at the house," he wrote.  "I went to
talk with him.  He says that he personally is alright but that Roberts is
not a 'moral man' and is addicted to the same practices that Parker
[Dreyfus] is."  Wilcox implied that he beat up Cummings as he previously had
Dreyfus: "The interview terminated the same as the one I had with Parker
[Dreyfus]."
       Soon it was Cummings' turn to appear before The Court.  He told The
Court how Cyril "became his confidante" and "told Cummings a good deal of
his past."  But he said the two had only known each other for three months
and that they "had never even been intimate."  He admitted attending
Roberts' parties but was vehement in his "absolute denial of any h.s.
[homosexual] relations."
       The final student involved in the first investigative wave was Joseph
E. Lumbard, Jr. '22, Say's roommate, who was summoned on June 2.  He
testified that Say knew the rest of the accused "pretty well."  Lumbard,
though, also knew almost everyone in the group and was aware of the rumors
that his roommate had homosexual relations with Courtney and Cummings.  The
crowd was having a strong influence on his roommate, Lumbard told The Court.
Recently, he said, Say had even started using rouge. There had been a marked
change since the beginning of the year, according to Lumbard - Say was
"secretive and not inclined to be frank."  Say, he said, would explain the
change by saying he had trouble with his spine and was being cared for
closely by his mother.
       Expressing serious reservations about his roommate, Lumbard told The
Court he was "not sure that Say has been telling the truth."  Lumbard was
clear, though, in saying that he did not believe his roommate or Day should
be thrown out of the college.  He also appears to have been the first of
several witnesses to inform The Court of Roberts' plan to stay at Harvard:
"If he is expelled," Lumbard told them, "Roberts threatens publicity."
       The first party Lumbard and Say attended was in December, he told The
Court in a second appearance.  He said "faggots" from a club called the
Golden Rooster were present at the bash, referred to as a "bitch party."
There was dancing, dressing in women's clothes and "some kissing witnessed."
Lumbard said he did not drink, but that he danced once, before leaving at
about 1:30 a.m.  Several times afterward, Lumbard dropped by the parties in
Perkins 28 for a few minutes.  In response to questioning from The Court,
Lumbard said he "stayed because he was interested."  He also freely admitted
that there were three or four times when four or five men have slept in his
room.  Courtney slept in the room seven or eight times, he admitted, and
Cummings stayed overnight occasionally.  Lumbard also said he once slept in
the same bed as William Toomey, a Boston man who ran in the same circles as
Harry Dreyfuss.
       He told The Court that he had never had relations with a woman.
Apparently connecting onanism with homosexuality, The Court asked Lumbard,
as they had several of the students before, if he frequently masturbated.
He told them that he had masturbated six years before, but not since then.
       Just as the investigation appeared to be winding down, a seemingly
innocent conversation initiated a whole new investigation - one filled with
even more backstabbing and finger-pointing, as the accused students
desperately attempted to curry favor in order to remain at Harvard.
       While Nathaniel S. Wollf '19-'23 chatted with Assistant Dean Gay one
day, he happened to mention that he knew the circumstances of Cyril Wilcox's
death.  Immediately, he was summoned before The Court.
       Wollf entered Harvard intending to become a doctor.  He worked for
two months at the Medical School and had spent the year before working at
the Dental School, where he met Cummings.  He said Cummings talked about the
need for wider sex education and hinted at the existence of an undergraduate
homosexual group.
       Under pressure from The Court, Wollf admitted to participating in
homosexual acts himself.  He said he had "begun the habit" as a 12-year-old
in school.  The practice increased, he told The Court, when at the age of 16
he attended a prestigious boarding school, which was "permeated with
homosexuality" and "mutual masturbation."  Since he had been at Harvard,
though, Wollf said he had had only two homosexual encounters - until he met
Keith P. Smerage, Class of 1921, at the Dramatic Club.  The two had supper
together and, because of Smerage's constant allusions to homosexuality,
Wolff realized that his dining companion was a homosexual, he told The
Court.
       That night he spent several hours in Smerage's room.  The two "took
off all their clothes," he said, and "mutual masturbation took place - one
each."  The same thing happened on one other occasion, he said.  Wollf told
The Court that his second fling with Smerage was his last.  "He was fighting
hard and felt that he had overcome the habit," read the Court records.
"Says he is 90% OK."
       As a result of Wollf's testimony, The Court summoned Smerage to
appear for questioning.  A native of Topsfield, Mass., Smerage decided to
transfer to Harvard after spending a year studying at Tufts and a month and
a half in the SATC.  Harvard had a better Dramatic Club, which he eventually
joined, and an English department.
       He said he was first introduced to homosexuality by an older boy in
high school and confessed to having had many homosexual relationships.
Smerage confessed to knowing "the jargon" and what a "queer" was, although
he didn't know what the word "faggot" meant.  Smerage also admitted to
rouging his nails and knowing the work of Havelock Ellis, a psychologist
whose 1897 book Sexual Inversion described the prevalence of homosexuality
in American cities.
       Smerage told The Court that he had "not slept with men in unnatural
sense" since entering college and that he had conquered masturbation more
than nine months before.
       He later admitted he had "'fooled' around with the homosexual
business" one or two times at Harvard.  After he left SATC, an undergraduate
whose full name he never knew "reintroduced [him] to the practice."
       Although he told The Court he'd had heterosexual relations during the
summer, Smerage admitted he "prefers homo-sexuality to intercourse with a
woman."
       And then Smerage began naming names.  He told The Court about a
student Roberts had introduced him to who "has reputation of being queer":
Stanley Gilkey '22-'23.  Smerage added: "Gilkey got rather gay last
semester."  He also named eight other students as probable homosexuals.
Nonetheless, Smerage wouldn't cooperate fully.  "Said he knows fifty names -
but won't tell," according to the files.
       On June 6, Gilkey appeared before The Court.  His defense?  He was
"interested in homo-sexuality as part of interest in criminology."  Gilkey
said he had read parts of Havelock Ellis' multi-volume Studies in the
Psychology of Sex and a great deal of Sex Inversion as well as studying Carl
Jung and Sigmund Freud.  The following year, Gilkey said, he planned to take
Anthropology 3: "Criminology."
       "I think a man should know about everything," he told The Court to
explain his interest in homosexuality.  "I want to know all I can."
       Although The Court had heard testimony from others that Gilkey often
"boasted of being able to tell 'queer' people," he denied the charge.  He
"says he can't pick out queer person unless he can back it up by hearsay,"
Court notes say.
       Gilkey told the inquisitors that while he masturbated, he "does not
think it as dangerous as homo-sexuality."  He denied any homosexual behavior
and said he "went with a woman summer before last."  Although Gilkey
admitted to discussing homosexuality with several students he stressed that
he "probably has brought homosexual knowledge to no one who was innocent."
       He begged The Court to call his roommates to testify to his
character.  Gilkey said they would confirm he was a "good boy, always in bed
before they stopped playing cards."
       The Court continued to examine the students that Smerage had
implicated, and eventually "S14," whose real name was redacted, appeared in
Greenough's office.  Although he admitted that he had masturbated when
younger, The Court quickly concluded that he was innocent.  In the course of
his testimony, though, the student told The Court he had twice been
"approached" by Assistant in Philosophy Charles B. Clark, his section leader
in Pyschology A: "General Introduction to Psychology."
       Clark was an erudite man.  The 24-year-old was born in Rome and spoke
Italian, German and French fluently.  At Wesleyan College he was Phi Beta
Kappa and during World War I he served as a special agent in the U.S. Dept.
of Justice.  He received a masters' degree in Philosophy at Harvard in 1918
and was in the third year of his Ph.D. program when he was summoned before
The Court.  Altogether, Clark taught about 100 students in his sections.
       The news that a Harvard teacher might be a homosexual led President
Lowell to join a special secret session of The Court on June 10 that the two
Assistant Deans did not attend.  At first, Clark "denied any connection with
homosexualism, and he denied talking about it except to help some students
to cure themselves."  Court records note that his memory was poor and he
seemed nervous.  He eventually broke down and confessed to approaching "S14"
hoping for homosexual relations.  Clark told The Court he had "been lying to
cure himself and thought he was succeeding."
       President Lowell told Clark he could not be reappointed or given a
Ph.D., and Clark agreed to withdraw his candidacy for the degree.  Later,
President Lowell himself crossed Clark's name off all Corporation records.
       Apparently worried about the teaching staff at Harvard, Lowell and
Greenough both met separately with the head instructor of Psychology A,
Professor Herbert S. Langeld, who assured them that he had never delivered a
lecture on homosexuality.  "[I]deas on entire perfectly sound," concluded
The Court.


#27
Harvard Crimson, November 21, 2002
14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
(E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com )
( http://www.thecrimson.com )
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255429
The Secret Court of 1920, Cont.
Part II
By Amit R. Paley, Crimson Staff Writer
       The trial was over.  The purge had already begun a week earlier.  On
June 4, Greenough, at the direction of President Lowell, advised Roberts to
withdraw from Harvard at once.  Over the next two weeks, The Court handed
down and recorded a verdict of "guilty" for a total of 14 men:  seven
college students; Cummings, the Dental School student; Clark, the Assistant
in Philosophy; Saxton, the alumnus; and four men not connected with Harvard.
       The college students were not just asked to leave campus, they were
told to get out of Cambridge - immediately.
       "Your son, Ernest, is still in Cambridge, in spite of our
instruction," Greenough wrote Rep. Roberts on June 12.  "Strongly urge that
you send for him or come for him yourself at once.  He has been ordered to
leave Cambridge today.  Consequences of disobedience of this order would be
most serious."
       Greenough also sent a letter that week - a letter that would haunt
the students for the rest of their lives - to the Alumni Placement Service:
"Before making any statement that would indicate confidence in the following
men, please consult some one in the Dean's office.  If they do not know what
is meant, tell them to look in the disciplinary file in an envelope marked
'Roberts, E.W. and others.'"
       After that day, anyone asking for information about the students'
years at Harvard would be given some form of this cryptic sentence alluding
to The Court.  Since some of the students had left campus before the
verdicts were handed down, Greenough began to contact their families about
their orders to withdraw.
       Eugene R. Cummings never found out he was judged "guilty."  On June
11, 1920, the 23-year-old dental-school student whose high-school motto was
"Never say die!" committed suicide at Harvard's Stillman Infirmary.  The
medical examiner ruled that the cause of death was "poisoning by corrosive
sublimate taken with suicidal intent probably while mentally deranged."
       A week later, Harvard's fear of exposure was realized when the news
of the two suicides appeared in an article in the Boston American on June
19.  "2 HARVARD MEN DIE SUDDENLY," screamed the headline of the story about
Cummings and Wilcox.
       "According to friends of the two in Fall River, Cummings, who was
said to have been mentally unbalanced, told a story of an alleged
inquisition which he claimed was held in the college office following
Wilcox' [sic] death," read the article.  "He said that he was taken into the
office, which was shrouded in gloom, with but one light dimly burning, and
there questioned exhaustively.  This story, which was denied by the college
authorities, was said to have sprung from his disordered mind."
       Professor of Hygiene Roger I. Lee, a member of The Court, said in the
article that Cummings "had been acting in a queer manner," but mentioned
nothing about homosexuality or the University's investigation.
       "Every effort has been made to prevent any knowledge of this affair
from becoming public," Greenough wrote to the father of one of the other
boys.
       In Greenough's letters to the parents of some of the students, he
makes clear that they were asked to withdraw solely because of their
association with homosexuals.  "Your son, though we believe him to be
innocent of any homosexual act, is in the following ways too closely
connected with those who have been guilty of these acts," Greenough wrote to
Lumbard's father on June 15.  "In the first place, he is guilty of attending
a 'party' of a loathsome sort, although while your son was in the room, no
homosexual act, he assures us, took place.  The nature of this party was
announced in advance in such a way that he must have known he was taking
grave risks in being present.  He pleads that curiosity took him there and
kept him there for more than two hours.
       "Secondly, he is seriously at fault in serving as a kind of
intermediary by answering telephone calls and communicating them, thereby
making himself a link in the chain.  He pleads ignorance of the exact nature
of what was going, but here also he should have known that he was taking
risks.
       "Finally, he is seriously at fault in that certain grossly immoral
men in Boston spent the night in his room, unquestionably at the invitation
of your son's roommate.  Yet in the absence of any more vigorous protest
from your son than any that he has told us about, we have to regard them as
having been allowed to enjoy the joint hospitality of the room."
       Greenough concluded by saying: "We feel the boy to have been no worse
than ignorant, over-curious, and careless. I hope that after the lesson
sinks in he will ask for readmission."
       In September, Lumbard's father wrote to Dean Henry A. Yeomans, "I
feel that Joseph has received extremely unjust treatment in being forced to
withdraw."  Joseph Lumbard applied to other schools and wrote he had been
requested to leave Harvard because he was "the room-mate of a student
implicated in a very serious affair."
       Harvard contacted the deans of the other schools and blocked
Lumbard's application.  "You have given me just the information which we
needed, and it goes without saying that we shall inform Mr. Lumbard that we
do not care to consider his application for admission to Brown," Dean of
Brown University Otis E. Randall wrote to Greenough.  "I feel that your
action in the matter was wise and just, and that you deserve the support of
the colleges to which young Lumbard may make application for admission.  How
frequently we uncover in the undergraduate life messes of this sort, and how
disagreeable it is to deal with such matters!"
       The deans at Amherst College and the University of Virginia also
received letters from Harvard about Lumbard.
       He spent his year off in New York City, working at a law firm while
studying law at night.
       After he returned to Harvard, he quickly completed his undergraduate
courses and then entered the Law School.  He soon embarked on a meteoric
rise in the legal world, though The Court files came back to haunt him
twice.  Before his appointment as chief of the criminal division of the
United States Attorney's office in New York, Assistant US Attorney Haven
Parker wrote to Harvard on April 1, 1931 on behalf of the U.S. Department of
Justice to discover the cause of Lumbard's suspension from Harvard.  He said
it would be irresponsible to entrust any immoral person with such great
responsibility.
       Then the Federal Bureau of Investigation got involved.  Harvard
registrar Sargent Kennedy made a note on Jan. 8, 1953 about FBI Agent
Quinn's attempt to discover the reason for Lumbard's withdrawal.  Harvard
cooperated and informed agent Quinn that he was required to withdraw solely
because of social association with the group.  The note ends abruptly,
"Quinn says this information will be buried."
       Lumbard eventually rose to serve on the Harvard Board of Overseers.
But he never mentioned the reason for his year off to anyone, according to
his grandson Joseph E. Lumbard, who lived with him for a year-and-a-half at
the end of his life.  "That would be the time of thing about which my
grandfather would not say anything," he said.  "When it came to things like
people having different sexual preferences, he felt like that was other
people's business."
       Keith P. Smerage's mother Grace was perhaps the most determined and
persistent parent in trying to get her son back into Harvard, despite the
decision of The Court not even to consider him for re-admission.  Before his
withdrawal, she wrote to Greenough, "the disgrace would kill me, or all my
happiness at least."  She tried to persuade Greenough by inspiring pity for
her son, describing his childhood illnesses and poor relationship with his
father.  The dean was not swayed.
       After The Court required Smerage to withdraw, the boy wrote a vicious
letter on June 15 to Greenough alleging that Harvard was infamous for its
homosexuality.  "Harvard has a reputation for this sort of thing, that is
nation wide.  I have heard a most uncomplimentary song Princeton sings of
Harvard and along this theme," he wrote.
       "Through Roberts I met the leader of a similar group to his at
Dartmouth.  When I asked an acquaintance of mine there if he knew the lad,
he said yes, and added, 'he and his gang should have gone to Harvard.'"
       Smerage also questioned the sexual orientation of Harvard professors.
"In town they say, in speaking of this dismissal of but eight - for it has
leaked out through some source - 'tell them to look to their faculty,'" he
wrote.  "I know a lad who was in September a member of the University who
heard in town of one of your professors, from a 'queer one' pretending to
have lived with said professor last summer, and in consequence he took that
professor's course."
       Smerage added: "I very much regret now, in after-thought, that I gave
any names whatsoever.. I realize that to give you names means to get
confessions of one case of guilt, and then expulsion. I know of lads still
in the University going wrong.  To tell would expel them, while a word of
warning, a helping hand, without the 'jolt' of ruining their life careers,
could help them out."
       Striking perhaps at the greatest fear of the homophobic
administrators, Smerage wrote, "A human streak in me makes me feel rather
sore at being one of eight expelled when I am one of at least ten times that
number."
       His mother also wrote a letter to Greenough the same day equally as
dramatic in tone.  "This is indeed a stricken home," she wrote.  "No home
where even death has entered can compare with a case like this."
Particularly difficult for Smerage's mother was the fact that her son had
just recently begun pulling together his life.  His academic work was
improving, he was elected to the Dramatic Club on May 24, and Smerage said
he had given up homosexuality.  "I think that thro' this carcass emanates a
very different boy than did therefrom such a few months ago," he wrote to
his mother the night of his election.  "If only I could find a girl, now,"
he continued.
       Two weeks later, he was back before The Court.  "To think that just
as my prayers seemed answered and he had got started right that he should be
'kicked out' and left hopeless," his mother wrote to Greenough.  "I felt
then and I feel now that you men could have done much good had had perhaps a
little less sense of justice and a little more of the of the spirit of Jesus
in your hearts when dealing with this case."
       The family attempted to get the incident behind them.  Smerage met
weekly with a "wonderful man of godly influence" who tried to help him
overcome his homosexual impulses.  The Smerages set their sights on having
him apply to Rutgers.  But when Greenough informed Smerage that he would
tell Rutgers the circumstances of his withdrawal, Smerage decided not to
apply and soon left the ivory tower for the world of the performing arts.
He took the stage name of Richard Keith and took a singing role in the
traveling show Blossom Time.  Smerage, a pianist and baritone, appeared in
many companies in the Boston area.  At home in Topsfield he was soloist in
the Congregational Church Choir.
       He moved to New York in the late 1920's, where he found work as an
assistant manager in a Greenwich Village café.  But on Sept. 8, 1930,
Smerage became the third member of the circle to commit suicide.
       The New York Times reported that he was found dead of gas
asphyxiation in an apartment he shared with Philip Towne, a government
clerk.  "Towne, who works at night, found the cracks about the doors and
windows stuffed with paper and four jets open in the kitchen stove."
According to the Salem Evening News, the police listed the case as a
suicide.
       Another tragedy had struck two months earlier, when 29-year-old
Edward A. Say, already a successful securities salesman well-known in
financial circles, was killed in a car crash in Connecticut.  "The car
descending a steep hill at unsafe speed ploughed through a fence and dropped
down a 10 foot embankment, Mr. Say's skull being fractured and a lung
punctured," The Waterbury American reported.  "He was thrown from the car
and later it rolled on him."
       Because Kenneth Day's parents had both died before he was ten years
old, ordinary college reports were sent to his grandmother.  However,
Greenough sent the letter explaining the cause of Kenneth's withdrawal to
his cousin, Homer G. Day, who was also raised by the same grandmother.
       "The loss of a year to a boy in ordinary conditions, with his parents
to fall back upon, might not be so serious a matter," Homer Day wrote to
Greenough on June 17, "but in the present case it seems a very high price to
pay, as it will mean I fear the end of his education."
       Homer asked Greenough to clarify what Harvard would say to other
colleges if Kenneth tried to transfer.  Greenough said Harvard would be
required to give other schools an honest impression.  "That impression, as
you know, is in this case of mixed good and evil," he wrote to Homer.
       Kenneth spent the next year taking classes at the New York University
School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance.  He lived in the same room with
his cousin.  "I have known where he has been every minute of the time and
know his friends," Homer wrote to Greenough on August 22, 1921.  "I know
that the offence which cause him to leave College has never since then
occurred."
       Homer told Greenough that he even resorted to spying on his cousin to
make sure he wasn't involved with homosexuals.  "After leaving his office,
he spent an hour or more practically every night at the West Side branch of
the YMCA gymnasium in boxing and other physical exercise, where I have made
it a point to join him whenever possible at unexpected times," he wrote.
       Except for twice dining at the house of the Lumbard family, Homer
said Kenneth had no communication with anyone involved in the case.
       In August of 1921, Kenneth tried to reapply to Harvard.  "More than
thing else in my life, I want to go back to college and show it, and my
cousin Homer and myself that I am not the cur I might have turned out to
be," he wrote.  Homer agreed to support him financially.  But Kenneth never
returned to Cambridge.  "I am very sorry to have to tell you that we do not
see how you can return to Harvard," Greenough wrote to Kenneth on Sept. 28,
1921.  "The matter has been very thoroughly gone into and taken up with the
President, whose position in the matter is embodied in this ruling."
       Greenough, in fact, disagreed with Lowell's refusal to allow Kenneth
to be readmitted to Harvard.  He had argued that Wollf, Gilkey, Day and
Lumbard could potentially be readmitted in the fall of 1920, but that
certainly those four should be allowed to come back eventually.  In a Sept
17, 1920 letter to Yeomans, he indicates that Lowell was strongly against
readmitting any of the four.  "I do not concur with Mr. Lowell," he wrote to
Yeomans.
       Although Lowell eventually agreed to readmit three of the four
students, Kenneth Day never finished college.
       He never mentioned to anyone - even his family - why he left Harvard.
       "Good Lord!" said his daughter, Nancy Day, when told the real reason
he left.  "I never heard that.  I'll stake my life on it that my father was
not a homosexual.  My father was a skirt-chaser, he liked women," said Day,
who asked that only her maiden name be used.  "I just don't think that
homosexuals have the enjoyment of women like he had."
       After he was forced to withdraw from Harvard, Donald Clark continued
to lead the life of an academic.  He next headed to the University of
California's Mills College campus, where he taught for several years, and in
the fall of 1927 he helped the David Mannes School create a new department
of cultural studies.  In 1933 he published a book of poetry, The Single
Glow, under the name Axton Clark.  He also composed music and published a
translation of the letters of Christopher Columbus from Italian and a
translation of Heinrich Mann's In the Land of Cockaigne from the German.  He
later moved to Denver, Colo. where he was librarian at National Jewish
Hospital.  His obituary in the Rocky Mountain Herald said that he died of
tuberculosis.
       The Court only wanted Stanley Gilkey to take one year off.  "Your
son, though we believe him to be innocent of any homosexual act, is in the
following ways too closely connected with those who have been guilty of
these acts," Greenough wrote to Gilkey's father on June 15.  "First, he has,
by reading and conversation found out too much about homosexual matters.
Secondly, he has been most indiscreet in saying in a public restaurant that
a certain student looked to him like a man guilty of homosexual practices.
In the third place, he has been too closely acquainted with the ringleader
in these practices, and has visited his room too often.  Your son knew
perfectly well what kind of a man this ringleader was, but partly through
curiosity, and partly through a desire not to impair a relationship which
permitted him to borrow the other man's clothes, had allowed matters to
drift along.
       "The acts in question are so unspeakably gross that the intimates of
those who commit these acts become tainted, and, though in an entirely
different class from the principals, must for the moment be separated from
the College.
       "At the same time we feel the boy to have been no worse than
overcurious and careless," Greenough wrote.  "I hope.he will ask us for
readmission."
       After a year off, Gilkey was readmitted to the college.  Following
his graduation, he worked for two years at the Bankers Trust Company in
Paris before returning to New York to pursue theater.  Over the course of
his four-decade career, Gilkey produced more than a dozen Broadway shows.
He also produced a show for Martha Graham's dance company and was the first
general manager of the Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center, where he worked
under Academy Award-winning director Elia Kazan.
       Gilkey never married.  After his retirement, he moved to San
Francisco.  In his 50th reunion report, he invited all his classmates to
visit him: "I am hale and hearty, and swing, too."  He died on Nov. 3, 1979
at the age of 79.
       Harold W. Saxton had trouble getting a job as a teacher after his
appearance before The Court.  When he applied for a teaching position at the
Hallock School in Great Barrington, Mass. in 1922, Dean Gay advised the
school not to hire him.  "In the spring of 1920 Saxton became involved with
certain undergraduates in offences of such moral turpitude that the
undergraduates were removed from the university immediately," Gay wrote.
"Saxton, of course, was beyond our reach, but it is regarded as highly
undesirable that he should be recommended for any position, especially that
of teaching in a boys school."
       Later that year, Saxton applied for a position at the Massachusetts
Department of Education, but Gay wrote: "It is impossible for us to
recommend Harold W. Saxton for any position whatsoever.  It is my personal
opinion that he should never be appointed as a teacher."
       Saxton eventually found employment as a teacher in South Carolina,
Georgia, Kentucky and then Martha's Vineyard, according to a 1923 class
report that he composed from his job at Hebron Academy in Maine.
       On June 23, 1924, Saxton applied for a job as a French or math
teacher at a country day school through the Harvard alumni appointment
office.  He appeared at the office and "in his talk he made a favorable
impression," according to notes from the appointment office.  But after
Saxton left, a staffer at the office looked through the files and found the
June 15, 1920 letter from Greenough that said, "I strongly suggest that your
office make no statement implying that Harvard College has confidence
in.H.W. Saxton '19."  The alumni appointment did not recommend Saxton for
any jobs.
       One June 24, Saxton wrote to Greenough, "I wish to see you at your
earliest convenience in regard to a serious charge you have made against my
character."  According to his student folder, the two met on June 26.  Four
days later, he wrote to Greenough: "I wish you to know that you are
justified."
       As the publications office began compiling the 25th anniversary
report in 1943, the Dean of the College wrote to the publication staff: "I
have now gone over the sordid details regarding Harold Winfield Sexton 19 in
the confidential disciplinary files.  The case was a most serious one but he
had already graduated at the time disciplinary action was taken in the case
of the various young men involved.  It would seem to be the best thing to do
would be to give up trying to locate his whereabouts and either omit his
name entirely or just include a brief statement: No information in recent
years."
       His entry in the 25th anniversary report read: "No information about
him has come to hand in recent years."
       Less than a year after Ernest Weeks Roberts was forced to withdraw
from Harvard because of his homosexual activities, he married Helen Gay
Smith on Feb. 13, 1921.  After the wedding, they moved in with Helen's
family in Brookline and on Dec. 24, 1921, Ernest Weeks, Jr. was born.
       Roberts Sr. was an interior decorator and a staunch Republican who
wrote in the class 25th-anniversary report that he and Helen had been
"blessed with the happiest of marriages."
       In a statement to FM, University President Lawrence Summers reflected
on The Court of 1920 more than 80 years after the fact: "These reports of
events long ago are extremely disturbing.  They are part of a past that we
have rightly left behind.
       "I want to express our deep regret for the way this situation was
handled, as well as the anguish the students and their families must have
experienced eight decades ago.
       "Whatever attitudes may have been prevalent then, persecuting
individuals on the basis of sexual orientation is abhorrent and an affront
to the values of our university.  We are a better and more just community
today because those attitudes have changed as much as they have."


#28
Harvard Crimson, November 21, 2002
14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
(E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com )
( http://www.thecrimson.com )
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255430

The Secret Court of 1920, Cont.
Part III
By Amit R. Paley, Crimson Staff Writer
An 82-Year Secret
       This article is the result of a six-month effort by FM to obtain the
secret court files of 1920.  500 pages of document were eventually released.
Although the name of every student or alumnus involved in the case was
blacked-out by the office of the Dean of the College, FM was able to
identify the main individuals involved by combing through newspaper records,
death certificates, freshman registers, student directories, class reunion
reports, official student folders and other archival materials.  The bulk of
the material comes from a series in the University Archives catalogued as
"Secret Court Files, 1920."
       The 82-year-old files have never before been made public.
       "It came in as a special accession from University Hall, from a
locked filing cabinet.  Whoever sent it over probably didn't even know what
it was," said Assistant Processing Archivist Andrea B. Goldstein.
       The materials in the archives appear to have been written and typed
by the members of The Court themselves, not their secretaries.  "The
handwritten notes look as if someone took scraps of paper, held it on their
lap and wrote with a blunt pencil," Goldstein said.  "The letters looked
like the Dean himself was typing, not a professional secretary.  It was like
a person typing who wasn't used to typing."
       In March of 2002, FM first asked the University Archives for access
to the files.  According to a March 13, 1989 vote of the Harvard
Corporation, Harvard will "ordinarily authorize the use of University
records.concerning individuals which shall be more than eighty years old, or
the individual being alive, after his/her decease, whichever is later."
       Although the Secret Court Files of 1920 fall outside of the 80-year
restriction, because of the sensitive nature of the materials the Archives
staff referred FM's requests to Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68,
whose office has jurisdiction over the files.  On March 24, FM wrote to
Lewis formally requesting access to the files.
       Lewis denied FM's request.
       On April 20, FM sent a letter to Lewis and University Archivist
Harley P. Holden, appealing the earlier decision.  As a result, Carl H.
Pforzheimer University Professor and Director of the University Library
Sidney Verba convened an advisory committee - including representatives from
the Office of the Governing Boards, the General Counsel's Office, the
University Archives and the Dean of Harvard College - to rule on the matter.
       On May 17, the committee agreed that, provided the College verified
that no student directly involved in the case is still living, FM could view
a redacted set of the records.  Lewis wrote that redaction would be
necessary because "the records to which you requested access are related to
a disciplinary case."
       On June 9, FM appealed the decision of the committee to redact the
names of the students involved, arguing that the homosexuality of the
students involved should not be treated as an ordinary disciplinary case.
"Though the sexual orientation of those students was treated as a
disciplinary case in 1920, there is nothing embarrassing or criminal about
it in 2002," FM wrote to Verba.  The committee denied FM's appeal, and the
redacted files were released.
       In this article, wherever the name of a student appears in direct
quotation from material from the secret files, FM has substituted the
redacted notation (i.e. S1) for the last name of the student (i.e. Roberts)
in order to increase readability.
       [END]


#29
Associated Press, November 23, 2002
http://www.startribune.com/stories/568/3452519.html
UW-Madison to contribute funding to for gay student recruitment
       MADISON, Wis. - University of Wisconsin-Madison officials agreed to
reverse their position on funding a program to help recruit lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender students to the campus.
       Fearing a negative response from high school districts, the
university had opted not to fund "Shadow Day," a student government
initiative aimed partly at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students,
said Paul Barrows, UW-Madison's vice chancellor for student affairs.
       "It's creating so much pain," said Barrows.  "I'm going to go ahead
and do the program as proposed."
       The Associated Students of Madison created the program, aiming to
bring students from Milwaukee and Madison area high schools to the
university to follow college students around.
       Any high school student could participate, but the initiative
targeted racial minorities and so-called LGBT students.
       "I guess I'm glad that (Barrows has) kind of seen that this is
important and that students think it's important," Associated Students of
Madison Chairman Bryan Gadow said.  "If we claim to be as progressive a
university that we say we are, we need to follow it up with recruiting
practices for all types of students."
       The students had worked on the project since the beginning of
September, and expected the venture would cost about $8,000, largely for
busing, food and advertising.  The event was planned for Friday.
       But Jennifer Epps, the committee chairwoman, said the event was
canceled after she learned from UW director of admissions Rob Setzer two
weeks ago that the university would not pay its share - $6,000 - if sexual
orientation was a factor in who was recruited.
       A student newspaper reported the cancelation Friday, focusing
attention on the issue.
       Barrows said UW-Madison officials worried that high schools would not
be prepared to deal with such a politically sensitive recruitment effort if
it involved students' sexual orientation.
       He said the university wants to encourage those students to come to
campus, but the recruitment message must be carefully crafted.
       "We have to meet these districts where they are.  A lot of people
look at these issues differently than we do in our politically correct way
of looking at the world," Barrows said.
       Student leaders said they were told the university did not want to
stir up unwanted controversy, especially because it has no official mandate
to diversify itself based on sexual orientation.
       Other universities also have stepped up efforts to attract gay and
lesbian students.  Earlier this year, officials from about 40 New England
attended a first-ever college fair for gay students in Boston.  Other
schools have showcased gay and lesbian students in brochures.
       UW-Madison does not have a policy against recruiting based on sexual
orientation, but does not pursue it in particular.
       "I think it's important to say that we welcome diversity in our
students and that includes LGBT students, it includes students of color, it
includes disabled students," said Provost Peter Spear.
       Joseph Laskowski, a gay UW-Madison student who had planned to help
with Shadow Day, said he was glad officials changed their minds, but they
were wrong to make the initial decision.
       "The prospective students who were going to come to Madison were
going to get such a negative message, that 'we don't want you here,'" he
said.
       Gadow said Shadow Day will likely happen next semester.
       . On the Net:  University of Wisconsin-Madison: http://www.wisc.edu


#30
Boston Globe, November 24, 2002
Box 2378, Boston, MA, 02107
(Fax: 617-929-2098 ) (E-Mail: letter@globe.com )
( http://www.boston.com/globe )
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/328/metro/Harvard_repudiates_1920s_school_court_+.shtml

Harvard repudiates 1920s school 'court'
By Associated Press
       CAMBRIDGE - What began as an inquiry into a student's suicide in 1920
ended with Harvard University convening a secret tribunal that labeled 14
men "guilty" of being homosexual, and forcing the students among them to
leave not only the school but the city of Cambridge.
       The hidden history of the body known only as "The Court," first
reported by the Harvard Crimson student newspaper, describes Harvard's
desperate efforts, which were kept secret for more than eight decades, to
hide from public view a secret gay subculture on campus.
       "These reports of events long ago are extremely disturbing.  They are
part of the past that we have rightly left behind," Harvard president
Lawrence Summers wrote in a statement to the Crimson.  "I want to express
our deep regret for the way this situation was handled, as well as the
anguish the students and their families must have experienced eight decades
ago."
       The strange legacy began when a Harvard student, Cyril B. Wilcox, 21,
committed suicide in his Fall River home in May of 1920 by inhaling gas.  He
was having academic problems, as well as health problems chalked up to
nerves, and had been asked to withdraw from the college a short time before.
       The death might have passed as simply a tragic end to the life of a
dropout had he not told his brother, George, about a homosexual relationship
he had with an older Boston man.
       Shortly after the death, two letters arrived for Cyril Wilcox, the
first leaving no doubt that Wilcox was part of a group of gay men at
Harvard, and the second a cryptic letter full of codes and jargon.
       Cyril's brother tracked down one of the men and beat him until he
offered up the names of three other gay men.
       George Wilcox called on the acting dean of the college, Chester N.
Greenough, to inform him of Cyril's suicide, and passed on the names, and
mentioned the two letters.
       The next day, after consulting with president A. Lawrence Lowell,
Greenough convened a group of administrators, including regent Matthew Luce
and assistant dean Kenneth B. Murdock, to gather evidence on the case.
       They called this five-person body "The Court."
       The Court was so secret that even the college's Administrative Board,
which oversees student disciplinary matters, wasn't aware of its existence
for more than a week after it was formed.
       When the board was informed, it "had no desire to touch the case and
agreed that the matter should not go through the regular channels [Board and
Faculty] but straight from the Court to the President," according to the
court's written summary of the case.
       The court demanded that men associated with the secret group of
carousers - including the son of a congressman - who gathered in dorm rooms
to hold parties late into the night, sometimes in women's clothing, testify
before the court and tell them what they knew of the gay parties on campus.
       One anonymous student who wrote to the court about the gay subculture
said that "the most disgusting and disgraceful and revolting acts of
degeneracy and depravity took place openly in plain veiw (sic) of all
present."
       The court files noted that one man questioned by the court "admits he
is probably a little tainted.  Mind poisoned."
       When the "trial" ended, the court handed down verdicts of guilty for
14 men: seven college students; a dental school student; a teacher; a recent
graduate; and four men not connected with Harvard.
       The college students were not just asked to leave campus, they were
told to get out of Cambridge - immediately.
       "Your son, Ernest, is still in Cambridge, in spite of our
instruction," a court member wrote former US Representative Ernest William
Roberts on June 12.  "Strongly urge that you send for him or come for him
yourself at once.  He has been ordered to leave Cambridge today.
Consequences of disobedience of this order would be most serious."
       Eugene R. Cummings never even found out about his verdict, because
the 23-year-old man committed suicide at Harvard's infirmary in June.
       The news of the two suicides appeared in the Boston American on June
19 with the headline "2 HARVARD MEN DIE SUDDENLY," referring to Cummings and
Wilcox.
       "Every effort has been made to prevent any knowledge of this affair
from becoming public," a court member wrote to the father of one of the
other boys.
       In letters to parents of some of the students, Greenough made clear
that their sons were asked to withdraw solely because of their association
with gays.
       Summers called the episode "abhorrent and an affront to the values of
our university."
       "We are a better and more just community today because those
attitudes have changed as much as they have," he said.


#31
Windy City Times (glbt), November 20, 2002
325 W. Huron, Suite 510, Chicago, IL 60610
(Fax:  312-397-0021) ( E-Mail:  editorial@wctimes.com  )
( http://www.wctimes.com/  )

Turning the Pages: John D'Emilio [of University of Illinois at Chicago]
By Gregg Shapiro
       The World Turned: Essays on Gay History, Politics, and Culture (Duke
University Press, 2002, $18.95), a collection of 16 essays by educator and
writer John D'Emilio, looks at the events in the late 20th century that
changed attitudes and perceptions about the LGBT community during the 1990s
and into the present day.  The subjects, which include Bayard Rustin, '60s
activists, Larry Kramer, Bill Clinton, and even the author himself (the
essay "My Changing Sex Life"), give the reader a new perspective on the
people and events that brought us to where we are today, at the beginning of
the 21st century.
       Gregg Shapiro:  Can you please say a few words about your role at the
University of Illinois at Chicago?
       John D'Emilio:  I'm the director of the Gender and Women's Studies
Program.  I was hired specifically to teach and develop gay/queer-related
courses.  We are in the process of developing an undergraduate major in
Gender and Women's Studies.  Within that major there will be a bunch of
courses on sexuality and identity.
       GS:  In assembling the book, The World Turned: Essays on Gay History,
Politics, and Culture, were there essays that ended up being excluded due to
space constrictions or were you able to include everything in the book that
you wanted to?
       JD'E:  I did get everything in that I wanted.  There were some essays
that were excluded, shorter pieces especially, that were very current when I
wrote them, but there would be no point in reprinting them.  Or that they
would be unnecessarily repetitive of the content of other longer essays that
developed a point more fully.  As an example of that, when I was working at
NGLTF (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) in the mid-'90s, it was
especially a moment when family issues seemed to be in the news all the time
and I wrote quite a number of short pieces on family issues of one sort or
another, so those stayed out.
       GS:  Whom do you see as the specific audience for the book, aside
from lesbian and gay readers?  For example, is it intended to be used in an
academic setting?
       JD'E:  I think it could definitely be used in an academic setting.
Although, my guess is that the courses for which it might be used in an
academic setting would be courses that had a higher concentration of gays
and lesbians, because they would be sexuality related courses or courses
about gender issues.  I would love it if it got into courses on the
sociology of American life in the 1990s.
       GS:  Activist Harry Hay's name comes up often in the book.  With his
recent death, is there anything else that you would like to say to
memorialize him?
       JD'E:  I think his life is an interesting example of the unexpected
in history.  Here he was, just one of many gay men who, in the middle of the
century, were living a double life.  He was married, but he also thought of
himself as gay.  Yet, what is it about his personal experience that allowed
him to make this leap that was historically so important.  No one can say
that if it wasn't for Harry Hay there would be no gay and lesbian movement.
Of course there would have been a gay and lesbian movement.  But the way it
happened had something to do with this one unique individual.  He does have
a place in history that's an important one.
       GS:  The essay, "Why is this year different from any other?" which
was written 10 years ago continues to have resonance 10 years later,
especially in light of the recent Republican victories in the 2002 election.
       JD'E:  It does resonate in this sense, that if you are a person of
progressive political beliefs, the direction of the country, in the biggest
sense politically, is very, very scary.  But one of the differences, and who
knows why, between 1992 and 2002, is that in this important election, yes,
there were some anti-gay ballot initiatives, but gays haven't been
particularly targeted in the current conservative political climate in the
big way that we were a target in 1992.  In 1992, we were part of the
defining moment of this right wing.  In the year 2002, they seem to have
other or bigger fish to fry.  That shift is part of what I hope gets drawn
by reading all of the essays collectively.  Even in this very conservative
era, which I lose sleep over at night, gay men and lesbians, bisexuals, our
whole community is becoming more embedded in the fabric of everyday
existence.  That's the change that the '90s brought us.  It didn't bring us
the end of oppression.  It didn't bring us utopia, but we crossed some kind
of divide where, instead of being on the margin or exceptional or we don't
belong here, there is a fairly widespread recognition that this is part of
American life, that we are part of American life.
       GS:  Even something as simple as the success of Will & Grace on
prime-time television, is an indication of change.
       JD'E:  Will & Grace.  There are so many things.  The fact that E.
Lynn Harris is a bestselling novelist.  It would have been hard to imagine
that 15 or 20 years ago.
       GS:  You draw an important correlation, in at least three of the
essays (especially the first three) between '60s activism and gay
liberation.  It seems obvious, but at the same time, it seems like a
connection that has been glossed over.  Why do you think that it has been
overlooked by the activists from the '60s or by historians?
       JD'E:  I think there are two reasons, one of which is an innocent one
and one of which is a little less innocent.  The innocent one is that, in a
sense, our biggest moment in the sun comes when the '60s are ending.  The
Stonewall Riot, which has become this symbolic moment in queer history.  The
'60s are ending by then and that is all of a sudden when we appear.  So the
gay story often seems to be a story of the '70s, rather than a story of the
'60s.  And yet, there are so many figures in the life of protest in the '60s
that we can associate with the queer sensibility.
       GS:  Certainly.  Bayard Rustin .
       JD'E:  .Rustin, Allen Ginsberg, and some names that are not as
familiar today as they were a generation ago.  But their significance tells
us something; that even before Stonewall, gay life was really emerging out
of its shadows and the radicalism of the '60s did speak to the condition of
gay and lesbian people.  Many mainstream historians see it as diversionary.
The '60s are about these mainline stories that have been told over and over
again and they're not figuring out how to rewrite the '60s so that our
experience is not only integral to it, but helps us understand what the '60s
were about.
       GS:  It's interesting, too, that the civil-rights marches on
Washington are important symbols of the activism of the time.  For the gay
community, our marches on Washington have also been significant.  You talk
about how our marches, especially the 1987 march, were "markers of change."
Do you think there will continue to be a need for us to march on Washington?
       JD'E:  One can't know that in advance.  One of the wonderful lessons
of Bayard Rustin's life, who figures in the book, he was the organizer of
the first (1963) March on Washington.  When there was going to be a 20th
anniversary march, in 1983, he was against it.  He was against it because he
said that there needs to be a reason to march other than, "look, here we
are."  In 1963, for civil rights, the March on Washington allowed all of the
upheaval around the country to coalesce in a single moment larger than all
of the individual protests, and there was a Civil Rights Bill before
Congress.  In 1987, all of the agitation and concern and anger around AIDS
was coalescing into a new kind of activism, and the national government was
still ignoring the AIDS epidemic in scandalous ways.  And the Supreme Court
had just ruled on Hardwick (vs. Bowers), so there was a reason to make one's
presence felt very publicly and collectively in Washington.  If, for
instance, there was serious chance of passage of a national gay-rights bill,
then one would go to Washington. But to do it just to go to Washington?
Why?
       . John D'Emilio reads at 57th Street Books, 1301 E. 57th Street,
Chicago, (773) 684-1300 Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.

------_=_NextPart_001_01C29AE1.F3398F30-- From AFilson@csustan.edu Tue, 3 Dec 2002 07:51:23 -0800 Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 07:51:23 -0800 From: April Dunham-Filson AFilson@csustan.edu Subject: [Cause-members] FW: Chronicle article: Beating at Morehouse College Raises Debate Over Perceived Homophobia This article is available online at this address: http://chronicle.com/weekly/v49/i14/14a03002.htm - The text of the article is below - From the issue dated November 29, 2002 Beating at Morehouse College Raises Debate Over Perceived Homophobia In the wake of an alleged antigay beating, Morehouse College faces a debate over perceived homophobia on its campus. The controversy included a short-lived moratorium on student-government activities because of what an administrator saw as an unauthorized forum on antigay student sentiment. Early this month, Gregory Love, a junior, was beaten with a baseball bat while using a dormitory shower, according to a campus police report. The report, which provides only his account of the events, says Mr. Love, who wasn't wearing his glasses at the time, peered at a student in another shower stall, thinking that the man was Mr. Love's roommate. That student, Aaron Price, a sophomore, apparently interpreted Mr. Love's action as a sexual advance and said, "What you lookin' at?" Mr. Love responded: "I thought you were my roommate. I was about to say, 'What's up?'" Mr. Price left, but returned soon afterward with a bat and beat Mr. Love, the police report said. Mr. Love was seriously injured, according to the report, and afterward searched for pieces of his teeth and called out for help, to no avail. After knocking on the resident director's door and getting no response, he walked to the campus infirmary. He was sent to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery to treat a fractured skull and received 20 stitches. Mr. Price, who turned himself in to police the day after the beating, has since been expelled. He was charged with one count of aggravated assault and another of aggravated battery. He is free on $10,000 bail. Neither Mr. Love nor Mr. Price was available for comment. Gay organizations portrayed the incident as an antigay beating, although Mr. Love has said he is not gay. Just over a week after the incident, students chose homophobia as the impromptu topic of a weekly forum sponsored by the Student Government Association. Eddie D. Gaffney, dean of student services, imposed a moratorium on student-government activities soon afterward. He said the step was appropriate because the students had called the forum "at the last minute," had not obtained the necessary approvals, and had failed to provide sufficient "structure" for a meeting on such a sensitive topic. Walter E. Massey, the college's president, who had been traveling when the moratorium was announced, lifted it soon after his return, several days later. In a statement, he called its imposition the result of a "gross miscommunication" and said, "There is no such thing as an off-limits topic at Morehouse." For Morehouse, a private, historically black college that is one of only four remaining all-male colleges in the country, "homophobia is not a new topic," said Mr. Massey. But, he added, "the only thing we're dealing with here is perceived homophobia." _________________________________________________________________ You may visit The Chronicle as follows: http://chronicle.com _________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2002 by The Chronicle of Higher Education ____________________________ Nancy Jean Tubbs, Director LGBT Resource Center UC Riverside 250 Costo Hall Riverside, CA 92521 phone: 909-787-2267 email: nancy.tubbs@ucr.edu web: lgbtrc.ucr.edu *************************************************** Visit our website at http://www.lgbtcampus.org To reply to the list, direct your comments to: campusdir-l@tc.umn.edu Manage your subscription to campusdir-l: http://www.lgbtcampus.org/listserv_commands.html Explore the list archives: http://mail.tc.umn.edu/archives/campusdir-l.html *************************************************** From AFilson@csustan.edu Tue, 3 Dec 2002 07:52:08 -0800 Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 07:52:08 -0800 From: April Dunham-Filson AFilson@csustan.edu Subject: [Cause-members] FW: Chronicle article: Bisexual Students Face Tension With Gay Gr oups This article is available online at this address: http://chronicle.com/weekly/v49/i14/14a03101.htm - The text of the article is below - From the issue dated November 29, 2002 Bisexual Students Face Tension With Gay Groups By RICHARD MORGAN New student organizations for bisexual students who feel shunned by gay-student support groups are emerging on some campuses. Supporters of the new groups say many of the student organizations set up as havens for gay, lesbian, and bisexual students have succumbed to the very kinds of intolerance and discrimination that they were chartered to fight. The phenomenon has a name in queer circles: "biphobia," or antipathy toward those who identify as bisexual. At the University of California at Los Angeles, Mandy E. Kronbeck, a senior, is a bisexual woman. She dates a lesbian, Lisa E. Concoff, who is also a senior. When the two women show up at meetings of gay-student groups, Ms. Kronbeck says, members routinely assume that they are both lesbians, and then criticize them when they find out that she is bisexual. "All of these groups are about being who you are and feeling comfortable with who you are," Ms. Kronbeck says. "So why go to groups where they assume that you're something that you're not?" UCLA will soon be home to Fluid, a group of queer students independent of the larger gay-student alliances already on the campus. The new group hopes to advance student comfort with the concept of bisexuality and the notion that sexual identity can change over time. At Brown University, students have created a group called Bisexuals Talk and Eat, or BiTE, that has only marginal ties to the existing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Alliance. Francisco Jose Araujo, a sophomore who identifies as queer and is co-president of BiTE, says bisexual students need a "safe space, without alienation," where they are treated as more than "just good for orgies." The new group, he says, provides a space explicitly, although not exclusively, for bisexual students, where they can socialize and address specific bisexual issues like dating dynamics and definitions of "queerness." Allison J. Rosendahl is a co-president of the larger alliance at Brown. She says she doesn't regard the creation of a group for bisexual students as a failing of her own organization, but concedes that gay and lesbian students "can be an exclusive, oppressive group." While the "loose federation" of gay-student organizations does rely on a credo of inclusion, tolerance, and respect, she says, "within the queer community, there's so much diversity, which means there's the same kind of internalized baggage as the larger culture: racism, classism, sexism, misogyny." Not all gay students, however, are as sympathetic to what their bisexual peers regard as a unique plight. At Colorado State University, Ludo A. Plee, a gay graduate student who is co-chairman of the Student Organization for Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals, is much more critical of bisexual students. Mr. Plee, who identified briefly as bisexual before coming out as gay, now sees bisexuality as an "excuse" for wary gay students -- in other words, "it's easier to say I'm bi," because bisexuality is "mostly straight." Nonetheless, gay groups should do more to welcome bisexual students, he says. Discrimination against bisexual students among gay students, he says, "makes it worse for bisexuals because they think they're coming in and getting support, and just encountering the same narrow-mindedness in many ways as the straight community. People say that bisexuality doesn't exist. That's harsh." Discrimination and Ridicule Natalia M. Chilcote, a bisexual sophomore at Southern Methodist University, says she has been the target of discrimination and ridicule from students who accuse her of being confused about her sexual identity. "If I was confused, I would probably just pick a side and say I'm either straight or a lesbian," she says. "But I feel like, if I choose one side, that's an extreme. Society doesn't like bisexuality. It says you have to be one or the other. It's almost like trying to say that I'm not a man and I'm not a woman. It's that kind of gray area. People don't know what group to place you in." Helen Harrell, faculty adviser of a gay-student group at Indiana University at Bloomington, agrees. Gay students, she says, often belittle bisexuality as "a walk on the wild side," or as a "cop-out" to avoid identification as gay. But they themselves need to understand that college is a time for great change in sexual awareness and sexual identity, she argues. Ms. Harrell, a lesbian, says gay students sometimes express frustration with what they see as "confused" bisexual peers who may use the identity as a baby step toward homosexuality. The source of those frustrations is unclear. UCLA's Ms. Kronbeck blames "double jealousy" -- the fear of bisexual students' partners that they must fend off both heterosexual and homosexual threats to their relationships. Ms. Rosendahl, of Brown, describes anger at the "heterosexual privilege" to which bisexual students have access. Whatever the reason, gay and bisexual students must realize that they "have to constantly re-evaluate their sexual identity," says Ms. Harrell, of Indiana University. "But that's part of youth. They're doing that anyway." The effects of "biphobia" are much clearer than its causes. "I don't say I'm bisexual," acknowledges James M. Brewer, a sophomore at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. "People ask what I am, and I say I'm gay" because bisexuality is "seen as not being able to decide. It's riding the fence. It's wishy-washy. People ask, ëWhy can't you make up your mind?'" Corey A. Miller, a gay graduate student at Arizona State University, blames the tensions on gay students themselves. He argues that bisexual students are shunned by gay students who fear revisiting the soul-searching that sexual-identity questions can raise. "The bisexual student, in some way, makes the homosexual student question whether or not things have to be the way they are for him. That is not a warm feeling for a homosexual student, to have to reconsider those questions that have already caused a lot of pain for him." "If I'm gay and I say, 'This is how I am, I can't change that,' then it's hypocritical of me to tell bisexuals that they can change, or will change," he says. "Why should I play those games with other people that I don't want to be played against me?" Mr. Miller says he believes that bisexuality is legitimate, even though he has "never met a bisexual who has stayed that way for very long." After all, he says, "a lot of people believe in God, and they've never seen him." _________________________________________________________________ You may visit The Chronicle as follows: http://chronicle.com _________________________________________________________________ Copyright 2002 by The Chronicle of Higher Education ____________________________ Nancy Jean Tubbs, Director LGBT Resource Center UC Riverside 250 Costo Hall Riverside, CA 92521 phone: 909-787-2267 email: nancy.tubbs@ucr.edu web: lgbtrc.ucr.edu *************************************************** Visit our website at http://www.lgbtcampus.org To reply to the list, direct your comments to: campusdir-l@tc.umn.edu Manage your subscription to campusdir-l: http://www.lgbtcampus.org/listserv_commands.html Explore the list archives: http://mail.tc.umn.edu/archives/campusdir-l.html *************************************************** From AFilson@csustan.edu Tue, 3 Dec 2002 15:17:49 -0800 Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 15:17:49 -0800 From: April Dunham-Filson AFilson@csustan.edu Subject: [Cause-members] FW: Cause-members digest, Vol 1 #127 - 2 msgs >From one of our own... April, If it's appropriate, could you share this with the Cause and/or Rainbow Alliance email list? Thanks! John Brandt ------ I just want to take the opportunity to follow-up on the event April posted to the list on Monday. I used to sing with the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus and have had the privilege of performing at the same festival as the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. If you haven't heard the SFGMC before, they are an absolute treat! Their concert should be a great experience for *anybody* who appreciates excellent choral music. John Brandt CSU Stanislaus Library Message: 2 From: April Dunham-Filson To: , Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2002 11:10:48 -0800 Subject: [Cause-members] Event this Saturday... The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus Presented by Stanislaus Community Assistance Project A Non-Profit Organization service for HIV-AIDS, Chronic and terminally Ill. Dec. 7th, 2002 7:00 PM-8:30 PM Downey High School Auditorium 1000 Coffee Road 2nd Holiday Performance in Modesto "Home for the Holidays" Silent Auction $20.00 per person (Tickets sold in advance and at the door) Proceeds benefit the Stanislaus Community Assistance Project. A non profit organization service HIV/AIDS, chronic and terminally ill. For questions they can call our office at 572-2437. Tickets can be purchased at our office at: 1230 13th Street, Suite D Don, please add to the website if you haven't already. Thanks April Dunham-Filson John Brandt Stockton Branch and Distance Services Librarian jbrandt@stan.csustan.edu (209) 664-6563 California State University, Stanislaus 801 W Monte Vista Ave. Turlock, CA 95350 -----Original Message----- From: cause-members-admin@listbot.csustan.edu [mailto:cause-members-admin@listbot.csustan.edu] Sent: Monday, December 02, 2002 12:00 PM To: cause-members@listbot.csustan.edu Subject: Cause-members digest, Vol 1 #127 - 2 msgs Send Cause-members mailing list submissions to cause-members@listbot.csustan.edu To subscribe or unsubscribe via the web, visit http://listbot.csustan.edu/mm/listinfo/cause-members or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to cause-members-request@listbot.csustan.edu You can reach the person managing the list at cause-members-admin@listbot.csustan.edu When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Cause-members digest..." Today's Topics: 1. World AIDS Day (Tony Irish Lynch) 2. Event this Saturday... (April Dunham-Filson) --__--__-- Message: 1 From: "Tony Irish Lynch" To: cause-members@listbot.csustan.edu Date: Mon, 02 Dec 2002 16:01:00 +0000 Subject: [Cause-members] World AIDS Day Hey guys, For those of you who don't know me, my name is Tony Lynch and I am president of Rainbow Alliance here on campus. Yesterday was World AIDS Day and so on Wednesday of this week we will be having a few activities. >From 10 until 2 in the quad we will have an information table and will be handing out red ribbons. >From 12 until 3 in the Health Center there will be free HIV testing. At 5pm in MSR 130 there will be a speaker, Micheal, who will relate what it is like to live positively, followed by refreshments, followed by the documentary "Living Proof: HIV and the Persuit of Happiness." I was hoping that AI or WOW would have there own table in the quad that day to help break the stereotype that AIDS is a gay thing. Unfortunately, that isn't possible this year. Anyways, I would like you to be a part of our table, to encourage you to avail of the testing, and to come hear the speaker and watch the movie - you don't have to avail of the refreshments:) So, we are having people sign up for one hour slots from 10 until 2 (with a half hour before and after for set up and break down.) Please, if you are at all free, email me tlynch@hotmail.com and let me know what time works for you or at least stop by the table and pick up a ribbon. Also, if you have never been tested or it has been a while, I encourage you to stop by the Health Center. I know this is not easy for some people and I know I felt strange the first time I tried to get tested. That being said, we can learn a certain amount of tolerance and understanding towards those how are HIV positive from the testing process. On those days between testing and getting the results, many seem to spend some time wondering 'what if' and so for a time picturing themselves as someone who is. Hoping to see you some time on Wednesday, and if you don't know me already, I'll be the quiet one with all the earings (or so I'm told.) Thanks for your time, tony _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus --__--__-- Message: 2 From: April Dunham-Filson To: "Rainbow Alliance (E-mail)" , "'cause-members@listbot.csustan.edu'" Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2002 11:10:48 -0800 charset="iso-8859-1" Subject: [Cause-members] Event this Saturday... The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus Presented by Stanislaus Community Assistance Project A Non-Profit Organization service for HIV-AIDS, Chronic and terminally Ill. Dec. 7th, 2002 7:00 PM-8:30 PM Downey High School Auditorium 1000 Coffee Road 2nd Holiday Performance in Modesto "Home for the Holidays" Silent Auction $20.00 per person (Tickets sold in advance and at the door) Proceeds benefit the Stanislaus Community Assistance Project. A non profit organization service HIV/AIDS, chronic and terminally ill. For questions they can call our office at 572-2437. Tickets can be purchased at our office at: 1230 13th Street, Suite D Don, please add to the website if you haven't already. Thanks April Dunham-Filson CSU, Stanislaus Accountant (209) 667-3981 God, grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change; The courage to change the one I can; And the wisdom to know that person is me. --__--__-- _______________________________________________ Cause-members mailing list Cause-members@listbot.csustan.edu http://listbot.csustan.edu/mm/listinfo/cause-members End of Cause-members Digest From DLawson@csustan.edu Thu, 5 Dec 2002 08:36:10 -0800 Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 08:36:10 -0800 From: Don Lawson DLawson@csustan.edu Subject: [Cause-members] CAUSE Minutes - November 5, 2002 This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. ------_=_NextPart_000_01C29C7C.6B2FAEC0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Listed below are the minutes from the November 5, 2002 CAUSE (Campus Allies Unified in Support of Equality) meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for January 7, 2002, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., MSR 130C. Please feel free to share this information with those who may be interested. Past minutes are available for your review at our web site: http://www.csustan.edu/counseling/cause/. Thank you. DL <> CAUSE Minutes November 5, 2002 Present: Valerie Broin, Scott Davis, April Dunham-Filson, Don Lawson, Tony Lynch , Ron Noble, & Terry Quadros, I. Agenda approved II. Minutes of October 1, 2002 approved III. Update of Board Members: * New board members were in attendance: Valerie Broin, Scott Davis, & Tony Lynch * Ron is in the process of identifying a staff member to join the board. * April provided a brief overview of the history of CAUSE for the new board members. IV. Election of Officers * Ron suggested that this be tabled until a full board is present. The board unanimously agreed. V. GLBT Resource Center Proposal * April sent the proposal to all board members for their review. * April stated that she would add four personal accounts from students/faculty on this campus. These accounts will give the proposal a better reason on why the center is needed on this campus. * There was discussion concerning how the UCSB model that was used for our proposal pertains to the students at CSU Stanislaus: * The goal is to turn in a proposal to Vice President Stacey Morgan-Foster by the end of November. * It was determined that, as of this date, the project does not have a projected budget and that a budget may be helpful in acquiring space for the Center. * April stated that the goal is to have a full-time, paid director. A question was raised concerning what would be the minimum requirements to have a functioning center. * Valerie and April shared that they would like to consider joining partners with existing programs: Gender Studies and the Women's Center. Working with departments and programs who have resources and participants could potentially benefit the Center. * April shared that Cal-Poly Pomona is the only CSU that has a full-time, paid director for their GLBT Resource Center. All of the UC campuses have full-time, paid directors. * April offered that outreach to PFLAG and other off campus groups for monetary contributions could be beneficial in many ways. Terri offered to speak with Advancement to find out how to set-up an account for donations. * April recently had a favorable meeting with Stacey Morgan-Foster concerning the future proposal and potential of such a center. * April asked that all board members focus on the services section of the proposal to identify if the services mentioned are relevant for our campus. She asked that board members to review the proposal once again and forward their suggestions to her by the end of the week. Once the adjustments are made and reviewed by all board members, the proposal will be sent to Stacey Morgan-Foster. VI. Program Updates * Events * Students, Staff, Administration, and Faculty for Equality (SAFE) o Safe zone training - Ron suggested, and others agreed that an update of the SAFE program be provided when all board members are present. April will send out and bring copies of the SAFE proposal to the next meeting. o April has found a person at Cal-Poly Pomona who is willing to do a train the trainers training for SAFE. * Dissemination of Information o Don shared that there was an article on the front page of the S.F. Chronicle concerning a transgender 16 year old in the East Bay. The link to the story is http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/11/04 /MN94464.DTL * Program Planning & Budget o There is $1.40 in the budget. * Rainbow Alliance o Club Fair Day and National Coming Out Day were both very successful with more participation than last year. There were approximately 30 people at the video night. o There will be a World Aids Day event in the Quad area from 10-2 on December 4th. They anticipate free Aids testing, a speaker in and a film that evening. o RA is working on National Day of Silence for April 2003. There may be a gay art competition/mini art gallery. o RA is planning to participate in the Wellness Challenge and Gay Pride week this spring. o Tony offered to put CAUSE members on the RA list serve. o Tony shared the new RA flier, which identifies their meeting times: Every Wednesday, 10:10 a.m. in the Campus View Room. Don will post this information on the CAUSE web site. o Tony shared that the RA members would appreciate more support for their activities from faculty and staff. Support would include attending events, meetings, and assistance with advertising events. o April shared that she has submitted an article to the Campus Digest for National Coming Out Day. The article will be published in the November issue. * Curriculum Development o Valerie shared that she expects more classes to be discussing GLBT issues o Scott shared that Gender Studies 2500 is very oriented toward "queer theory". VII. Discussion * ASI Report o Terri reported that ASI meetings are held every Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the North View Room. * Transgender Event o April shared that November 20th is National Transgender Day of Remembrance. She suggested that CAUSE and RA coordinate a candlelight vigil in the Quad that evening. The board agreed. Don offered to design the flier with the assistance of April. o There is a web site that provides the names of transgender individuals who have been murdered: http://www.gender.org/remember/index.html o Publicity sources would be the Signal, the Bee, the Journal, campus email, and fliers. VIII. Announcements * John Griswold publishes the Modesto and Central Valley Arts & Events bulletin. April will forward the information to members to determine if the information presented should be posted on the CAUSE web site. IX. Old Business * Co-Sponsorship of Ron Nash production - deferred * Pre-approved budget for event/programs - process - deferred o Fundraising ideas/corporate gifts X. 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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ------_=_NextPart_000_01C29C7C.6B2FAEC0-- From AFilson@csustan.edu Mon, 16 Dec 2002 08:03:55 -0800 Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 08:03:55 -0800 From: April Dunham-Filson AFilson@csustan.edu Subject: [Cause-members] FW: Higher Ed LGBT Articles Digest #105 This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C2A51C.BC1C3DF0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Higher Education LGBT Articles Digest #105, for the week ending 12-15-02 1. EMORY MAGAZINE (Emory University) Out of the Closet, Into the Quad: Ten years after finding their voice, gays at Emory have gained recognition and respect 2. GAY CITY NEWS (glbt) Sodomy Returns To Supreme Court [a collection of three articles by New York Law School professor of law, Arthur S. Leonard, analyzing the Texas sodomy case to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court next year] 3. IOWA STATE DAILY LGBTAA sub-groups to cater to members' needs 4. LAWRENCE JOURNAL WORLD (Kansas) Vigil planned to protest beating of gay man; Student calls for stand against violence 5. THE NEWS-LEADER (Springfield, Missouri) Southwest Missouri State board to hear critics of nondiscrimination policy 6. HONOLULU ADVERTISER Military's gay policy stirs controversy at University of Hawai'i - Manoa 7. CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION Reality and Fiction Collide When A [Queer] Scholar Hears His Work Cited On 'the Sopranos' 8. HARVARD CRIMSON Homophobia in God's Name: Phelps goes to Harvard 9. HARVARD CRIMSON A letter to the editor arguing that the College needs to promote sexual morality has sparked student outrage 10. THE ITHACAN (Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY) Community members press for full-time LGBT counselor position 11. Nova Southeastern University [Florida] New LGBT scholarships announced 12. HARVARD CRIMSON Blood Drive Policy Called Homophobic; Harvard Blood Drive supports BGLTSA criticism of FDA donor policy 13. KETV CHANNEL 7 (Omaha, NE) University Of Nebraska May Offer Same-Sex Benefits; Chancellor Says Change Is Needed To Attract Workers 14. GAY CITY NEWS (glbt) Minnesota freight company fined for homophobic graffiti [for those dealing with antigay graffiti on their campuses who find little support from their administrations, this case may be informative] 15. OMAHA WORLD-HERALD University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty members push domestic partner benefits #1 Emory Magazine, Autumn 2002 1655 N. Decatur Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322 (Fax: 404-727-7259) ( http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_MAGAZINE ) http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_MAGAZINE/autumn2002/decade_main.html Out of the Closet, Into the Quad Ten years after finding their voice, gays at Emory have gained recognition and respect By Paige P. Parvin, pparvin@publications.emory.edu Last March, the University celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Emory Pride Banquet - in this case not pride in scholarship or sports or service, but gay pride. More than a hundred students, faculty, administrators, and alumni gathered in the Miller-Ward Alumni House to mark the occasion. When President William M. Chace dispensed awards, Katie Kilborn '02C, a tall, lanky young woman with close-cropped hair dyed hot pink, came forward to claim her prize for having written the top undergraduate essay in the field of gay studies. Her parents clapped proudly as she shook Chace's hand. "I want to thank Emory for being so welcoming to its gay students," Kilborn said. "I would not be here if it did not have such good policies and support. That's why I chose Emory." A pause. "Well, actually, I came here because when I drove in to visit with my mom, I saw a girl with a shaved head going into Caribou Coffee," she admitted. "But I'm sure she would not have been here if Emory were not so welcoming to gay people." Kilborn, an interdisciplinary studies major and theater minor, graduated with honors in May. As a student, she says she always felt fairly comfortable being open about her sexual orientation. But unlike her heterosexual peers, she did not take this comfort for granted. Over the last decade in particular, University leaders have taken deliberate, and sometimes difficult, steps to ensure its gay students, faculty, and staff the welcoming atmosphere Kilborn so casually described. "It's very unusual to have the system above you be more progressive than the peer group you're a part of," she says. The annual Pride Banquet marks the anniversary of a landmark in Emory's history, a 1992 demonstration in which about a hundred gay students gathered to protest what they took to be a lack of fairness and support from University leadership. Those students' widely publicized action did not represent the first time gays on the Emory campus were acknowledged by the administration, but it was the first time they drew together and spoke out with one voice. Then-President James T. Laney listened and answered with an attitude of tolerance and unapologetic respect that set a new tone for the University community. In the months and years that followed, Emory became a pioneer among Southern universities by taking a supportive stance on gay issues. Prior to the protest, gays had one clear protection under University policy: sexual orientation was included in a statement forbidding "discriminatory harassment." Gay support groups had long been a fixture on the student activities scene, and in 1991, then-Dean of Campus Life William H. Fox '79PhD had helped establish an Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) Life, which was staffed part-time by graduate students. "I felt we were already ahead of the rest of the South on these issues, and Laney's response to those students only affirmed our commitment," says Fox, now senior vice president of Institutional Advancement. "Laney was responding to the real needs of the students, not to the fact that they held a protest. But that event did raise our sensitivity and awareness. And we were not speaking hollow words. I'm still very proud of what we've done." Less than a year after the demonstration, the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Life got a full-time director, at the time the only position of its kind in the relatively conservative South. A committee appointed in 1992 by Laney to advise him on gay issues grew into the President's Commission on LGBT Concerns, a body still at work today. In 1993, Emory became one of the first Southern institutions to add sexual orientation to those categories protected by its Equal Employment Opportunity Policy. And in 1995, administrators and the Board of Trustees again led the region by offering domestic partner benefits to same-sex couples. These achievements, among others, were praised at the Pride Banquet's tenth anniversary: a celebratory dinner set against a backdrop of rainbow balloons and a life-size cardboard likeness of Xena (the TV warrior princess made famous by her lesbian cult following), who stood behind the podium sporting a rainbow lei. When he took the podium to present Kilborn with her award, President Chace unexpectedly grabbed Xena and pulled her suggestively close, amid appreciative laughter and cheering. Although his playful manner at that moment belied the controversy and criticism he may have faced at times, Chace has kept to the path, forged by Laney, of inclusion and acceptance of gay people at Emory. He has not missed the Emory Pride Banquet since his arrival in 1993. "The aim of a good community should be, among other things, to comprehend the simple and yet profound fact that sexual identity and affinity is mysterious, profound, and crucial to human life." Chace says. "This community has gone a long way in understanding that fact; doubtless it has further steps to take before the mystery, in all of its contradictions and confusions, will be disclosed. I cannot predict the next unfolding, but history tells us that the steps are infinite. I am proud of how far we have gone." A Decade of Pride It was the kind of early spring afternoon made for tossing a Frisbee, studying barefoot in the grass, maybe dozing off under the warm sun, but on March 2, 1992, there was little lounging taking place on the Quadrangle. Beneath a stunning blue sky, more than a hundred students gathered like storm clouds, their angry voices rising like the rumble of thunder. "Out of the closet, into the Quad!" they shouted. "We will never be silent again!" The protest - which was later featured in both local and national news reports - was sparked by a kiss. In December 1991, College freshmen Alfred Hildebrand and Michael Norris were spotted kissing in a glassed-in dormitory common area where they thought no one could see. Soon afterward, some forty students surrounded the couple, showering the two young men with anti-gay taunts and threats, among them "Die, fags, die." After the incident, Hildebrand and Norris lodged a formal complaint. But they and a number of other students were dissatisfied with the initial response. Their primary concern was that administrators had not fired a student advisor who participated in the harassment. "When we found out what had happened to Michael and Alfred, we were pretty shocked," says Richard Nyankori '92C, who was co-chair of the Emory Lesbian and Gay Association and helped organize the protest. "Then we learned that not much was really done about it. A group of us were hanging out in the DUC talking and all of a sudden it all started to come together. We went into a meeting room right then and started to plan, and people were ready to step up to the plate." During the protest, "I remember the moment when we were marching into the DUC, up that spiral staircase, and there was the usual talking noise, and then it got really quiet," says Laura Douglas-Brown '95C-'95G, a freshman at the time. "We were all chanting, and we were so loud, coming into such quiet - it really felt very powerful. I was young, I had come from high school and was 'out' at Emory, but I had never even been to a gay pride march or anything like that. This was the first sense of any empowerment I ever had." The students ended their march with a silent sit-in outside President Laney's office, where they did homework and were served cold Cokes while they waited. Eventually Laney opened his door and met with several of the protesters. "When I met with those students, I was very conscious of the sense of pain they felt," Laney says now. "I was aware that this was a group on campus that needed some support and some representation. Like any other minority group on campus, they needed to have their rights protected and to have a full and free life among us in the Emory community. That was the spirit behind it." Until a quarter century ago, gays were all but invisible on most Southern college campuses, and Emory was no exception. "In the late 1960s, nobody on any college campus talked about being gay," says Saralyn Chesnut '94PhD (left), director of Emory's Office of LGBT Life, who received her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in 1972. "The only time I ever heard about it was in a class on abnormal psychology." Jim Marks '70C, founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Lambda Literary Foundation and editor of the Lambda Book Report, says that while there was no shortage of political activity on campus when he was a student in the late 1960s, the sexual revolution and accompanying openness about sexual orientation lagged behind. Marks was beginning to sense that he might be gay during his student days, but he didn't feel secure enough to acknowledge his feelings to his friends. "I think I did have some awareness, but I was just not comfortable coming out," he says. "I sure didn't want my fraternity brothers to know. But I came out the summer after I graduated, so I was definitely figuring things out at that point." A decade later, little had changed. Like Marks, Steve Koval '83C remembers almost nothing about gays on the Emory campus. "I was oblivious to the gay scene, if there was one," says Koval, an Atlanta attorney who came out as a gay man after being married a few years. "There is no question that people were just more closeted back then. To think I went through four years of college and can't think of anyone I knew to be openly gay. That says something." The Student Government Association - of which Koval was president - funded a gay student organization, but the identities of the students were kept secret. "We didn't even know who the contact person was," Koval says. "It was such a touchy thing back then." In the mid-1980s, students formed the Emory Lesbian and Gay Organization (ELGO), a group that offered both support and advocacy. In 1987, ELGO leaders and a handful of openly gay faculty and staff members began an effort to get sexual orientation added to the protected categories of the University Equal Opportunity Policy. At that time, gay equality was fast becoming a hot issue on college campuses as the national movement picked up steam. More than sixty universities, most in the Northeast (and none in the South), had a policy that specifically protected gay people from discrimination in hiring, job security, benefits and use of facilities, and pay based on sexual orientation. Leaders of the 1987 effort cited Emory's "progressive stance on human rights" in their argument for the change, while outlining the negative effects the omission of sexual orientation had on gays as well as the general University community. ELGO conducted a survey of gays on campus, to which fifty-one gay or bisexual students, alumni, and staff responded. The results indicated that 95 percent of respondents had hidden their sexual orientation from at least one member of the Emory community. Seventy-one percent had experienced some form of violence or harassment, and 98 percent had heard anti-gay remarks from colleagues at Emory. "Many lesbian, gay, and bisexual members of the Emory community live in a world of secretiveness and fear," the survey concluded. Included in these records, now housed in the Office of LGBT Life, are fifteen personal statements from gay men and lesbians, most of them students. A 1988 graduate wrote of being asked to resign as a Bible study group leader because he was known to be gay. One recalled frantically scrubbing the word "FAG," scrawled in red magic marker, off his door before his parents arrived to take him to lunch; a woman found the word "DYKE" scratched into her door and quickly taped up a poster to cover it. Another male student was asked to resign as student director of the choir after his photo appeared in the Emory Wheel carrying the ELGO banner. Buried in the LGBT office files are also various pieces of documentation of ugly incidents, some of an alarmingly violent nature. A flyer faxed to ELGO around this period in 1987 has these words scrawled at the bottom: "Dear ELGO, I have a problem about homosexuality. It exists. It is obvious that all fags should be killed yet there are still organizations such as this. . . . Please post information concerning meeting times and locations so I will know where to hide the bombs. Sincerely, A concerned and moral citizen." By all accounts, such hateful extremism was the exception at Emory, and incidents were dealt with on a case-by-case basis. But without protective policies being spelled out, ELGO leaders argued, victims of harassment were at the mercy of individual administrators - however they might choose to interpret non-discrimination clauses. When Donna Smith '91PhD came to Emory as a graduate student, the fledgling gay community was beginning to flex its wings; yet the problems of anti-gay harassment had not been dealt with in any formal way. "Freshmen were showing up on campus who were out, they were getting harassed, and their [resident advisors] were not at all prepared to handle it," Smith says. "The kids would get nasty notes, graffiti, snide remarks in the hallways. I felt like the undergraduates were the most vulnerable constituents we had. They needed to be focusing their energies on studying and developing as young adults, not dealing with harassing situations." With the leadership and support of Fox, then dean of Campus Life, Smith in 1991 helped to establish the Office of LGBT Life, which was staffed twenty hours a week by herself and Michael Wyatt. "An increasing number of students were openly declaring their sexual orientation, and there were some I felt needed support systems," Fox says. "My door was not being knocked down by students in trouble, but I had a general sense that the office was needed at that time in history." Less than two years later, Chesnut, a literature scholar, lesbian, feminist, and longtime Atlanta activist, was hired as director of the Office of LGBT Life. She told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "This just feels like the most natural thing in the world for me to be doing. My life feels a lot more integrated. As a gay person, you get so used to trying to hide a big part of yourself. It's just such a relief to not have to do that." Chesnut set to work creating programs, counseling students, answering concerns, and generally warming the climate for gays at Emory. She rapidly became involved in making changes on the administrative side of the University as well, working with the President's Commission on LGBT Concerns. Within a year of her arrival in January 1993, sexual orientation was added to Emory's Equal Opportunity Policy, a move that had been urged and anticipated by gays and supporters since the unsuccessful 1987 campaign. Next, Chesnut and a handful of other administrators set their sights on a new front: domestic partnership (DP) benefits. At the time, fewer than thirty universities nationwide - a list that included Harvard, Yale, and Stanford - offered benefits to the partners of employees not legally married (homosexual marriage being illegal in every U.S. state). In July 1995, Emory's Board of Trustees approved the measure. Duke University took the step that same month, and Emory and Duke became the only two Southern universities to offer DP benefits. The decision sparked a blaze of reaction on all sides. While Emory publications, the gay Atlanta newspaper Southern Voice, and the AJC received a cascade of letters and editorials lauding the move, there were plenty of dissenters, including a 1942 alumnus who wrote to the AJC that he was now "embarrassed" to call Emory his alma mater. Today, some 106 University employees take advantage of these benefits, and they have attracted new faculty and staff from institutions that don't offer such a program. One of these is Mark Jordan, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Religion and departing chair of the President's Commission on LGBT Concerns, who came to Emory in 1999. A highly respected Catholic scholar who is also openly gay, Jordan has written extensively on gays, homophobia, secrecy, and hypocrisy in the Catholic church. His work made him a controversial figure in his former post at the deeply Catholic Notre Dame. When Jordan got an offer from Emory, he called the academic dean at Notre Dame, who quickly promised that whatever Emory was proposing, he'd match it. But Jordan was weary of struggling as a gay Catholic scholar at a conservative institution. He says he had been asking for some time that sexual orientation be added to Notre Dame's non-discrimination policy, and that gay student groups be officially recognized by the university, to no avail. Now he told the dean there was no point in making him a counter-offer unless it included adding sexual orientation to the non-discrimination clause. Notre Dame's president said no, and Jordan packed his bags. "It was an open-and-shut issue for me at that point," Jordan says, relaxing in his office this spring, where he had been fielding dozens of calls from the New York Times and CNN about the Catholic priest scandal. "I knew Emory had sexual orientation in its non-discrimination and EEO policies. I knew it offered DP benefits. I knew about Saralyn's office. I had talked to gay faculty here about their experience, and they assured me that, for faculty at least, it was very welcoming." When Drew Boles '02C was looking at colleges, he wanted to find a campus where he could be himself. He had been openly gay since he was fifteen, and he wasn't about to go back into the closet for the next four years - nor did he wish to spend them looking over his shoulder and scrubbing obscenities off his dorm room door. So finding an environment where he could be comfortably "out" was a top concern for Boles and his parents. With this in mind, the entire Boles family dropped by Emory's Office of LGBT Life during their initial visit to meet Chesnut and check out the school's gay-friendly offerings. "They were concerned about me going to a place where I would be safe," Boles says. "That was a very big factor in my decision to come to Emory." When Boles was a freshman on an all-male hall, someone did scrawl an anti-gay slur on his door. But, "I never felt in danger or anything," he says. "My RA was very supportive. I just filed a complaint, followed the standard procedure, and went about my life. I think Emory is a really proactive campus, especially with having the office as a safe space. I have felt very comfortable here." Boles became the first Emory undergraduate to major in music composition and to present an honors project of original works. He requested and helped to develop the honors track in music composition. In March, three of his compositions were performed at an Emory world premiere. Increasingly, Chesnut says, gay students, like Boles, are "out" when they arrive at Emory. The Office of LGBT Life produces a complete roster of social events and activities for gay students. Each year Emory's Gay and Lesbian Film Festival draws hundreds of spectators from both within the University community and beyond. Half-a-dozen organizations, including social, religious, and political groups, serve the needs of LGBT people on campus. If gays at Emory face a challenge now, says Chesnut, it's apathy. "[The students] think everything has been done. We've become so much a part of the institution that we've lost our edge," Chesnut says. "It's both good and bad. We still need to raise visibility of gays on campus, to educate others - I still think there is more to be done, much more. We took things so far and we have an obligation to keep pushing, to not just stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before. Being a student is about being active, creating social change." Others close to Emory suggest that maybe the gay community is just growing up, its members striving for a balanced life in which being gay is only a part of their identity. Catherine Young '02C, former president of Emory Pride, says she found it tough to keep the one hundred members of this central gay student organization worked up about gay issues, because they were so busy with schoolwork and other time commitments. But maybe, she suggests, that's the whole point. "Ah, the infamous Emory apathy," she says, with a smile. "It actually gives me a kind of hope when Pride is not so active. It should be okay to not have a common enemy, to be focusing on other aspects of being a student. Maybe that's a good thing." #2A Gay City News New York, NY December 6-12, 2002 SODOMY RETURNS TO SUPREME COURT HIGH COURT RULING ON TEXAS LAW COULD BE MOST SIGNIFICANT GAY RULING IN HISTORY By Arthur S. Leonard For the first time since the infamous 1986 Bowers v. Hardwick decision upholding a sodomy statute in Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a constitutional challenge to a state law that bans gay sex. Granting a petition filed by Lambda Legal Defense Fund, the Court announced on December 2 that it will review the Texas Court of Appeals decision upholding the Texas sodomy law in Lawrence v. State of Texas. In the Texas courts, Lambda had challenged the law on both state and federal constitutional grounds. The announcement immediately transformed the court's current term into what could prove to be the most significant in the history of the gay and lesbian civil rights movement. The grant of review is unusual--it has been rare for the Supreme Court to grant review in a gay rights case where the lower court decision went against the gay litigants. In this case, the Texas Court of Appeals ruled that the state's "Homosexual Conduct Law," which makes it a misdemeanor for persons of the same sex to have anal or oral sex with each other, does not violate either the U.S. Constitution or the Texas constitution. The Supreme Court only has jurisdiction over the federal constitutional issue. The grant of review is also unusual in that the Court agreed to consider all three questions presented by Lambda, even if it does not explicitly rule on all of them. Specifically, the Court will consider whether to overrule its Hardwick decision, which rejected a constitutional privacy challenge to Georgia's sodomy law. (The Georgia Supreme Court subsequently declared the statute unconstitutional under its state constitution.) Lambda's petition also raises the question of whether the sodomy law violates the Constitution's equal protection clause and reiterates the challenge to such laws based on the right of privacy which the court in past cases has identified within the due process clause. The case began on September 17, 1998, when a third party falsely reported a "weapons disturbance," which led police officers to the home of John Lawrence. The officers found no weapons disturbance, but they did find Lawrence having sex with Tyron Garner, and arrested the two men for violating the Homosexual Conduct Law. They were held overnight in jail, and, when the trial court refused to hold the law unconstitutional, each pled "no contest" and was fined $200. The two men appealed their convictions up through the Texas court system, briefly winning a victory when a three-judge panel of the court of appeals voted 2-1 that the statute violates the state constitution. But that victory was quashed by the full bench of the court of appeals. The Texas Supreme Court refused to take up Lawrence and Garner's appeal. The two men have been represented from early in the case by Lambda Legal Defense, the nation's leading gay rights public interest law firm, with local counsel Mitchell Katine of Houston. Participating on the Supreme Court appeal is the prestigious Washington law firm of Jenner & Block, which is donating its resources, a crucial contribution for litigants taking a case to the Supreme Court, which is an expensive proposition. Lambda's legal director, Ruth Harlow, is the lead counsel on the case. The Texas sodomy challenge arrives at the Supreme Court at a crucial time. The current Court includes four justices who seem most likely to vote to find the law unconstitutional: Bill Clinton's two appointees, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer; David Souter, who was appointed by the first George Bush; and John Paul Stevens, the Gerald Ford appointee who wrote an opinion dissenting from the 1986 majority that upheld the Georgia sodomy law. These four are generally considered the "moderate" wing of the court, and usually vote in support of civil rights causes, affirmative action, and privacy claims. Three members of the Court are generally considered unlikely to support any gay rights claim. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, appointed to the Court by Richard Nixon and elevated to the center seat by Ronald Reagan, voted in the majority in the Georgia case and has always sided against gay rights claims, most notably in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, where he wrote the Court's opinion holding that the Scouts have a constitutional right to exclude gay people from membership. Way back in 1977, in a case involving a claim for university recognition by a gay student group, Rehnquist, dissenting from the court's refusal to review a pro-gay lower court decision, likened homosexuality to measles and said the state had a right to quarantine such contagious conduct by suppressing meetings of homosexuals on state college campuses. A vote by the Chief Justice to strike down the Texas law would be a major surprise. A pro-gay vote is similarly unlikely from Antonin Scalia, appointed to the Court by Reagan and widely rumored to be a potential chief justice if William Rehnquist were to retire during the younger Bush's presidency. Scalia heartily endorses the right of states to discriminate against gay people, and, in his impassioned dissenting opinion in the 1996 case in which the Court struck down Colorado's anti-gay Amendment 2, clearly endorsed the earlier Georgia sodomy ruling. Justice Clarence Thomas is also unlikely to cast a vote against the Texas law. An appointee of the first President Bush, he has agreed with Scalia and Rehnquist in every gay rights case that has come before the Court over the past decade, although he's never actually written an opinion in a gay rights case. That leaves the two swing voters in the middle, Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy, who could go either way on this case. Both Reagan appointees frequently allied with their more conservative colleagues, O'Connor and Kennedy have on occasion sided with the "moderate wing," most notably in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 case in which they collaborated with Souter on an opinion reaffirming the right of women to choose an abortion during the early stages of pregnancy. In that case, Kennedy, O'Connor, and Souter recognized that the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment protects women's rights in this connection, but they never characterized it as a right of "privacy." Instead, they emphasized that the personal autonomy involved in controlling one's own body was an aspect of "liberty," which is expressly protected by the Due Process Clause. In so doing, they articulated language about personal choice and autonomy that should prove quite helpful to Lawrence and Garner in their challenge to the Texas law. In addition, for those reading tea leaves, Kennedy wrote, and O'Connor joined, the Court's opinion in Romer v. Evans, striking down Colorado's Amendment 2, which had banned the state and localities from adopting laws or policies protecting gays from discrimination. It is true that O'Connor joined the majority opinion that upheld the Georgia sodomy law in 1986, agreeing that Michael Hardwick could only challenge the statute's application to gay people and that the "right of privacy" does not extend to "homosexual sodomy." But, it appears that her views in that case do not preclude accepting a gay rights argument in an equal protection case. The Texas sodomy case, centered on a law that prohibits gay people from engaging in the same conduct that is allowed for non-gay people, presents a clear equal protection issue Kennedy was appointed to the Court in 1987, replacing the man who cast the "deciding vote" in the 1986 sodomy case, Lewis Powell. Gay rights groups looking at Kennedy's prior record as a federal judge on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals noted that while he wrote an opinion that upheld the discharge of gay sailors, the ruling expressed sympathy for the view that sodomy laws raise serious constitutional concerns. The majority opinion Kennedy wrote for the Court in Romer v. Evans left many observers puzzled, because the opinion never addresses Bowers v. Hardwick, while Scalia's dissent argued that the result was plainly inconsistent with Hardwick. Although Kennedy sided with the Boy Scouts against James Dale, there is some hope that he will find the equal protection claim in the Texas case to be a logical extension of ideas he endorsed in his Romer opinion. A crucial concern now is that Stevens, the oldest of the sitting justices and the only one now on the Court who voted in 1986 to find the Georgia sodomy law unconstitutional, remain on the Court through the scheduled April argument and the decision in May or June. Stevens has given no indication of intending to retire, and is apparently in good health. If he finds himself in the majority, Stevens will have the authority to designate the author of the opinion striking down the law. It would be poetic justice, indeed, were he to be in a position to write an opinion vindicating the views he expressed in 1986. Arthur S. Leonard is a professor of law at New York Law School and editor of Lesbian/Gay Law Notes. #2B ----------------------------------------------------- THE RESILIENCE OF THE TEXAS SODOMY LAW IN SPITE OF NUMEROUS JUDGEMENTS AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, LAW STILL ON BOOKS... FOR NOW By Arthur S. Leonard The Texas sodomy law has probably been declared unconstitutional more times than any other, but somehow it always has seemed to spring back to life. In 1969, Alvin Buchanan, a gay man in Dallas, was arrested for public restroom sex and faced two to 15 years in prison under a felony sodomy statute that barred oral and anal sex for anybody, regardless of gender. He brought a federal lawsuit seeking to have the sodomy law declared unconstitutional based on the right of privacy. In those days, lawsuits of this type were handled by a specially convened three-judge federal district court, and Buchanan lucked out, drawing a relatively liberal trio of judges. They voted unanimously to find the statute unconstitutional, using privacy doctrines articulated by the Supreme Court in contraception and private pornography possession cases. But the state appealed, and while the case was pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, other circumstances led the Court to void the favorable Buchanan decision on procedural grounds. But, Texas legislators had been put on notice that their sodomy law could be held unconstitutional. As part of a general penal law reform, the legislature replaced it with a more "modern" law, decriminalizing anal and oral sex for opposite-sex partners, while reducing the offense to a misdemeanor, punishable with a fine of up to $200, but no jail time, for any unlucky same-sex couple who happened to get caught having sex. The legislative reform made Alvin Buchanan's lawsuit moot, but for gay and lesbian Texans the issue did not disappear. The persistence of a sodomy law on the books provides a basis for state discrimination against gay and lesbian people and for potential arbitrary harassment by law enforcement. In the wake of Buchanan's case, the Texas Human Rights Foundation took up the struggle, first seeking to repeal the sodomy law in the state legislature, and then, when several attempts failed, filing a new lawsuit. Donald Baker, president of the Foundation, became the plaintiff in the lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Dallas. Luckily, the case was assigned to Jerry Buchmeyer, an unusually liberal federal district judge for Texas, who ruled in August 1982 that the sodomy law violated both the right to privacy and equal protection of the law. Unfortunately, his decision was reversed on appeal by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. The Texas Human Rights Foundation appealed this ruling to the Supreme Court, at around the same time that the Court was dealing with the Bowers v. Hardwick Georgia sodomy case. The Court held off deciding whether to hear the Texas appeal to focus first on the Georgia case. After issuing the decision that upheld the Georgia law, the Court announced that it would not review the Texas case. But lesbian and gay Texans would not give up the struggle. Twice during the 1990s, the Texas courts faced new challenges to the sodomy law. In one case, a lesbian who sought to be a Dallas police officer, and was rejected on the ground that as a lesbian she was a "criminal," sued to have the sodomy law invalidated. In another case, the Foundation filed a new action in state court seeking a declaration that the law was unconstitutional. Both cases initially succeeded before the state court of appeals, but neither ultimately overturned the law, because the state's supreme court concluded that it could only be challenged in the context of a criminal proceeding in which an individual had been charged with sodomy. When John Lawrence and Tyron Garner were arrested in Lawrence's Houston home in 1998, the circumstances appeared ideal for a new constitutional challenge, since this was an actual criminal proceeding, with a conviction that could be appealed, directly presenting the constitutional issues to the state's criminal courts. Of particular significance, there appeared to be no factual complications. Two men--both consenting adults--were having sex in the privacy of one of their homes. No public sex was involved. No minors were involved. There were no pesky factual complications. #2C ------------------------------------------------------ NATIONWIDE, SODOMY LAWS IN FULL RETREAT While these Texas sodomy challenges were being played out during the 1990s and on into the new century, gay rights groups in other states were busy seeking repeal or judicial invalidation of sodomy laws. Although there were some setbacks, including repeated negative decisions from the Louisiana courts, there were many more successes. Sodomy laws were legislatively repealed in Arizona, Nevada, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia. Courts invalidated sodomy laws or rendered them practically unenforceable against private sex between consenting adults in Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Montana, Georgia, and Arkansas. In 1986, when the U.S. Supreme Court last considered the issue of sodomy and gay men, upholding the Georgia sodomy law in Bowers v. Hardwick, about half the states had statutes that either banned all anal and oral sex or specifically targeted for punishment such behavior among same-sex partners. By the time the Supreme Court decided to grant review in the Texas case on December 2, only 13 states still maintained criminal penalties for sodomy on their active statute books. Of those 13 states, only Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma penalize same-sex sodomy while allowing opposite-sex couples to engage in the same conduct. Anal and oral sex remain criminal for anybody in Idaho, Utah, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. #3 Iowa State Daily, December 11, 2002 108 Hamilton Hall, Ames, Ia., 50011 (E-Mail: letters@iowastatedily.com ) ( http://www.iowastatedaily.com ) http://www.iowastatedaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/12/11/3df6da22aafb4 LGBTAA SUB-GROUPS TO CATER TO MEMBERS' NEEDS [AT IOWA STATE] By Ben Burke, Daily Correspondent The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally Alliance is transforming itself into something organizers hope will better serve the ISU community. Ben Taylor, president of the LGBTAA, said the group has recently undergone big changes to cater to the specific needs and interests of its members. Taylor, senior in computer engineering, said the LGBTAA has divided itself into various subgroups so members can pursue specific interests. "Anyone can form one of the subgroups if they have a specific interest or idea. This way we can cover as many needs as possible," he said. The focus of each subgroup is different, Taylor said. The subgroups are focused, for example, on bisexual students, gay graduate students and LGBTA people of color. The People of Color group will meet for the first time Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Cafe Escape, 2402 Lincoln Way. "I could potentially see it as being one of the biggest subgroups with the greatest potential," Taylor said. Todd Herriott, staff adviser to the LGBTAA, said the group "creates a safe place where individuals can meet and look more specifically at what they're dealing with." The LGBTAA realized it was trying to be all things to all people and there were many needs the group was trying to serve, said Herriott, program coordinator for the dean of students office. "Individuals wanted to do things in the group but they were going in different directions," he said. "Now individuals have the ability to pursue their own interests." Herriott said the LGBTAA will continue to have general assembly meetings every month and the group will continue to organize larger events on campus. "My personal view of the new structure is that I like it and it's exciting to see such a change," he said. "No one on campus has ever seen such a big change in the group." Taylor said the change was necessary because the LGBTAA would fail if it remained "static." Ten years ago there was a greater need for a coming out group but now many more people coming to college are already out of the closet, he said. For more information about the LGBTAA subgroups and their meeting times, go to www.stuorg.iastate.edu/alliance/meetings.html. #4 Lawrence Journal World, December 11, 2002 Box 888, Lawrence, KS, 66044-0888 (Fax: 785-843-4512 ) (E-Mail letters@ljworld.com ) ( http://www.ljworld.com ) http://www.ljworld.com/section/kunews/story/115197 VIGIL PLANNED TO PROTEST BEATING STUDENT CALLS FOR STAND AGAINST VIOLENCE By Dave Ranney, Reporter A Kansas University student is planning a candlelight vigil to protest last Friday's beating of a gay man outside the Replay Lounge, 946 Mass. "There needs to be a community response to this - the community needs to take a stand against violence," said Ailecia Ruscin, an American studies graduate student from Auburn, Ala. The vigil will begin at 1:30 a.m. Friday outside the Replay Lounge. It's expected to last about 30 minutes. "I know that's a hard time for some people, but it's symbolic. It's one week after the attack happened," Ruscin said. Ruscin says she is acquainted with the victim. "I know him from hanging out at the Replay," she said. "He's an acquaintance." Jeffery Medis, 28, suffered a broken nose, fractured upper and lower jaws, a fractured eye socket, a concussion and a gash on his chin that took six stitches to close. He also suffered a seizure, and two of his teeth were knocked out. Medis, who does not have health insurance, told police he couldn't identify his attacker - or attackers - and couldn't remember the assault. "The only thing I remember is that I was standing outside waiting on my friends to get their coats," Medis said. Medis said he was convinced he was beaten for being gay and that the incident should be prosecuted as a hate crime. His sister filed a civil rights complaint Monday with the FBI. "I really want to see something done. I'd like to see a precedent set," Medis said. "I mean, a person shouldn't be afraid to step outside and nearly get killed - this is like having a serial rapist on the loose." Sgt. Mike Pattrick, spokesman for the Lawrence Police Department, said detectives were continuing to check leads received on the CrimeStoppers tip line. Pattrick said detectives were not sure what role Medis' homosexuality played in the incident. "At this point," he said, "we're not classifying it as a hate crime because we don't know if that's what it is." News of the planned vigil surprised Medis, who says he is staying holed up in his apartment until his face heals. "This whole thing has made me realize how many friends I have and how many really good people there are in Lawrence, especially at the Replay," he said. "I wouldn't be making it without them." #5 The News-Leader, December 11, 2002 651 Boonville, Springfield, MO, 65801 (Fax: 417-837-1381 ) ( http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com ) (Online Mailer: http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/opinions/index.html ) http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/news/sms121102.html SOUTHWEST MISSOURI STATE BOARD TO HEAR CRITICS OF NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY By Steve Koehler, News-Leader A group of faculty and students will take its fight over Southwest Missouri State University's nondiscrimination policy to the final arbiters. Two faculty members and three students Friday will ask the SMS Board of Governors to include the words "sexual orientation" in the school's nondiscrimination policy. SMS President John Keiser will recommend those words not be included, in contradiction of the findings of a 25-member Equal Opportunity Advisory Committee Keiser authorized to consider the question. SMS Board President Paul Redfearn said those in favor of including sexual orientation will get 20 minutes to argue their points at the board's regular meeting. Keiser said last week he will recommend the board approve his version of the policy that leaves the two words, along with several others, out. Redfearn said Tuesday he is open to hearing those opposing Keiser's recommendation. "I want to give everybody an opportunity to speak. I'm interested in hearing what people have to say. It never hurts to listen," he said. Keiser said he thinks it's appropriate for the discussion to come before the board. "It's board policy being set. They are taking the recommendation from me," he said. The request for time came from SMS faculty member Ralph Smith. "I sent a letter requesting 30 minutes and agreed to 20. That was just fine," the communications professor said. "We want to try to convince them they ought to vote for the EOAC report and disagree with the position that Dr. Keiser has offered." Keiser said the current policy contains the words "all others" and that covers all faculty, staff and students and maintains that "all means all." Keiser and others say if sexual orientation is added to the list, other groups, from pregnant women to smokers to union organizers, will seek special recognition. "The current policy is more straightforward and conclusive," said John Black, SMS' general counsel. "It would be impossible to have a list that included (everyone). We plug the gap by (using all.)" Smith said he, associate history professor Holly Baggett and three students will each take four minutes to make their case. "I think reasonable people on the board will be in favor of what the committee recommended," Smith said. Board member Mike Franks, who will not be at Friday's meeting, favors leaving the words out of the policy. "The policy needs to be broad. You don't know how you're going to categorize people," he said. "Every member has given it a lot of thought. It's a policy that protects everyone regardless of the group." Baggett, who got into a heated exchange with Keiser at last week's faculty senate meeting, said she hopes to get as many supporters as possible at the meeting. "I won't be alone this time," she said. During last week's meeting, Baggett was the only faculty member to question Keiser about his decision. SMS senior Rima Freeman, founder of a gay and lesbian political action group called Sexual Orientation Action Project, will be one of the speakers. "The board is making a step in the right direction to hear our thoughts," she said. "I hope we can get a split vote. It's usually unanimous." The board never voted on the issue of adding "sexual orientation" to the policy. Last year, the board failed to even get a motion to vote on the new wording. But Smith said he is looking for more than just one or two board members voting in sympathy with his side. "I want to win," he said. #6 Honolulu Advertiser, December 11, 2002 P. O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI, 96813 (Fax: 808-525-8037) (E-Mail: letters@honoluluadvertiser.com ) ( http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com ) http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Dec/11/ln/ln01a.html MILITARY'S GAY POLICY STIRS CONTROVERSY AT UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I-MANOA By Beverly Creamer, Advertiser Education Writer The ROTC controversy is back, this time with a new twist. Students are supporting the formation of a new Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, while the faculty are opposing it. Of course, the lines aren't as simple as they were 30 years ago when ROTC programs on campuses across the country drew the ire of students opposed to the war in Vietnam. This time, the controversy involves scholarships, discrimination based on sexual preference, military policy and academic integrity. "It's not like we're pushing this. We've been evaluating this, and taking it out for consultation," said Karl Kim, UH interim vice president for academic affairs. The UH-Manoa Faculty Senate has voted against allowing the establishment of a Navy ROTC program on campus because of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on homosexuals, along with the lack of academic oversight of the military courses. Professor Robert Bley-Vroman, a senate member who questioned allowing the program on campus, said it's his understanding that students who "come out of the closet" could lose their scholarships because of the military policy on homosexuality. "If you poll the people who voted against it, most are sympathetic to the idea we need to have civilian soldiers and it's a good thing if you can get a degree from something besides a military training academy," Bley-Vroman said. "But there are concerns about the discriminatory scholarships which in principle we're opposed to, and also the lack of scrutiny of the content of the courses and the qualifications of the instructors." Meanwhile, the student senate has voted in favor of a Navy ROTC program - because of the scholarships it offers and the Navy leadership career track option that it makes available. "The majority voted for it to provide an opportunity for more students to come to the university without paying tuition," said Lu'ukia Archer, vice president of the Associated Students of the University of Hawai'i, the organization that represents students. But there was still spirited opposition within the student government, based around the issue of increasing the military presence in Hawai'i, especially with the threat of a war with Iraq, she said. If instituted on campus, the Navy ROTC scholarships would provide $1,000-a-month stipends for 80 students. Both the Air Force and Army ROTC programs have been part of campus for many years, with about 175 and 150 students, respectively. The ball is back in the administration's court, and Bley-Vroman hopes that some sort of a compromise can be worked out. "The issue would be to try to conceive of a way of doing good civilian training of military officers in a way that would fit in well with the academic system of the university," he said. "If I were the administration, I'd be working on ways to do it right, rather than waiting for things to come to a difficult head with existing programs." He said that other institutions across the country have set a standard to follow by choosing to pick up the costs of the scholarships for any students who did come out of the closet and were subject to losing their scholarships. Kim said the administration is looking further into the situation and exploring alternatives, especially regarding the "don't ask, don't tell" issue if a scholarship-holder should disclose sexual orientation. "We're looking at ways in which we could develop a response, a litigation for that," Kim said. "Other schools cover the tuition, so students don't lose that." Bley-Vroman points out that with the faculty opposition to a Navy ROTC program, a contradiction is evident on campus because the existing ROTC programs have no academic oversight, and students could also be subject to scholarship loss because of military policy. "No one's interested in going to the barricades," he said. "We hope people are acting with good will and creativity to solve a contradiction here." Professor Paul Chandler, who headed the faculty senate committee that researched the issue, said it's this contradiction that bothers some members of the faculty. "Although nobody's raised the issue," he said, "those (other ROTC programs) may end up getting kicked off campus." Kim said that while the administration isn't pushing the new program, considering the demand for it by students, the UH leadership will continue to "consider the full range of perspectives." . Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013. #6 The Chronicle of Higher Education http://chronicle.com Section: Research & Publishing Volume 49, Issue 16, Page A12 VERBATIM REALITY AND FICTION COLLIDE WHEN A [QUEER] SCHOLAR HEARS HIS WORK CITED ON 'THE SOPRANOS' By Scott Mclemmee Recently, on The Sopranos, Mafia daughter and Columbia University undergraduate Meadow shocked her mother, Carmela, by stating that Herman Melville's novella Billy Budd concerns a gay relationship -- citing a recent guest lecture at her university by Leslie Fiedler. "Well, she's wrong," responds Carmela, indignantly. It just goes to show that Mr. Fiedler -- whose essays on classic American literature first scandalized readers in the late 1940s -- remains a combatant in the culture wars. Now a professor emeritus of English at the State University of New York at Buffalo, he is the author, most recently, of A New Fiedler Reader (Prometheus, 1999). Q. Do you watch The Sopranos? A. Yes, of course. I never miss it. Q. So what was it like to find yourself name-checked? A. I was astonished. I was undone. It made me question the difference between reality and fiction, at least for a moment. I had no notion it was coming. It was amusing that one of the things they picked up on was that ambiguous first name of mine. I keep getting letters addressed to "Ms. Leslie Fiedler." And I always write back, "I prefer to be called Mrs." The other thing that made it pleasing was that most of my children and some of my grandchildren were watching. Q. Why do you like the program so much? A. I grew up in the part of the world that it's set in, so when I watch the show, I see familiar faces. In my old neighborhood in Newark, the person we kids most admired in the world was the local gangster. During the Depression, he set up a soup kitchen and fed the unemployed. And our mothers looked with longing eyes at his mother, who wore the most-expensive fur coats. Q. With hindsight, the scriptwriter's reference to your work seems absolutely appropriate. Recent episodes have explored the homoerotic undercurrents of the gangsters' intimate circle. Tony Soprano's psychoanalyst would take that interpretation for granted. But Tony himself would be horrified. A. Certainly male bonding is one of the major things in the show. It makes good sense, in some ways, that the writers would move in that direction. All my life I've been interested in what traditional psychiatrists have had to say on the subject. Just a few hours before I saw that episode on the air, someone gave me a present -- a statue of Sigmund Freud. I think of him as joining me to them. Freud's the link between me and the mob. Q. It was a surprise that Meadow learned about your ideas straight from the source. After all, you've withdrawn from the classroom ... A. Not really. I still do teach, one on one, and will give an occasional lecture. Talking is something I love to do. So long as I can still make some sounds, I'll be making them in public. #8 Harvard Crimson, December 12, 2002 14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com ) ( http://www.thecrimson.com ) http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255838 HOMOPHOBIA IN GOD'S NAME By Nathaniel A. Smith This June, Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is coming to Cambridge to supplement your education with a fact you are not likely to learn in your classes: God hates fags. Westboro Baptist - the Topeka, Kans. church infamous for its anti-gay demonstration at the funeral of hate crime victim Matthew Shepherd and for maintaining the website www.godhatesfags.com - announced last month that it will be picketing the commencement ceremony of Harvard Law School to protest the school's proposed ban on offensive speech. While the presence of such extremists on campus will provide a convenient caricature of the religious right for us to snicker at, it also forces us towards a more serious evaluation of just how far we are willing to go in opposing homophobia. Even though WBC may be a bunch of deranged yahoos, the ban on offensive speech remains a bad idea. Although we may have trouble articulating where we draw the line, the fact is that most of us have at least drawn it. The same cannot be said of mainstream Christianity in this country. Nobody is better at sending mixed messages than mainline American Protestantism. Most denominations preach some variation on the "hate the sin, but love the sinner" maxim. Homosexuality is sinful, but come on in anyways - just keep quiet about it. The Presbyterian Church is deeply divided on the issue, currently allowing gays as members but not as elders or ministers. There have been several dramatic instances of church leaders being forced to resign their positions after it was discovered that they were homosexuals. The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, which sets the official policies of that denomination, is full of seemingly conflicting statements. "Since the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be accepted as candidates, ordained as ministers or appointed to serve in the United Methodist Church" is soon followed by, "We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons." In both denominations there is an ongoing struggle between liberal and conservative factions on the issue, and some predict it will eventually lead to an official split in the latter organization. It is time for Christian officials in this country to grow up on this issue. Anyone who accepts homosexuality as an inherent trait (as all serious and responsible science suggests) must also recognize the injustice of chastising people for homosexuality. Although scientifically indefensible, conservative Christian claims that homosexuality is "curable" present the only logically coherent answer to such objections. Our society rightly celebrates that it judges people on the basis of their actions. As such, by teaching that homosexuality is sinful, churches ensure that any "love" their congregants profess for homosexuals will be condescending and superficial at best. The roots of Christian homophobia lie in ancient Levitical laws, the applicability of which to modern society is clearly dubious. There are simply too many other parts of the Bible that Christians no longer believe for us to be able to pretend that contemporary Christian anti-homosexuality is not inspired by secular homophobia. In the case of Protestant churches in America, the problem is not that they are unable to articulate where they draw the line of tolerance, it may be that they have yet to draw the line at all. "Love the sinner, hate the sin" simply does not make sense when dealing with inherent traits. Nor can churches expect gay and lesbian congregants to continue to accept the second-class membership of being excluded from leadership positions. Thus there are two options left to churches, and both would probably be considered extreme by mainline standards: the route of liberal churches such as the United Church of Christ, which allows its congregations to adopt "open and affirming" positions, whereby all people, regardless of sexuality, are allowed "full membership" including leadership; or the route of conservative churches, like the Southern Baptist Convention, which is unambiguous in its distaste for homosexuality and its practitioners. Continued contradiction on the issue makes it clear that homophobia is making its voice heard within the Christian establishment in more places than Westboro Baptist. Christianity has been on the wrong side of too many issues in the past - from slavery to civil rights to women's suffrage - for progressive Christians to remain quiet on this issue. It is time to draw the line. #9 Harvard Crimson, December 12, 2002 14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com ) ( http://www.thecrimson.com ) http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255848 LETTER DRAWS STUDENTS' ANGER [AT HARVARD] By Sarah M. Seltzer, Crimson Staff Writer A letter to the editor arguing that the College needs to promote sexual morality has sparked student outrage - eliciting a postering campaign, heated e-mail discussions and two resignations from the Harvard Salient. Gladden J. Pappin '04, who is the editor of the Salient, wrote the letter appearing in Monday's edition of The Crimson. The piece responded to a Crimson staff editorial criticizing a 1920 secret court of Harvard administrators that investigated homosexual activity at the University, resulting in the dismissal of seven undergraduates. Pappin argued the College should continue to discipline students for certain sexual behaviors. "Such punishments would apply to heterosexuals, of course, but even more so to homosexuals, whose activities are not merely immoral but perverted and unnatural," Pappin wrote. The letter has particularly drawn criticism from those who found Pappin's statements homophobic. Pappin said he expected a firestorm when he wrote the letter. "I knew many on Harvard's campus would react negatively, though I did not expect the reaction to be quite so pronounced," he wrote in an e-mail. He also denied that his letter was homophobic, writing "I suggested moral standards that applied both to heterosexuals and homosexuals." The Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered and Supporters Alliance (BGLTSA) encouraged those offended by the letter to attend a meeting yesterday afternoon to plan a unified response. "There was a diversity of opinions about how to react," said BGLTSA Co-President Michael B. Murphy '04. "The letter represents an extreme and limited viewpoint. But it also reminds us that homophobia and discrimination operate in more subtle ways as well." In the end, the group decided on a postering campaign beginning today that would address homophobia on campus without directly referring to Pappin's letter. Those present at the meeting decided that BGLTSA should stress the campaign is not a specific rebuttal of the letter, but rather a chance to make gay students feel supported. "The suggestion that we need to strike back is understandable to an attack that some people took very personally," said BGLTSA Publicity Chair Marcel A. Q. LaFlamme '04. "But I don't think that it would be productive to react in kind to extremist sentiments." In the next few days, BGLTSA also plans to distribute small signs at dining halls, reading "LGBTQ Safe Space" that students can put on their doors. Members yesterday brainstormed ideas for after winter break, including House-based events and a "speak-out" about homophobia on campus. They hope to engage other gay student groups in their effort. In addition to the organized efforts to discuss Pappin's letter, its publication immediately sparked discussion - some of which reached a fevered pitch - on House e-mail lists. In addition to lists that are often home to heated political discussions - such as the Eliot list - those like Lowell that are often forums for nothing more than upcoming concert announcements were inundated by posts. In Quincy House, with which Pappin is affiliated, the new student liaisons of the Race, Culture and Diversity Initiative posted to the House e-mail list offering support for those who wanted to discuss the letter. "We would like to offer our time to anyone needing to discuss the original article, or the issues of intolerance and homophobia raised in the recent response," liaisons Catherine A. Honeyman '04, Michael T. O'Neill '03 and Claire S. Sulmers '03 wrote. The maelstrom hit even closer to home when two of Pappin's roommates, Travis G. Good '04 and Paul A. Fili '04, resigned their positions on the Salient staff this week. Good, who is also a Crimson editor, confirmed that his resignation was due to the letter but would offer no further comment. Salient leaders said they were surprised by the reaction and, along with Pappin, said that the letter was in no way affiliated with their magazine. "It would be wrong to judge the Salient or take actions in regard to the Salient baed on that letter," said Salient Managing Editor Claire V. McCusker '04. . Staff writer Sarah M. Seltzer can be reached sseltzer@fas.harvard.edu. #10 The Ithacan, December 12, 2002 Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY http://www.ithaca.edu/ithacan/articles/0212/12/news/1community_me.htm COMMUNITY MEMBERS PRESS FOR FULL-TIME LGBT COUNSELOR POSITION [AT ITHACA COLLEGE] Kate Sheppard, Staff Writer Students, faculty and staff are lobbying the college administration to make the coordinator of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender outreach, education and services a full-time position. One year after Lisa Maurer first filled the 20-hour-per-week position, students submitted a proposal to the board of trustees in October asking for her promotion. The resolution stated, "The mere retention of one disillusioned LGBT student for another year at IC would cover the cost related to elevating the position to full-time." Seniors Daniel Baker and Ryan Prosser and junior MK Sullivan authored the proposal. If approved, the proposal claims, Maurer could better serve the Ithaca College community. "We view an increase in the position of coordinator for this program from part-time to full-time as an important step for the college to continue as a leader on issues of diversity, acceptance and pluralism," the proposal's introduction states. A full-time position would further advance the college's Institutional Plan, according to the proposal. In November, the Student Government Association and Residence Hall Association passed resolutions supporting a full-time LGBT coordinator. The two resolutions were sent to President Peggy R. Williams and the college's vice presidents. Roger Richardson, assistant vice president for student affairs and campus life, who oversees the LGBT center, said the students' proposal was well-written and will be reviewed by the board of trustees. He said a decision will be announced in February with other budget measures, but added that a change is unlikely. "The college has made a decision, in terms of having a part-time position, two years ago," Richardson said. When students first pushed for the creation of the center, they requested two full-time staff members, said Baker, president of Created Equal. Instead, they got one part-time coordinator and are now petitioning for the change. Senior Jennifer Addonizio, Student Government Association vice president of campus affairs, was on the steering committee when students first requested the center and a coordinator. "We have an unusually large population of LGBT students on campus," she said. "I think that the administration giving us the part-time position was a huge step, but there certainly is a need for a full-time [commitment]." Sarah Jefferis, assistant professor of English, said there is the potential for a large number of students at the college to seek Maurer's services. Jefferis believes that 10 percent of the people in any population are LGBT, meaning at least 600 students have the potential to request the resource center's services. "We have a part-time person to respond to, help educate, enlighten, support, love, challenge and care for the potential of 600 students plus their straight allies," Jefferis said. "She's a treasure, and I would hope that the college could recognize that. I think this place could be better for students, faculty and staff with a full-time position." Maurer said that some weeks she receives between 200-300 contacts by e-mail, drop-ins or phone calls. The proposal said an average of 81 of these contacts go unanswered each week because Maurer is busy with administrative commitments, volunteer training and campus outreach. "She's a person who's so dedicated to what she's doing, and she wants to see change made, that if she had it her way, she would probably be in her office 12 hours a day every day of the week," said Sullivan, secretary of BIGAYLA. Of the 10 schools Ithaca College compares itself to based on size and demographics, only one, the University of the Pacific in California, has a similar full-time position. The other nine have student and faculty organizations, but no paid positions serving LGBT students and allies specifically. Maurer is a member of the National Consortium of Directors of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resources, which includes approximately 100 members who serve in her capacity across the nation. #11 NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY [FLORIDA] New LGBT Scholarship Announced Nova Southeastern University in Florida has just established an endowed fund to provide scholarships to students who are committed to doing research and professional work aimed at increasing the self-acceptance and community acceptance of gay and lesbian individuals. (see below). I wonder if you know of other scholarship programs like this in graduate psychology programs in thecountry? Thanks, Ron RLevant@aol.com "The Center for Psychological Studies at Nova Southeastern University has recently established the A. Gordon Rose Scholarship -- Another View. This endowed fund has been established to provide scholarships to students who are committed to doing research and professional work aimed at increasing the self-acceptance and community acceptance of gay and lesbian individuals. Homosexuality has been viewed as a normal human variation for over three decades by the scientific community. Yet discrimination and prejudice against homosexuals continues every day, inflicting great psychological damage on gay and lesbian individuals and their families. Hence, programs like the A. Gordon Rose Scholarship, designed to train future scientists and professionals who will help individuals, families, and society understand and accept homosexuality, are sorely needed." #12 Harvard Crimson, December 13, 2002 14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com ) ( http://www.thecrimson.com ) http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255880 BLOOD DRIVE POLICY CALLED HOMOPHOBIC HARVARD BLOOD DRIVE SUPPORTS BGLTSA CRITICISM OF FDA DONOR POLICY By Elizabeth W. Green and William U. Rock, Crimson Staff Writers A provocative postering campaign by the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters Alliance (BGLTSA) has reignited campus debate over a Red Cross policy that excludes sexually active gay men from donating blood. With the Harvard blood drive ongoing this week, BGLTSA members posted fliers throughout campus that resembled official Red Cross blood drive advertisements with the words "Gay Men Need Not Apply" stamped across them. And the Harvard Blood Drive has joined BGLTSA in calling for the Red Cross to change its regulations. The two groups will meet this weekend to discuss possible strategies. "It is a homophobic policy that needs to be changed," said Neilesh Mutyala '04, a blood drive coordinator. The policy they are protesting - mandated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - prevents men who have since 1977 engaged in sexual activity with men from donating their blood. A FDA scientific advisory panel voted by a seven-to-six margin in September 2000 to maintain that regulation. While Red Cross officials said the policy is currently necessary to lower the risks associated with blood transfusions, they said they are working on technological advances that could make these restrictions unnecessary in the near future. "All of us in the blood community would like to change what we're doing so that we're not deferring so many donors," said Richard J. Benjamin, chief medical officer of the New England Red Cross. Benjamin said he is concerned that the posters have deterred potential donors from giving blood. "[Blood donors] look at this and say, 'We're not gonna give blood!' It's so difficult to get people to come through the door in the first place - this kind of publicity is damaging our ability to give blood to our patients," said Benjamin, who is also an assistant professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School. But Michael B. Murphy '03, co-chair of BGLTSA, said the goal of the protest was not to dissuade people from giving blood. According to Mutyala, the Harvard Blood Drive has seen a decline in turnout this year. But Mutyala said this decline is likely unrelated to BGLTSA's postering efforts. Some students said they were confused by the posters, misinterpreting them as official Red Cross advertisements. Murphy said the misconception was the result of a simple mistake - the initial run of posters did say they were made by the BGLTSA. But Murphy said the mistake had unintended benefits. "It made people talk about it," he said. "In a sense that's a good discussion to get going." Discussion of the Red Cross' policies toward gay males also came to Harvard last year when then-BOND leader Clifford S. Davidson '02 sent a message to that group's e-mail list encouraging people to lie about their sexual practices in order to be able to donate in the wake of Sept. 11. That message led to several angry replies on the list and was also denounced nationally by several conservative organizations. Benjamin said, however, that while the Red Cross would like to open up its blood donations, doing so would not be a responsible move. He cited higher transmission rates of HIV among gay men as the rationale behind the FDA policy. But Murphy said he objects to that logic. "We don't feel that the reasoning the Red Cross uses is grounded in statistics or rigorously consistently applied," he said. While this week's protests are unlikely to affect regulations, Benjamin said the Red Cross is working to lower risks of contracting disease through blood transfusions - which could, eventually, mean a policy change. "It's my hope that within the next five years we will be able to go to the FDA and say, 'Do these deferrals really make sense?'" To that end, the Red Cross is looking to adopt new medical technologies, Benjamin said. One advance would inactivate pathogens in blood, killing "million-folds of HIV and other infections," Benjamin said. Another technology would improve the specificity of the Nucleic Acid Test, the most sensitive test for HIV, he said. "When we get to that point when we have the technology that allows us to change, we will change. We want to change - we want those people back," he said. #13 KETV Channel 7, December 13, 2002 Omaha, NE http://www.theomahachannel.com/news/1837083/detail.html UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MAY OFFER SAME-SEX BENEFITS CHANCELLOR: CHANGE NEEDED TO ATTRACT WORKERS Last year, university officials conducted a study to see how many schools offer same-sex benefits. The study found that most schools did not offer benefits, so officials did not recommend a change to the university's policy. Officials now say the situation has changed. "We have 10 peer institutions, six now offer benefits, two more are about to (offer benefits), (that's) going to leave us with Missouri and Kansas," UNL associate professor George Wolf. Critics of the plan say the majority of Nebraskans oppose changing the policy. The university's chancellor believes the benefits change is essential to stay competitive when recruiting employees. #14 Gay City News New York, NY December 13, 2002 NASTY SCRAWLINGS MINNESOTA FREIGHT COMPANY FINED FOR HOMOPHOBIC GRAFFITI By Arthur S. Leonard The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit has upheld an award amounting only to about $37,000 in compensatory damages plus reasonable costs and attorney fees to Allen Beach for being subjected to years of workplace homophobic graffiti that caused him severe emotional distress. The Court found that the graffiti created a "hostile environment" for him at his job in Minnesota with Yellow Freight System, Inc., a shipping company for which he has worked since 1986. Beginning in 1995, Beach began seeing graffiti with his name on it written on the interior walls of Yellow Freight trailers, including such phrases as "Al Beach sucks," "Al Beach sucks cock," and "Al Beach is gay." For several months, he didn't report it to anybody, since he found it embarrassing to talk about, but in time he complained to his supervisor, who offered sympathy, mentioned the situation to the general operations manager, and had the graffiti painted over. Beach saw more and more graffiti after that. In 1996, he began documenting it with photographs, which the trial court allowed as evidence. Beach suspected the identity of at least one perpetrator and passed it on to the management, but nobody followed up. For several years, Beach continued to complain to company officials, but received no satisfaction, apart from an occasional cleaning up of graffiti, which proliferated, showing up in more trailers, on forklifts, in stairwells, and in bathrooms in the terminal where he worked. The graffiti also became more offensive, including phrases such as "Al Beach fucks his mother in the ass" and "Give Al Beach a buck and he'll fuck you in the butt." The graffiti had become so widespread and obvious that customers and co-workers asked Beach about it. According to his testimony at trial, Beach felt sick, degraded, and demeaned by the graffiti and had trouble getting himself to go to work in the morning. He also started using the manager's private bathroom to avoid seeing graffiti in the men's room. Beach's situation only changed when the company received a rude awakening--a successful sexual harassment lawsuit by another male employee against Yellow Freight. From then on, the company became more active in combating the problem, assigning a maintenance worker to check the terminal twice a day and remove any offensive graffiti, notifying employees that such graffiti violated company policy and the law, and conducting "Respect" training for managers. The company also sent a letter to employees' homes on the subject. The level of graffiti against Beach dropped off, but it did not disappear entirely. Beach finally filed his own lawsuit in March 2000 in state court, alleging a violation of Minnesota's Human Rights Act, which forbids sexual orientation discrimination, as well as common law claims. Yellow Freight, which is headquartered in another state, succeed in having the case moved to federal court and unsuccessfully sought to have it dismissed, and a trial was held before a U.S. magistrate judge in Minneapolis. The judge, trying the case under Minnesota rather federal law, concluded that the graffiti problem was sufficiently extensive and abusive, and the company's response sufficiently inadequate to justify statutory relief, and the court of appeals found that the trial record supported these conclusions. On appeal, Yellow Freight made several unavailing claims. The company argued that Beach's own occasional salty language at work showed that the graffiti could not have been "subjectively offensive" to him. Circuit Court Judge Diana E. Murphy found that Beach's testimony about his frequent complaints and the psychological problems he endured discredited this argument. The company also argued that the graffiti problem was neither severe nor pervasive enough to be said to have negatively affected Beach's working conditions, a tough argument to make on appeal since an appeals court will normally yield to the trial court's factual determinations. Several of Beach's co-workers corroborated his testimony, including the prior successful sexual harassment plaintiff, and Beach documented the graffiti problem with numerous photographs. The court was also impressed with testimony about the reaction of customers to the graffiti, including one customer's threat to stop using the company because of the offensive graffiti on the its trucks and equipment. Beach also filed a partial appeal, feeling that he would have received more damages had the trial court correctly interpreted the graffiti "Al Beach sucks" as being sexual in nature. The company successfully argued that it was not sexual in nature, and should not be considered by the court. Beach argued that in the context of the other graffiti, the word "sucks" was clearly sexually oriented. Once again, the appeals court deferred to the trial judge's conclusion on this point. "Although we might have made a different finding if we had been the trier of fact," wrote Murphy, "the district court heard all the evidence and was in the best position to decide the meaning of the term in its context." #15 Omaha World-Herald, December 15, 2002 World Herald Square, Omaha, NE, 68102 (Fax: 402-345-4547 ) (E-Mail: pulse@owh.com ) ( http://www.omaha.com ) http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=36&u_sid=594535 UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN FACULTY MEMBERS PUSH DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS World-Herald Bureau LINCOLN - Faculty members renewed their push Saturday to convince the University of Nebraska that employees' domestic partners should receive medical coverage and other benefits. George Wolf, a member of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln English department, said most of UNL's peer schools already offer benefits to domestic partners. Wolf, who is gay, told the Board of Regents that the university is falling behind competing schools. The issue was not on the board's agenda, and no action was taken. Wolf said he wanted the board to consider the issue. An NU official said there are no plans to bring it to the board for a vote. Al Riskowski, executive director of the Nebraska Family Council, told the regents it would be a mistake to extend benefits to domestic partners. Doing so, he said, "places a University of Nebraska endorsement on immoral behavior." Riskowski criticized UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman for backing benefits for domestic partners. Perlman said it's a matter of competition. He said without such benefits it is tougher for the university to recruit faculty and staff. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C2A51C.BC1C3DF0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Higher Ed LGBT Articles Digest #105
Higher Education LGBT Articles Digest #105, for the week ending 12-15-02

1. EMORY MAGAZINE (Emory University) Out of the Closet, Into the Quad: Ten years after finding their voice, gays at Emory have gained recognition and respect
2. GAY CITY NEWS (glbt) Sodomy Returns To Supreme Court [a collection of three articles by New York Law School professor of law, Arthur S. Leonard, analyzing the Texas sodomy case to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court next year]
3. IOWA STATE DAILY LGBTAA sub-groups to cater to members' needs
4. LAWRENCE JOURNAL WORLD (Kansas) Vigil planned to protest beating of gay man; Student calls for stand against violence
5. THE NEWS-LEADER (Springfield, Missouri) Southwest Missouri State board to hear critics of nondiscrimination policy
6. HONOLULU ADVERTISER Military's gay policy stirs controversy at University of Hawai'i - Manoa
7. CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION Reality and Fiction Collide When A [Queer] Scholar Hears His Work Cited On 'the Sopranos'
8. HARVARD CRIMSON Homophobia in God's Name: Phelps goes to Harvard
9. HARVARD CRIMSON A letter to the editor arguing that the College needs to promote sexual morality has sparked student outrage
10. THE ITHACAN (Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY)  Community members press for full-time LGBT counselor position
11. Nova Southeastern University [Florida] New LGBT scholarships announced
12. HARVARD CRIMSON Blood Drive Policy Called Homophobic; Harvard Blood Drive supports BGLTSA criticism of FDA donor policy
13. KETV CHANNEL 7 (Omaha, NE) University Of Nebraska May Offer Same-Sex Benefits; Chancellor Says Change Is Needed To Attract Workers
14. GAY CITY NEWS (glbt) Minnesota freight company fined for homophobic graffiti [for those dealing with antigay graffiti on their campuses who find little support from their administrations, this case may be informative]
15. OMAHA WORLD-HERALD University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty members push domestic partner benefits

#1
Emory Magazine, Autumn 2002
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Out of the Closet, Into the Quad
Ten years after finding their voice, gays at Emory have gained recognition
and respect
By Paige P. Parvin, pparvin@publications.emory.edu
       Last March, the University celebrated the tenth anniversary of the
Emory Pride Banquet - in this case not pride in scholarship or sports or
service, but gay pride.  More than a hundred students, faculty,
administrators, and alumni gathered in the Miller-Ward Alumni House to mark
the occasion.  When President William M. Chace dispensed awards, Katie
Kilborn '02C, a tall, lanky young woman with close-cropped hair dyed hot
pink, came forward to claim her prize for having written the top
undergraduate essay in the field of gay studies.  Her parents clapped
proudly as she shook Chace's hand.
       "I want to thank Emory for being so welcoming to its gay students,"
Kilborn said.  "I would not be here if it did not have such good policies
and support.  That's why I chose Emory."
       A pause.
       "Well, actually, I came here because when I drove in to visit with my
mom, I saw a girl with a shaved head going into Caribou Coffee," she
admitted.  "But I'm sure she would not have been here if Emory were not so
welcoming to gay people."
       Kilborn, an interdisciplinary studies major and theater minor,
graduated with honors in May.  As a student, she says she always felt fairly
comfortable being open about her sexual orientation.  But unlike her
heterosexual peers, she did not take this comfort for granted.
       Over the last decade in particular, University leaders have taken
deliberate, and sometimes difficult, steps to ensure its gay students,
faculty, and staff the welcoming atmosphere Kilborn so casually described.
"It's very unusual to have the system above you be more progressive than the
peer group you're a part of," she says.
       The annual Pride Banquet marks the anniversary of a landmark in
Emory's history, a 1992 demonstration in which about a hundred gay students
gathered to protest what they took to be a lack of fairness and support from
University leadership.  Those students' widely publicized action did not
represent the first time gays on the Emory campus were acknowledged by the
administration, but it was the first time they drew together and spoke out
with one voice.  Then-President James T. Laney listened and answered with an
attitude of tolerance and unapologetic respect that set a new tone for the
University community.  In the months and years that followed, Emory became a
pioneer among Southern universities by taking a supportive stance on gay
issues.
       Prior to the protest, gays had one clear protection under University
policy:  sexual orientation was included in a statement forbidding
"discriminatory harassment."  Gay support groups had long been a fixture on
the student activities scene, and in 1991, then-Dean of Campus Life William
H. Fox '79PhD had helped establish an Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgendered (LGBT) Life, which was staffed part-time by graduate students.
       "I felt we were already ahead of the rest of the South on these
issues, and Laney's response to those students only affirmed our
commitment," says Fox, now senior vice president of Institutional
Advancement.  "Laney was responding to the real needs of the students, not
to the fact that they held a protest.  But that event did raise our
sensitivity and awareness.  And we were not speaking hollow words.  I'm
still very proud of what we've done."
       Less than a year after the demonstration, the Office of Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, and Transgender Life got a full-time director, at the time the
only position of its kind in the relatively conservative South.  A committee
appointed in 1992 by Laney to advise him on gay issues grew into the
President's Commission on LGBT Concerns, a body still at work today.  In
1993, Emory became one of the first Southern institutions to add sexual
orientation to those categories protected by its Equal Employment
Opportunity Policy.  And in 1995, administrators and the Board of Trustees
again led the region by offering domestic partner benefits to same-sex
couples.
       These achievements, among others, were praised at the Pride Banquet's
tenth anniversary:  a celebratory dinner set against a backdrop of rainbow
balloons and a life-size cardboard likeness of Xena (the TV warrior princess
made famous by her lesbian cult following), who stood behind the podium
sporting a rainbow lei.  When he took the podium to present Kilborn with her
award, President Chace unexpectedly grabbed Xena and pulled her suggestively
close, amid appreciative laughter and cheering.  Although his playful manner
at that moment belied the controversy and criticism he may have faced at
times, Chace has kept to the path, forged by Laney, of inclusion and
acceptance of gay people at Emory.  He has not missed the Emory Pride
Banquet since his arrival in 1993.
       "The aim of a good community should be, among other things, to
comprehend the simple and yet profound fact that sexual identity and
affinity is mysterious, profound, and crucial to human life." Chace says.
"This community has gone a long way in understanding that fact; doubtless it
has further steps to take before the mystery, in all of its contradictions
and confusions, will be disclosed.  I cannot predict the next unfolding, but
history tells us that the steps are infinite.  I am proud of how far we have
gone."
       A Decade of Pride
       It was the kind of early spring afternoon made for tossing a Frisbee,
studying barefoot in the grass, maybe dozing off under the warm sun, but on
March 2, 1992, there was little lounging taking place on the Quadrangle.
Beneath a stunning blue sky, more than a hundred students gathered like
storm clouds, their angry voices rising like the rumble of thunder.
       "Out of the closet, into the Quad!" they shouted.  "We will never be
silent again!"
       The protest - which was later featured in both local and national
news reports - was sparked by a kiss.  In December 1991, College freshmen
Alfred Hildebrand and Michael Norris were spotted kissing in a glassed-in
dormitory common area where they thought no one could see.  Soon afterward,
some forty students surrounded the couple, showering the two young men with
anti-gay taunts and threats, among them "Die, fags, die."
       After the incident, Hildebrand and Norris lodged a formal complaint.
But they and a number of other students were dissatisfied with the initial
response.  Their primary concern was that administrators had not fired a
student advisor who participated in the harassment.
       "When we found out what had happened to Michael and Alfred, we were
pretty shocked," says Richard Nyankori '92C, who was co-chair of the Emory
Lesbian and Gay Association and helped organize the protest.  "Then we
learned that not much was really done about it.  A group of us were hanging
out in the DUC talking and all of a sudden it all started to come together.
We went into a meeting room right then and started to plan, and people were
ready to step up to the plate."
       During the protest, "I remember the moment when we were marching into
the DUC, up that spiral staircase, and there was the usual talking noise,
and then it got really quiet," says Laura Douglas-Brown '95C-'95G, a
freshman at the time.  "We were all chanting, and we were so loud, coming
into such quiet - it really felt very powerful.  I was young, I had come
from high school and was 'out' at Emory, but I had never even been to a gay
pride march or anything like that.  This was the first sense of any
empowerment I ever had."
       The students ended their march with a silent sit-in outside President
Laney's office, where they did homework and were served cold Cokes while
they waited.  Eventually Laney opened his door and met with several of the
protesters.
       "When I met with those students, I was very conscious of the sense of
pain they felt," Laney says now.  "I was aware that this was a group on
campus that needed some support and some representation.  Like any other
minority group on campus, they needed to have their rights protected and to
have a full and free life among us in the Emory community.  That was the
spirit behind it."
       Until a quarter century ago, gays were all but invisible on most
Southern college campuses, and Emory was no exception.  "In the late 1960s,
nobody on any college campus talked about being gay," says Saralyn Chesnut
'94PhD (left), director of Emory's Office of LGBT Life, who received her
undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in 1972.  "The only time
I ever heard about it was in a class on abnormal psychology."
       Jim Marks '70C, founder of the Washington, D.C.-based Lambda Literary
Foundation and editor of the Lambda Book Report, says that while there was
no shortage of political activity on campus when he was a student in the
late 1960s, the sexual revolution and accompanying openness about sexual
orientation lagged behind.  Marks was beginning to sense that he might be
gay during his student days, but he didn't feel secure enough to acknowledge
his feelings to his friends.
       "I think I did have some awareness, but I was just not comfortable
coming out," he says.  "I sure didn't want my fraternity brothers to know.
But I came out the summer after I graduated, so I was definitely figuring
things out at that point."
       A decade later, little had changed.  Like Marks, Steve Koval '83C
remembers almost nothing about gays on the Emory campus.  "I was oblivious
to the gay scene, if there was one," says Koval, an Atlanta attorney who
came out as a gay man after being married a few years.  "There is no
question that people were just more closeted back then.  To think I went
through four years of college and can't think of anyone I knew to be openly
gay.  That says something."
       The Student Government Association - of which Koval was president -
funded a gay student organization, but the identities of the students were
kept secret.  "We didn't even know who the contact person was," Koval says.
"It was such a touchy thing back then."
       In the mid-1980s, students formed the Emory Lesbian and Gay
Organization (ELGO), a group that offered both support and advocacy.  In
1987, ELGO leaders and a handful of openly gay faculty and staff members
began an effort to get sexual orientation added to the protected categories
of the University Equal Opportunity Policy.  At that time, gay equality was
fast becoming a hot issue on college campuses as the national movement
picked up steam.  More than sixty universities, most in the Northeast (and
none in the South), had a policy that specifically protected gay people from
discrimination in hiring, job security, benefits and use of facilities, and
pay based on sexual orientation.  Leaders of the 1987 effort cited Emory's
"progressive stance on human rights" in their argument for the change, while
outlining the negative effects the omission of sexual orientation had on
gays as well as the general University community.
       ELGO conducted a survey of gays on campus, to which fifty-one gay or
bisexual students, alumni, and staff responded.  The results indicated that
95 percent of respondents had hidden their sexual orientation from at least
one member of the Emory community.  Seventy-one percent had experienced some
form of violence or harassment, and 98 percent had heard anti-gay remarks
from colleagues at Emory.  "Many lesbian, gay, and bisexual members of the
Emory community live in a world of secretiveness and fear," the survey
concluded.
       Included in these records, now housed in the Office of LGBT Life, are
fifteen personal statements from gay men and lesbians, most of them
students.  A 1988 graduate wrote of being asked to resign as a Bible study
group leader because he was known to be gay.  One recalled frantically
scrubbing the word "FAG," scrawled in red magic marker, off his door before
his parents arrived to take him to lunch; a woman found the word "DYKE"
scratched into her door and quickly taped up a poster to cover it.  Another
male student was asked to resign as student director of the choir after his
photo appeared in the Emory Wheel carrying the ELGO banner.
       Buried in the LGBT office files are also various pieces of
documentation of ugly incidents, some of an alarmingly violent nature.  A
flyer faxed to ELGO around this period in 1987 has these words scrawled at
the bottom:  "Dear ELGO, I have a problem about homosexuality.  It exists.
It is obvious that all fags should be killed yet there are still
organizations such as this. . . .  Please post information concerning
meeting times and locations so I will know where to hide the bombs.
Sincerely, A concerned and moral citizen."
       By all accounts, such hateful extremism was the exception at Emory,
and incidents were dealt with on a case-by-case basis.  But without
protective policies being spelled out, ELGO leaders argued, victims of
harassment were at the mercy of individual administrators - however they
might choose to interpret non-discrimination clauses.
       When Donna Smith '91PhD came to Emory as a graduate student, the
fledgling gay community was beginning to flex its wings; yet the problems of
anti-gay harassment had not been dealt with in any formal way.  "Freshmen
were showing up on campus who were out, they were getting harassed, and
their [resident advisors] were not at all prepared to handle it," Smith
says.  "The kids would get nasty notes, graffiti, snide remarks in the
hallways.  I felt like the undergraduates were the most vulnerable
constituents we had.  They needed to be focusing their energies on studying
and developing as young adults, not dealing with harassing situations."
       With the leadership and support of Fox, then dean of Campus Life,
Smith in 1991 helped to establish the Office of LGBT Life, which was staffed
twenty hours a week by herself and Michael Wyatt.
       "An increasing number of students were openly declaring their sexual
orientation, and there were some I felt needed support systems," Fox says.
"My door was not being knocked down by students in trouble, but I had a
general sense that the office was needed at that time in history."
       Less than two years later, Chesnut, a literature scholar, lesbian,
feminist, and longtime Atlanta activist, was hired as director of the Office
of LGBT Life.  She told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "This just feels
like the most natural thing in the world for me to be doing.  My life feels
a lot more integrated.  As a gay person, you get so used to trying to hide a
big part of yourself.  It's just such a relief to not have to do that."
       Chesnut set to work creating programs, counseling students, answering
concerns, and generally warming the climate for gays at Emory.  She rapidly
became involved in making changes on the administrative side of the
University as well, working with the President's Commission on LGBT
Concerns.  Within a year of her arrival in January 1993, sexual orientation
was added to Emory's Equal Opportunity Policy, a move that had been urged
and anticipated by gays and supporters since the unsuccessful 1987 campaign.
       Next, Chesnut and a handful of other administrators set their sights
on a new front:  domestic partnership (DP) benefits.  At the time, fewer
than thirty universities nationwide - a list that included Harvard, Yale,
and Stanford - offered benefits to the partners of employees not legally
married (homosexual marriage being illegal in every U.S. state).  In July
1995, Emory's Board of Trustees approved the measure.  Duke University took
the step that same month, and Emory and Duke became the only two Southern
universities to offer DP benefits.
       The decision sparked a blaze of reaction on all sides.  While Emory
publications, the gay Atlanta newspaper Southern Voice, and the AJC received
a cascade of letters and editorials lauding the move, there were plenty of
dissenters, including a 1942 alumnus who wrote to the AJC that he was now
"embarrassed" to call Emory his alma mater.
       Today, some 106 University employees take advantage of these
benefits, and they have attracted new faculty and staff from institutions
that don't offer such a program.
       One of these is Mark Jordan, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Religion
and departing chair of the President's Commission on LGBT Concerns, who came
to Emory in 1999.  A highly respected Catholic scholar who is also openly
gay, Jordan has written extensively on gays, homophobia, secrecy, and
hypocrisy in the Catholic church.  His work made him a controversial figure
in his former post at the deeply Catholic Notre Dame.  When Jordan got an
offer from Emory, he called the academic dean at Notre Dame, who quickly
promised that whatever Emory was proposing, he'd match it.  But Jordan was
weary of struggling as a gay Catholic scholar at a conservative institution.
He says he had been asking for some time that sexual orientation be added to
Notre Dame's non-discrimination policy, and that gay student groups be
officially recognized by the university, to no avail.  Now he told the dean
there was no point in making him a counter-offer unless it included adding
sexual orientation to the non-discrimination clause.  Notre Dame's president
said no, and Jordan packed his bags.
       "It was an open-and-shut issue for me at that point," Jordan says,
relaxing in his office this spring, where he had been fielding dozens of
calls from the New York Times and CNN about the Catholic priest scandal.  "I
knew Emory had sexual orientation in its non-discrimination and EEO
policies.  I knew it offered DP benefits.  I knew about Saralyn's office.  I
had talked to gay faculty here about their experience, and they assured me
that, for faculty at least, it was very welcoming."
       When Drew Boles '02C was looking at colleges, he wanted to find a
campus where he could be himself.  He had been openly gay since he was
fifteen, and he wasn't about to go back into the closet for the next four
years - nor did he wish to spend them looking over his shoulder and
scrubbing obscenities off his dorm room door.  So finding an environment
where he could be comfortably "out" was a top concern for Boles and his
parents.
       With this in mind, the entire Boles family dropped by Emory's Office
of LGBT Life during their initial visit to meet Chesnut and check out the
school's gay-friendly offerings.  "They were concerned about me going to a
place where I would be safe," Boles says.  "That was a very big factor in my
decision to come to Emory."
       When Boles was a freshman on an all-male hall, someone did scrawl an
anti-gay slur on his door.  But, "I never felt in danger or anything," he
says.  "My RA was very supportive.  I just filed a complaint, followed the
standard procedure, and went about my life.  I think Emory is a really
proactive campus, especially with having the office as a safe space.  I have
felt very comfortable here."
       Boles became the first Emory undergraduate to major in music
composition and to present an honors project of original works.  He
requested and helped to develop the honors track in music composition.  In
March, three of his compositions were performed at an Emory world premiere.
       Increasingly, Chesnut says, gay students, like Boles, are "out" when
they arrive at Emory.  The Office of LGBT Life produces a complete roster of
social events and activities for gay students.  Each year Emory's Gay and
Lesbian Film Festival draws hundreds of spectators from both within the
University community and beyond.  Half-a-dozen organizations, including
social, religious, and political groups, serve the needs of LGBT people on
campus.
       If gays at Emory face a challenge now, says Chesnut, it's apathy.
       "[The students] think everything has been done.  We've become so much
a part of the institution that we've lost our edge," Chesnut says.  "It's
both good and bad.  We still need to raise visibility of gays on campus, to
educate others - I still think there is more to be done, much more.  We took
things so far and we have an obligation to keep pushing, to not just stand
on the shoulders of those who have gone before.  Being a student is about
being active, creating social change."
       Others close to Emory suggest that maybe the gay community is just
growing up, its members striving for a balanced life in which being gay is
only a part of their identity.  Catherine Young '02C, former president of
Emory Pride, says she found it tough to keep the one hundred members of this
central gay student organization worked up about gay issues, because they
were so busy with schoolwork and other time commitments.
       But maybe, she suggests, that's the whole point.
       "Ah, the infamous Emory apathy," she says, with a smile.  "It
actually gives me a kind of hope when Pride is not so active.  It should be
okay to not have a common enemy, to be focusing on other aspects of being a
student.  Maybe that's a good thing."


#2A
Gay City News
New York, NY
December 6-12, 2002

SODOMY RETURNS TO SUPREME COURT
HIGH COURT RULING ON TEXAS LAW COULD BE MOST SIGNIFICANT GAY RULING IN HISTORY
By Arthur S. Leonard

For the first time since the infamous 1986 Bowers v. Hardwick decision upholding a sodomy statute in Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a constitutional challenge to a state law that bans gay sex.

Granting a petition filed by Lambda Legal Defense Fund, the Court announced on December 2 that it will review the Texas Court of Appeals decision upholding the Texas sodomy law in Lawrence v. State of Texas. In the Texas courts, Lambda had challenged the law on both state and federal constitutional grounds.

The announcement immediately transformed the court's current term into what could prove to be the most significant in the history of the gay and lesbian civil rights movement.

The grant of review is unusual--it has been rare for the Supreme Court to grant review in a gay rights case where the lower court decision went against the gay litigants.

In this case, the Texas Court of Appeals ruled that the state's "Homosexual Conduct Law," which makes it a misdemeanor for persons of the same sex to have anal or oral sex with each other, does not violate either the U.S. Constitution or the Texas constitution. The Supreme Court only has jurisdiction over the federal constitutional issue.

The grant of review is also unusual in that the Court agreed to consider all three questions presented by Lambda, even if it does not explicitly rule on all of them. Specifically, the Court will consider whether to overrule its Hardwick decision, which rejected a constitutional privacy challenge to Georgia's sodomy law. (The Georgia Supreme Court subsequently declared the statute unconstitutional under its state constitution.)

Lambda's petition also raises the question of whether the sodomy law violates the Constitution's equal protection clause and reiterates the challenge to such laws based on the right of privacy which the court in past cases has identified within the due process clause.

The case began on September 17, 1998, when a third party falsely reported a "weapons disturbance," which led police officers to the home of John Lawrence. The officers found no weapons disturbance, but they did find Lawrence having sex with Tyron Garner, and arrested the two men for violating the Homosexual Conduct Law. They were held overnight in jail, and, when the trial court refused to hold the law unconstitutional, each pled "no contest" and was fined $200.

The two men appealed their convictions up through the Texas court system, briefly winning a victory when a three-judge panel of the court of appeals voted 2-1 that the statute violates the state constitution. But that victory was quashed by the full bench of the court of appeals. The Texas Supreme Court refused to take up Lawrence and Garner's appeal.

The two men have been represented from early in the case by Lambda Legal Defense, the nation's leading gay rights public interest law firm, with local counsel Mitchell Katine of Houston. Participating on the Supreme Court appeal is the prestigious Washington law firm of Jenner & Block, which is donating its resources, a crucial contribution for litigants taking a case to the Supreme Court, which is an expensive proposition. Lambda's legal director, Ruth Harlow, is the lead counsel on the case.

The Texas sodomy challenge arrives at the Supreme Court at a crucial time. The current Court includes four justices who seem most likely to vote to find the law unconstitutional: Bill Clinton's two appointees, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer; David Souter, who was appointed by the first George Bush; and John Paul Stevens, the Gerald Ford appointee who wrote an opinion dissenting from the 1986 majority that upheld the Georgia sodomy law. These four are generally considered the "moderate" wing of the court, and usually vote in support of civil rights causes, affirmative action, and privacy claims.

Three members of the Court are generally considered unlikely to support any gay rights claim. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, appointed to the Court by Richard Nixon and elevated to the center seat by Ronald Reagan, voted in the majority in the Georgia case and has always sided against gay rights claims, most notably in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, where he wrote the Court's opinion holding that the Scouts have a constitutional right to exclude gay people from membership.

Way back in 1977, in a case involving a claim for university recognition by a gay student group, Rehnquist, dissenting from the court's refusal to review a pro-gay lower court decision, likened homosexuality to measles and said the state had a right to quarantine such contagious conduct by suppressing meetings of homosexuals on state college campuses. A vote by the Chief Justice to strike down the Texas law would be a major surprise.

A pro-gay vote is similarly unlikely from Antonin Scalia, appointed to the Court by Reagan and widely rumored to be a potential chief justice if William Rehnquist were to retire during the younger Bush's presidency. Scalia heartily endorses the right of states to discriminate against gay people, and, in his impassioned dissenting opinion in the 1996 case in which the Court struck down Colorado's anti-gay Amendment 2, clearly endorsed the earlier Georgia sodomy ruling.

Justice Clarence Thomas is also unlikely to cast a vote against the Texas law. An appointee of the first President Bush, he has agreed with Scalia and Rehnquist in every gay rights case that has come before the Court over the past decade, although he's never actually written an opinion in a gay rights case.

That leaves the two swing voters in the middle, Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy, who could go either way on this case. Both Reagan appointees frequently allied with their more conservative colleagues, O'Connor and Kennedy have on occasion sided with the "moderate wing," most notably in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 case in which they collaborated with Souter on an opinion reaffirming the right of women to choose an abortion during the early stages of pregnancy. In that case, Kennedy, O'Connor, and Souter recognized that the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment protects women's rights in this connection, but they never characterized it as a right of "privacy." Instead, they emphasized that the personal autonomy involved in controlling one's own body was an aspect of "liberty," which is expressly protected by the Due Process Clause. In so doing, they articulated language about personal choice and autonomy that should prove quite helpful to Lawrence and Garner in their challenge to the Texas law.

In addition, for those reading tea leaves, Kennedy wrote, and O'Connor joined, the Court's opinion in Romer v. Evans, striking down Colorado's Amendment 2, which had banned the state and localities from adopting laws or policies protecting gays from discrimination.

It is true that O'Connor joined the majority opinion that upheld the Georgia sodomy law in 1986, agreeing that Michael Hardwick could only challenge the statute's application to gay people and that the "right of privacy" does not extend to "homosexual sodomy." But, it appears that her views in that case do not preclude accepting a gay rights argument in an equal protection case. The Texas sodomy case, centered on a law that prohibits gay people from engaging in the same conduct that is allowed for non-gay people, presents a clear equal protection issue

Kennedy was appointed to the Court in 1987, replacing the man who cast the "deciding vote" in the 1986 sodomy case, Lewis Powell. Gay rights groups looking at Kennedy's prior record as a federal judge on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals noted that while he wrote an opinion that upheld the discharge of gay sailors, the ruling expressed sympathy for the view that sodomy laws raise serious constitutional concerns.

The majority opinion Kennedy wrote for the Court in Romer v. Evans left many observers puzzled, because the opinion never addresses Bowers v. Hardwick, while Scalia's dissent argued that the result was plainly inconsistent with Hardwick. Although Kennedy sided with the Boy Scouts against James Dale, there is some hope that he will find the equal protection claim in the Texas case to be a logical extension of ideas he endorsed in his Romer opinion.

A crucial concern now is that Stevens, the oldest of the sitting justices and the only one now on the Court who voted in 1986 to find the Georgia sodomy law unconstitutional, remain on the Court through the scheduled April argument and the decision in May or June. Stevens has given no indication of intending to retire, and is apparently in good health.

If he finds himself in the majority, Stevens will have the authority to designate the author of the opinion striking down the law. It would be poetic justice, indeed, were he to be in a position to write an opinion vindicating the views he expressed in 1986.

Arthur S. Leonard is a professor of law at New York Law School and editor of Lesbian/Gay Law Notes.


#2B
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THE RESILIENCE OF THE TEXAS SODOMY LAW
IN SPITE OF NUMEROUS JUDGEMENTS AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, LAW STILL ON BOOKS... FOR NOW

By Arthur S. Leonard
The Texas sodomy law has probably been declared unconstitutional more times than any other, but somehow it always has seemed to spring back to life.

In 1969, Alvin Buchanan, a gay man in Dallas, was arrested for public restroom sex and faced two to 15 years in prison under a felony sodomy statute that barred oral and anal sex for anybody, regardless of gender. He brought a federal lawsuit seeking to have the sodomy law declared unconstitutional based on the right of privacy.

In those days, lawsuits of this type were handled by a specially convened three-judge federal district court, and Buchanan lucked out, drawing a relatively liberal trio of judges. They voted unanimously to find the statute unconstitutional, using privacy doctrines articulated by the Supreme Court in contraception and private pornography possession cases. But the state appealed, and while the case was pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, other circumstances led the Court to void the favorable Buchanan decision on procedural grounds.

But, Texas legislators had been put on notice that their sodomy law could be held unconstitutional. As part of a general penal law reform, the legislature replaced it with a more "modern" law, decriminalizing anal and oral sex for opposite-sex partners, while reducing the offense to a misdemeanor, punishable with a fine of up to $200, but no jail time, for any unlucky same-sex couple who happened to get caught having sex.

The legislative reform made Alvin Buchanan's lawsuit moot, but for gay and lesbian Texans the issue did not disappear. The persistence of a sodomy law on the books provides a basis for state discrimination against gay and lesbian people and for potential arbitrary harassment by law enforcement.

In the wake of Buchanan's case, the Texas Human Rights Foundation took up the struggle, first seeking to repeal the sodomy law in the state legislature, and then, when several attempts failed, filing a new lawsuit. Donald Baker, president of the Foundation, became the plaintiff in the lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Dallas. Luckily, the case was assigned to Jerry Buchmeyer, an unusually liberal federal district judge for Texas, who ruled in August 1982 that the sodomy law violated both the right to privacy and equal protection of the law. Unfortunately, his decision was reversed on appeal by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

The Texas Human Rights Foundation appealed this ruling to the Supreme Court, at around the same time that the Court was dealing with the Bowers v. Hardwick Georgia sodomy case. The Court held off deciding whether to hear the Texas appeal to focus first on the Georgia case. After issuing the decision that upheld the Georgia law, the Court announced that it would not review the Texas case.

But lesbian and gay Texans would not give up the struggle. Twice during the 1990s, the Texas courts faced new challenges to the sodomy law. In one case, a lesbian who sought to be a Dallas police officer, and was rejected on the ground that as a lesbian she was a "criminal," sued to have the sodomy law invalidated.

In another case, the Foundation filed a new action in state court seeking a declaration that the law was unconstitutional. Both cases initially succeeded before the state court of appeals, but neither ultimately overturned the law, because the state's supreme court concluded that it could only be challenged in the context of a criminal proceeding in which an individual had been charged with sodomy.

When John Lawrence and Tyron Garner were arrested in Lawrence's Houston home in 1998, the circumstances appeared ideal for a new constitutional challenge, since this was an actual criminal proceeding, with a conviction that could be appealed, directly presenting the constitutional issues to the state's criminal courts. Of particular significance, there appeared to be no factual complications. Two men--both consenting adults--were having sex in the privacy of one of their homes. No public sex was involved. No minors were involved. There were no pesky factual complications.

#2C
------------------------------------------------------
NATIONWIDE, SODOMY LAWS IN FULL RETREAT

While these Texas sodomy challenges were being played out during the 1990s and on into the new century, gay rights groups in other states were busy seeking repeal or judicial invalidation of sodomy laws.

Although there were some setbacks, including repeated negative decisions from the Louisiana courts, there were many more successes. Sodomy laws were legislatively repealed in Arizona, Nevada, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia. Courts invalidated sodomy laws or rendered them practically unenforceable against private sex between consenting adults in Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Montana, Georgia, and Arkansas.

In 1986, when the U.S. Supreme Court last considered the issue of sodomy and gay men, upholding the Georgia sodomy law in Bowers v. Hardwick, about half the states had statutes that either banned all anal and oral sex or specifically targeted for punishment such behavior among same-sex partners. By the time the Supreme Court decided to grant review in the Texas case on December 2, only 13 states still maintained criminal penalties for sodomy on their active statute books. Of those 13 states, only Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma penalize same-sex sodomy while allowing opposite-sex couples to engage in the same conduct.

Anal and oral sex remain criminal for anybody in Idaho, Utah, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.


#3
Iowa State Daily, December 11, 2002
108 Hamilton Hall, Ames, Ia., 50011
(E-Mail: letters@iowastatedily.com ) ( http://www.iowastatedaily.com )
http://www.iowastatedaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/12/11/3df6da22aafb4

LGBTAA SUB-GROUPS TO CATER TO MEMBERS' NEEDS [AT IOWA STATE]
By Ben Burke, Daily Correspondent
       The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally Alliance is
transforming itself into something organizers hope will better serve the ISU
community.
       Ben Taylor, president of the LGBTAA, said the group has recently
undergone big changes to cater to the specific needs and interests of its
members.
       Taylor, senior in computer engineering, said the LGBTAA has divided
itself into various subgroups so members can pursue specific interests.
       "Anyone can form one of the subgroups if they have a specific
interest or idea.  This way we can cover as many needs as possible," he
said.
       The focus of each subgroup is different, Taylor said.
       The subgroups are focused, for example, on bisexual students, gay
graduate students and LGBTA people of color.
       The People of Color group will meet for the first time Wednesday at 7
p.m. at Cafe Escape, 2402 Lincoln Way.
       "I could potentially see it as being one of the biggest subgroups
with the greatest potential," Taylor said.
       Todd Herriott, staff adviser to the LGBTAA, said the group "creates a
safe place where individuals can meet and look more specifically at what
they're dealing with."
       The LGBTAA realized it was trying to be all things to all people and
there were many needs the group was trying to serve, said Herriott, program
coordinator for the dean of students office.
       "Individuals wanted to do things in the group but they were going in
different directions," he said.  "Now individuals have the ability to pursue
their own interests."
       Herriott said the LGBTAA will continue to have general assembly
meetings every month and the group will continue to organize larger events
on campus.
       "My personal view of the new structure is that I like it and it's
exciting to see such a change," he said.  "No one on campus has ever seen
such a big change in the group."
       Taylor said the change was necessary because the LGBTAA would fail if
it remained "static."
       Ten years ago there was a greater need for a coming out group but now
many more people coming to college are already out of the closet, he said.
       For more information about the LGBTAA subgroups and their meeting
times, go to www.stuorg.iastate.edu/alliance/meetings.html.


#4
Lawrence Journal World, December 11, 2002
Box 888, Lawrence, KS, 66044-0888
(Fax: 785-843-4512 ) (E-Mail letters@ljworld.com )
( http://www.ljworld.com )
http://www.ljworld.com/section/kunews/story/115197

VIGIL PLANNED TO PROTEST BEATING
STUDENT CALLS FOR STAND AGAINST VIOLENCE
By Dave Ranney, Reporter
       A Kansas University student is planning a candlelight vigil to
protest last Friday's beating of a gay man outside the Replay Lounge, 946
Mass.
       "There needs to be a community response to this - the community needs
to take a stand against violence," said Ailecia Ruscin, an American studies
graduate student from Auburn, Ala.
       The vigil will begin at 1:30 a.m. Friday outside the Replay Lounge.
It's expected to last about 30 minutes.
       "I know that's a hard time for some people, but it's symbolic.  It's
one week after the attack happened," Ruscin said.
       Ruscin says she is acquainted with the victim.
       "I know him from hanging out at the Replay," she said.  "He's an
acquaintance."
       Jeffery Medis, 28, suffered a broken nose, fractured upper and lower
jaws, a fractured eye socket, a concussion and a gash on his chin that took
six stitches to close.  He also suffered a seizure, and two of his teeth
were knocked out.
       Medis, who does not have health insurance, told police he couldn't
identify his attacker - or attackers - and couldn't remember the assault.
       "The only thing I remember is that I was standing outside waiting on
my friends to get their coats," Medis said.
       Medis said he was convinced he was beaten for being gay and that the
incident should be prosecuted as a hate crime.  His sister filed a civil
rights complaint Monday with the FBI.
       "I really want to see something done.  I'd like to see a precedent
set," Medis said.  "I mean, a person shouldn't be afraid to step outside and
nearly get killed - this is like having a serial rapist on the loose."
       Sgt. Mike Pattrick, spokesman for the Lawrence Police Department,
said detectives were continuing to check leads received on the CrimeStoppers
tip line.
       Pattrick said detectives were not sure what role Medis' homosexuality
played in the incident.
       "At this point," he said, "we're not classifying it as a hate crime
because we don't know if that's what it is."
       News of the planned vigil surprised Medis, who says he is staying
holed up in his apartment until his face heals.
       "This whole thing has made me realize how many friends I have and how
many really good people there are in Lawrence, especially at the Replay," he
said.  "I wouldn't be making it without them."


#5
The News-Leader, December 11, 2002
651 Boonville, Springfield, MO, 65801
(Fax: 417-837-1381 ) ( http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com )
(Online Mailer: http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/opinions/index.html )
http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/news/sms121102.html

SOUTHWEST MISSOURI STATE BOARD TO HEAR CRITICS OF NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY
By Steve Koehler, News-Leader
       A group of faculty and students will take its fight over Southwest
Missouri State University's nondiscrimination policy to the final arbiters.
       Two faculty members and three students Friday will ask the SMS Board
of Governors to include the words "sexual orientation" in the school's
nondiscrimination policy.
       SMS President John Keiser will recommend those words not be included,
in contradiction of the findings of a 25-member Equal Opportunity Advisory
Committee Keiser authorized to consider the question.
       SMS Board President Paul Redfearn said those in favor of including
sexual orientation will get 20 minutes to argue their points at the board's
regular meeting.
       Keiser said last week he will recommend the board approve his version
of the policy that leaves the two words, along with several others, out.
       Redfearn said Tuesday he is open to hearing those opposing Keiser's
recommendation.
       "I want to give everybody an opportunity to speak.  I'm interested in
hearing what people have to say.  It never hurts to listen," he said.
       Keiser said he thinks it's appropriate for the discussion to come
before the board.
       "It's board policy being set.  They are taking the recommendation
from me," he said.
       The request for time came from SMS faculty member Ralph Smith.
       "I sent a letter requesting 30 minutes and agreed to 20.  That was
just fine," the communications professor said.  "We want to try to convince
them they ought to vote for the EOAC report and disagree with the position
that Dr. Keiser has offered."
       Keiser said the current policy contains the words "all others" and
that covers all faculty, staff and students and maintains that "all means
all."
       Keiser and others say if sexual orientation is added to the list,
other groups, from pregnant women to smokers to union organizers, will seek
special recognition.
       "The current policy is more straightforward and conclusive," said
John Black, SMS' general counsel.
       "It would be impossible to have a list that included (everyone).  We
plug the gap by (using all.)"
       Smith said he, associate history professor Holly Baggett and three
students will each take four minutes to make their case.
       "I think reasonable people on the board will be in favor of what the
committee recommended," Smith said.
       Board member Mike Franks, who will not be at Friday's meeting, favors
leaving the words out of the policy.
       "The policy needs to be broad.  You don't know how you're going to
categorize people," he said.  "Every member has given it a lot of thought.
It's a policy that protects everyone regardless of the group."
       Baggett, who got into a heated exchange with Keiser at last week's
faculty senate meeting, said she hopes to get as many supporters as possible
at the meeting.
       "I won't be alone this time," she said.  During last week's meeting,
Baggett was the only faculty member to question Keiser about his decision.
       SMS senior Rima Freeman, founder of a gay and lesbian political
action group called Sexual Orientation Action Project, will be one of the
speakers.
       "The board is making a step in the right direction to hear our
thoughts," she said.  "I hope we can get a split vote.  It's usually
unanimous."
       The board never voted on the issue of adding "sexual orientation" to
the policy.  Last year, the board failed to even get a motion to vote on the
new wording.
       But Smith said he is looking for more than just one or two board
members voting in sympathy with his side.
       "I want to win," he said.


#6
Honolulu Advertiser, December 11, 2002
P. O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI, 96813
(Fax: 808-525-8037) (E-Mail: letters@honoluluadvertiser.com )
( http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com )
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Dec/11/ln/ln01a.html

MILITARY'S GAY POLICY STIRS CONTROVERSY AT UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I-MANOA
By Beverly Creamer, Advertiser Education Writer
       The ROTC controversy is back, this time with a new twist.
       Students are supporting the formation of a new Navy Reserve Officer
Training Corps program at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, while the faculty
are opposing it.
       Of course, the lines aren't as simple as they were 30 years ago when
ROTC programs on campuses across the country drew the ire of students
opposed to the war in Vietnam.
       This time, the controversy involves scholarships, discrimination
based on sexual preference, military policy and academic integrity.
       "It's not like we're pushing this.  We've been evaluating this, and
taking it out for consultation," said Karl Kim, UH interim vice president
for academic affairs.
       The UH-Manoa Faculty Senate has voted against allowing the
establishment of a Navy ROTC program on campus because of the military's
"don't ask, don't tell" policy on homosexuals, along with the lack of
academic oversight of the military courses.
       Professor Robert Bley-Vroman, a senate member who questioned allowing
the program on campus, said it's his understanding that students who "come
out of the closet" could lose their scholarships because of the military
policy on homosexuality.
       "If you poll the people who voted against it, most are sympathetic to
the idea we need to have civilian soldiers and it's a good thing if you can
get a degree from something besides a military training academy,"
Bley-Vroman said.  "But there are concerns about the discriminatory
scholarships which in principle we're opposed to, and also the lack of
scrutiny of the content of the courses and the qualifications of the
instructors."
       Meanwhile, the student senate has voted in favor of a Navy ROTC
program - because of the scholarships it offers and the Navy leadership
career track option that it makes available.
       "The majority voted for it to provide an opportunity for more
students to come to the university without paying tuition," said Lu'ukia
Archer, vice president of the Associated Students of the University of
Hawai'i, the organization that represents students.  But there was still
spirited opposition within the student government, based around the issue of
increasing the military presence in Hawai'i, especially with the threat of a
war with Iraq, she said.
       If instituted on campus, the Navy ROTC scholarships would provide
$1,000-a-month stipends for 80 students.  Both the Air Force and Army ROTC
programs have been part of campus for many years, with about 175 and 150
students, respectively.
       The ball is back in the administration's court, and Bley-Vroman hopes
that some sort of a compromise can be worked out.
       "The issue would be to try to conceive of a way of doing good
civilian training of military officers in a way that would fit in well with
the academic system of the university," he said.  "If I were the
administration, I'd be working on ways to do it right, rather than waiting
for things to come to a difficult head with existing programs."
       He said that other institutions across the country have set a
standard to follow by choosing to pick up the costs of the scholarships for
any students who did come out of the closet and were subject to losing their
scholarships.
       Kim said the administration is looking further into the situation and
exploring alternatives, especially regarding the "don't ask, don't tell"
issue if a scholarship-holder should disclose sexual orientation.
       "We're looking at ways in which we could develop a response, a
litigation for that," Kim said.  "Other schools cover the tuition, so
students don't lose that."
       Bley-Vroman points out that with the faculty opposition to a Navy
ROTC program, a contradiction is evident on campus because the existing ROTC
programs have no academic oversight, and students could also be subject to
scholarship loss because of military policy.
       "No one's interested in going to the barricades," he said.  "We hope
people are acting with good will and creativity to solve a contradiction
here."
       Professor Paul Chandler, who headed the faculty senate committee that
researched the issue, said it's this contradiction that bothers some members
of the faculty.
       "Although nobody's raised the issue," he said, "those (other ROTC
programs) may end up getting kicked off campus."
       Kim said that while the administration isn't pushing the new program,
considering the demand for it by students, the UH leadership will continue
to "consider the full range of perspectives."
       . Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or
525-8013.


#6
The Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com
Section: Research & Publishing
Volume 49, Issue 16, Page A12

VERBATIM
REALITY AND FICTION COLLIDE WHEN A [QUEER] SCHOLAR HEARS HIS WORK CITED ON 'THE SOPRANOS'
By Scott Mclemmee

Recently, on The Sopranos, Mafia daughter and Columbia University undergraduate Meadow shocked her mother, Carmela, by stating that Herman Melville's novella Billy Budd concerns a gay relationship -- citing a recent guest lecture at her university by Leslie Fiedler. "Well, she's wrong," responds Carmela, indignantly.

It just goes to show that Mr. Fiedler -- whose essays on classic American literature first scandalized readers in the late 1940s -- remains a combatant in the culture wars. Now a professor emeritus of English at the State University of New York at Buffalo, he is the author, most recently, of A New Fiedler Reader (Prometheus, 1999).

Q. Do you watch The Sopranos?

A. Yes, of course. I never miss it.

Q. So what was it like to find yourself name-checked?

A. I was astonished. I was undone. It made me question the difference between reality and fiction, at least for a moment. I had no notion it was coming. It was amusing that one of the things they picked up on was that ambiguous first name of mine. I keep getting letters addressed to "Ms. Leslie Fiedler." And I always write back, "I prefer to be called Mrs." The other thing that made it pleasing was that most of my children and some of my grandchildren were watching.

Q. Why do you like the program so much?

A. I grew up in the part of the world that it's set in, so when I watch the show, I see familiar faces. In my old neighborhood in Newark, the person we kids most admired in the world was the local gangster. During the Depression, he set up a soup kitchen and fed the unemployed. And our mothers looked with longing eyes at his mother, who wore the most-expensive fur coats.

Q. With hindsight, the scriptwriter's reference to your work seems absolutely appropriate. Recent episodes have explored the homoerotic undercurrents of the gangsters' intimate circle. Tony Soprano's psychoanalyst would take that interpretation for granted. But Tony himself would be horrified.

A. Certainly male bonding is one of the major things in the show. It makes good sense, in some ways, that the writers would move in that direction. All my life I've been interested in what traditional psychiatrists have had to say on the subject. Just a few hours before I saw that episode on the air, someone gave me a present -- a statue of Sigmund Freud. I think of him as joining me to them. Freud's the link between me and the mob.

Q. It was a surprise that Meadow learned about your ideas straight from the source. After all, you've withdrawn from the classroom ...

A. Not really. I still do teach, one on one, and will give an occasional lecture. Talking is something I love to do. So long as I can still make some sounds, I'll be making them in public.


#8
Harvard Crimson, December 12, 2002
14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
(E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com )
( http://www.thecrimson.com )
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255838

HOMOPHOBIA IN GOD'S NAME
By Nathaniel A. Smith
       This June, Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is coming to Cambridge to
supplement your education with a fact you are not likely to learn in your
classes:  God hates fags.  Westboro Baptist - the Topeka, Kans. church
infamous for its anti-gay demonstration at the funeral of hate crime victim
Matthew Shepherd and for maintaining the website www.godhatesfags.com -
announced last month that it will be picketing the commencement ceremony of
Harvard Law School to protest the school's proposed ban on offensive speech.
       While the presence of such extremists on campus will provide a
convenient caricature of the religious right for us to snicker at, it also
forces us towards a more serious evaluation of just how far we are willing
to go in opposing homophobia.  Even though WBC may be a bunch of deranged
yahoos, the ban on offensive speech remains a bad idea.  Although we may
have trouble articulating where we draw the line, the fact is that most of
us have at least drawn it.
       The same cannot be said of mainstream Christianity in this country.
Nobody is better at sending mixed messages than mainline American
Protestantism.  Most denominations preach some variation on the "hate the
sin, but love the sinner" maxim.  Homosexuality is sinful, but come on in
anyways - just keep quiet about it.
       The Presbyterian Church is deeply divided on the issue, currently
allowing gays as members but not as elders or ministers.  There have been
several dramatic instances of church leaders being forced to resign their
positions after it was discovered that they were homosexuals.
       The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, which sets the
official policies of that denomination, is full of seemingly conflicting
statements.  "Since the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with
Christian teaching, self-avowed practicing homosexuals are not to be
accepted as candidates, ordained as ministers or appointed to serve in the
United Methodist Church" is soon followed by, "We commit ourselves to be in
ministry for and with all persons."
       In both denominations there is an ongoing struggle between liberal
and conservative factions on the issue, and some predict it will eventually
lead to an official split in the latter organization.  It is time for
Christian officials in this country to grow up on this issue.  Anyone who
accepts homosexuality as an inherent trait (as all serious and responsible
science suggests) must also recognize the injustice of chastising people for
homosexuality.  Although scientifically indefensible, conservative Christian
claims that homosexuality is "curable" present the only logically coherent
answer to such objections.
       Our society rightly celebrates that it judges people on the basis of
their actions.  As such, by teaching that homosexuality is sinful, churches
ensure that any "love" their congregants profess for homosexuals will be
condescending and superficial at best.  The roots of Christian homophobia
lie in ancient Levitical laws, the applicability of which to modern society
is clearly dubious.  There are simply too many other parts of the Bible that
Christians no longer believe for us to be able to pretend that contemporary
Christian anti-homosexuality is not inspired by secular homophobia.
       In the case of Protestant churches in America, the problem is not
that they are unable to articulate where they draw the line of tolerance, it
may be that they have yet to draw the line at all.  "Love the sinner, hate
the sin" simply does not make sense when dealing with inherent traits.  Nor
can churches expect gay and lesbian congregants to continue to accept the
second-class membership of being excluded from leadership positions.
       Thus there are two options left to churches, and both would probably
be considered extreme by mainline standards:  the route of liberal churches
such as the United Church of Christ, which allows its congregations to adopt
"open and affirming" positions, whereby all people, regardless of sexuality,
are allowed "full membership" including leadership; or the route of
conservative churches, like the Southern Baptist Convention, which is
unambiguous in its distaste for homosexuality and its practitioners.
       Continued contradiction on the issue makes it clear that homophobia
is making its voice heard within the Christian establishment in more places
than Westboro Baptist.  Christianity has been on the wrong side of too many
issues in the past - from slavery to civil rights to women's suffrage - for
progressive Christians to remain quiet on this issue.  It is time to draw
the line.


#9
Harvard Crimson, December 12, 2002
14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
(E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com )
( http://www.thecrimson.com )
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255848

LETTER DRAWS STUDENTS' ANGER [AT HARVARD]
By Sarah M. Seltzer, Crimson Staff Writer
       A letter to the editor arguing that the College needs to promote
sexual morality has sparked student outrage - eliciting a postering
campaign, heated e-mail discussions and two resignations from the Harvard
Salient.
       Gladden J. Pappin '04, who is the editor of the Salient, wrote the
letter appearing in Monday's edition of The Crimson.  The piece responded to
a Crimson staff editorial criticizing a 1920 secret court of Harvard
administrators that investigated homosexual activity at the University,
resulting in the dismissal of seven undergraduates.
       Pappin argued the College should continue to discipline students for
certain sexual behaviors.
       "Such punishments would apply to heterosexuals, of course, but even
more so to homosexuals, whose activities are not merely immoral but
perverted and unnatural," Pappin wrote.
       The letter has particularly drawn criticism from those who found
Pappin's statements homophobic.
       Pappin said he expected a firestorm when he wrote the letter.
       "I knew many on Harvard's campus would react negatively, though I did
not expect the reaction to be quite so pronounced," he wrote in an e-mail.
       He also denied that his letter was homophobic, writing "I suggested
moral standards that applied both to heterosexuals and homosexuals."
       The Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered and Supporters Alliance
(BGLTSA) encouraged those offended by the letter to attend a meeting
yesterday afternoon to plan a unified response.
       "There was a diversity of opinions about how to react," said BGLTSA
Co-President Michael B. Murphy '04.  "The letter represents an extreme and
limited viewpoint.  But it also reminds us that homophobia and
discrimination operate in more subtle ways as well."
       In the end, the group decided on a postering campaign beginning today
that would address homophobia on campus without directly referring to
Pappin's letter.
       Those present at the meeting decided that BGLTSA should stress the
campaign is not a specific rebuttal of the letter, but rather a chance to
make gay students feel supported.
       "The suggestion that we need to strike back is understandable to an
attack that some people took very personally," said BGLTSA Publicity Chair
Marcel A. Q. LaFlamme '04.  "But I don't think that it would be productive
to react in kind to extremist sentiments."
       In the next few days, BGLTSA also plans to distribute small signs at
dining halls, reading "LGBTQ Safe Space" that students can put on their
doors.
       Members yesterday brainstormed ideas for after winter break,
including House-based events and a "speak-out" about homophobia on campus.
They hope to engage other gay student groups in their effort.
       In addition to the organized efforts to discuss Pappin's letter, its
publication immediately sparked discussion - some of which reached a fevered
pitch - on House e-mail lists.
       In addition to lists that are often home to heated political
discussions - such as the Eliot list - those like Lowell that are often
forums for nothing more than upcoming concert announcements were inundated
by posts.
       In Quincy House, with which Pappin is affiliated, the new student
liaisons of the Race, Culture and Diversity Initiative posted to the House
e-mail list offering support for those who wanted to discuss the letter.
       "We would like to offer our time to anyone needing to discuss the
original article, or the issues of intolerance and homophobia raised in the
recent response," liaisons Catherine A. Honeyman '04, Michael T. O'Neill '03
and Claire S. Sulmers '03 wrote.
       The maelstrom hit even closer to home when two of Pappin's roommates,
Travis G. Good '04 and Paul A. Fili '04, resigned their positions on the
Salient staff this week.
       Good, who is also a Crimson editor, confirmed that his resignation
was due to the letter but would offer no further comment.
       Salient leaders said they were surprised by the reaction and, along
with Pappin, said that the letter was in no way affiliated with their
magazine.
       "It would be wrong to judge the Salient or take actions in regard to
the Salient baed on that letter," said Salient Managing Editor Claire V.
McCusker '04.
       . Staff writer Sarah M. Seltzer can be reached
sseltzer@fas.harvard.edu.


#10
The Ithacan, December 12, 2002
Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY
http://www.ithaca.edu/ithacan/articles/0212/12/news/1community_me.htm

COMMUNITY MEMBERS PRESS FOR FULL-TIME LGBT COUNSELOR POSITION [AT ITHACA COLLEGE]
Kate Sheppard, Staff Writer
       Students, faculty and staff are lobbying the college administration
to make the coordinator of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender outreach,
education and services a full-time position.
       One year after Lisa Maurer first filled the 20-hour-per-week
position, students submitted a proposal to the board of trustees in October
asking for her promotion.  The resolution stated, "The mere retention of one
disillusioned LGBT student for another year at IC would cover the cost
related to elevating the position to full-time."
       Seniors Daniel Baker and Ryan Prosser and junior MK Sullivan authored
the proposal.  If approved, the proposal claims, Maurer could better serve
the Ithaca College community.
       "We view an increase in the position of coordinator for this program
from part-time to full-time as an important step for the college to continue
as a leader on issues of diversity, acceptance and pluralism," the
proposal's introduction states.  A full-time position would further advance
the college's Institutional Plan, according to the proposal.
       In November, the Student Government Association and Residence Hall
Association passed resolutions supporting a full-time LGBT coordinator.  The
two resolutions were sent to President Peggy R. Williams and the college's
vice presidents.
       Roger Richardson, assistant vice president for student affairs and
campus life, who oversees the LGBT center, said the students' proposal was
well-written and will be reviewed by the board of trustees.  He said a
decision will be announced in February with other budget measures, but added
that a change is unlikely.
       "The college has made a decision, in terms of having a part-time
position, two years ago," Richardson said.
       When students first pushed for the creation of the center, they
requested two full-time staff members, said Baker, president of Created
Equal.  Instead, they got one part-time coordinator and are now petitioning
for the change.
       Senior Jennifer Addonizio, Student Government Association vice
president of campus affairs, was on the steering committee when students
first requested the center and a coordinator.
       "We have an unusually large population of LGBT students on campus,"
she said.  "I think that the administration giving us the part-time position
was a huge step, but there certainly is a need for a full-time
[commitment]."
       Sarah Jefferis, assistant professor of English, said there is the
potential for a large number of students at the college to seek Maurer's
services.  Jefferis believes that 10 percent of the people in any population
are LGBT, meaning at least 600 students have the potential to request the
resource center's services.
          "We have a part-time person to respond to, help educate,
enlighten, support, love, challenge and care for the potential of 600
students plus their straight allies," Jefferis said.  "She's a treasure, and
I would hope that the college could recognize that.  I think this place
could be better for students, faculty and staff with a full-time position."
Maurer said that some weeks she receives between 200-300 contacts by e-mail,
drop-ins or phone calls.  The proposal said an average of 81 of these
contacts go unanswered each week because Maurer is busy with administrative
commitments, volunteer training and campus outreach.
       "She's a person who's so dedicated to what she's doing, and she wants
to see change made, that if she had it her way, she would probably be in her
office 12 hours a day every day of the week," said Sullivan, secretary of
BIGAYLA.
       Of the 10 schools Ithaca College compares itself to based on size and
demographics, only one, the University of the Pacific in California, has a
similar full-time position.  The other nine have student and faculty
organizations, but no paid positions serving LGBT students and allies
specifically.
       Maurer is a member of the National Consortium of Directors of
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resources, which includes
approximately 100 members who serve in her capacity across the nation.


#11
NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY  [FLORIDA]
New LGBT Scholarship Announced

Nova Southeastern University in Florida has just established an endowed fund to provide scholarships to students who are committed to doing research and professional work aimed at increasing the self-acceptance and community acceptance of gay and lesbian individuals. (see below). I wonder if you know of other scholarship programs like this in graduate psychology programs in thecountry?

Thanks,
Ron
RLevant@aol.com

 "The Center for Psychological Studies at Nova Southeastern University has recently established the A. Gordon Rose Scholarship -- Another View. This endowed fund has been established to provide scholarships to students who are committed to doing research and professional work aimed at increasing the self-acceptance and community acceptance of gay and lesbian individuals. Homosexuality has been viewed as a normal human variation for over three decades by the scientific community. Yet discrimination and prejudice against homosexuals continues every day, inflicting great psychological damage on gay and lesbian individuals and their families. Hence, programs like the A. Gordon Rose Scholarship, designed to train future scientists and professionals who will help individuals, families, and society understand and accept homosexuality, are sorely needed."



#12
Harvard Crimson, December 13, 2002
14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
(E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com )
( http://www.thecrimson.com )
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255880

BLOOD DRIVE POLICY CALLED HOMOPHOBIC
HARVARD BLOOD DRIVE SUPPORTS BGLTSA CRITICISM OF FDA DONOR POLICY
By Elizabeth W. Green and William U. Rock, Crimson Staff Writers
       A provocative postering campaign by the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian,
Transgender and Supporters Alliance (BGLTSA) has reignited campus debate
over a Red Cross policy that excludes sexually active gay men from donating
blood.
       With the Harvard blood drive ongoing this week, BGLTSA members posted
fliers throughout campus that resembled official Red Cross blood drive
advertisements with the words "Gay Men Need Not Apply" stamped across them.
       And the Harvard Blood Drive has joined BGLTSA in calling for the Red
Cross to change its regulations.  The two groups will meet this weekend to
discuss possible strategies.
       "It is a homophobic policy that needs to be changed," said Neilesh
Mutyala '04, a blood drive coordinator.
       The policy they are protesting - mandated by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) - prevents men who have since 1977 engaged in sexual
activity with men from donating their blood.
       A FDA scientific advisory panel voted by a seven-to-six margin in
September 2000 to maintain that regulation.
       While Red Cross officials said the policy is currently necessary to
lower the risks associated with blood transfusions, they said they are
working on technological advances that could make these restrictions
unnecessary in the near future.
       "All of us in the blood community would like to change what we're
doing so that we're not deferring so many donors," said Richard J. Benjamin,
chief medical officer of the New England Red Cross.
       Benjamin said he is concerned that the posters have deterred
potential donors from giving blood.
       "[Blood donors] look at this and say, 'We're not gonna give blood!'
It's so difficult to get people to come through the door in the first
place - this kind of publicity is damaging our ability to give blood to our
patients," said Benjamin, who is also an assistant professor of pathology at
Harvard Medical School.
       But Michael B. Murphy '03, co-chair of BGLTSA, said the goal of the
protest was not to dissuade people from giving blood.
       According to Mutyala, the Harvard Blood Drive has seen a decline in
turnout this year.  But Mutyala said this decline is likely unrelated to
BGLTSA's postering efforts.
       Some students said they were confused by the posters, misinterpreting
them as official Red Cross advertisements.
       Murphy said the misconception was the result of a simple mistake -
the initial run of posters did say they were made by the BGLTSA.
       But Murphy said the mistake had unintended benefits.
       "It made people talk about it," he said.  "In a sense that's a good
discussion to get going."
       Discussion of the Red Cross' policies toward gay males also came to
Harvard last year when then-BOND leader Clifford S. Davidson '02 sent a
message to that group's e-mail list encouraging people to lie about their
sexual practices in order to be able to donate in the wake of Sept. 11.
       That message led to several angry replies on the list and was also
denounced nationally by several conservative organizations.
       Benjamin said, however, that while the Red Cross would like to open
up its blood donations, doing so would not be a responsible move.  He cited
higher transmission rates of HIV among gay men as the rationale behind the
FDA policy.
       But Murphy said he objects to that logic.
       "We don't feel that the reasoning the Red Cross uses is grounded in
statistics or rigorously consistently applied," he said.
       While this week's protests are unlikely to affect regulations,
Benjamin said the Red Cross is working to lower risks of contracting disease
through blood transfusions - which could, eventually, mean a policy change.
       "It's my hope that within the next five years we will be able to go
to the FDA and say, 'Do these deferrals really make sense?'"
       To that end, the Red Cross is looking to adopt new medical
technologies, Benjamin said. One advance would inactivate pathogens in
blood, killing "million-folds of HIV and other infections," Benjamin said.
       Another technology would improve the specificity of the Nucleic Acid
Test, the most sensitive test for HIV, he said.
       "When we get to that point when we have the technology that allows us
to change, we will change.  We want to change - we want those people back,"
he said.


#13
KETV Channel 7, December 13, 2002
Omaha, NE
http://www.theomahachannel.com/news/1837083/detail.html

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MAY OFFER SAME-SEX BENEFITS
CHANCELLOR: CHANGE NEEDED TO ATTRACT WORKERS
       Last year, university officials conducted a study to see how many
schools offer same-sex benefits.
       The study found that most schools did not offer benefits, so
officials did not recommend a change to the university's policy.  Officials
now say the situation has changed.
       "We have 10 peer institutions, six now offer benefits, two more are
about to (offer benefits), (that's) going to leave us with Missouri and
Kansas," UNL associate professor George Wolf.
       Critics of the plan say the majority of Nebraskans oppose changing
the policy.
       The university's chancellor believes the benefits change is essential
to stay competitive when recruiting employees.


#14
Gay City News
New York, NY
December 13, 2002

NASTY SCRAWLINGS
MINNESOTA FREIGHT COMPANY FINED FOR HOMOPHOBIC GRAFFITI
By Arthur S. Leonard

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit has upheld an award amounting only to about $37,000 in compensatory damages plus reasonable costs and attorney fees to Allen Beach for being subjected to years of workplace homophobic graffiti that caused him severe emotional distress. The Court found that the graffiti created a "hostile environment" for him at his job in Minnesota with Yellow Freight System, Inc., a shipping company for which he has worked since 1986.

Beginning in 1995, Beach began seeing graffiti with his name on it written on the interior walls of Yellow Freight trailers, including such phrases as "Al Beach sucks," "Al Beach sucks cock," and "Al Beach is gay." For several months, he didn't report it to anybody, since he found it embarrassing to talk about, but in time he complained to his supervisor, who offered sympathy, mentioned the situation to the general operations manager, and had the graffiti painted over.

Beach saw more and more graffiti after that. In 1996, he began documenting it with photographs, which the trial court allowed as evidence. Beach suspected the identity of at least one perpetrator and passed it on to the management, but nobody followed up.

For several years, Beach continued to complain to company officials, but received no satisfaction, apart from an occasional cleaning up of graffiti, which proliferated, showing up in more trailers, on forklifts, in stairwells, and in bathrooms in the terminal where he worked. The graffiti also became more offensive, including phrases such as "Al Beach fucks his mother in the ass" and "Give Al Beach a buck and he'll fuck you in the butt."

The graffiti had become so widespread and obvious that customers and co-workers asked Beach about it. According to his testimony at trial, Beach felt sick, degraded, and demeaned by the graffiti and had trouble getting himself to go to work in the morning. He also started using the manager's private bathroom to avoid seeing graffiti in the men's room.

Beach's situation only changed when the company received a rude awakening--a successful sexual harassment lawsuit by another male employee against Yellow Freight. From then on, the company became more active in combating the problem, assigning a maintenance worker to check the terminal twice a day and remove any offensive graffiti, notifying employees that such graffiti violated company policy and the law, and conducting "Respect" training for managers. The company also sent a letter to employees' homes on the subject.

The level of graffiti against Beach dropped off, but it did not disappear entirely.

Beach finally filed his own lawsuit in March 2000 in state court, alleging a violation of Minnesota's Human Rights Act, which forbids sexual orientation discrimination, as well as common law claims.

Yellow Freight, which is headquartered in another state, succeed in having the case moved to federal court and unsuccessfully sought to have it dismissed, and a trial was held before a U.S. magistrate judge in Minneapolis. The judge, trying the case under Minnesota rather federal law, concluded that the graffiti problem was sufficiently extensive and abusive, and the company's response sufficiently inadequate to justify statutory relief, and the court of appeals found that the trial record supported these conclusions.

On appeal, Yellow Freight made several unavailing claims. The company argued that Beach's own occasional salty language at work showed that the graffiti could not have been "subjectively offensive" to him. Circuit Court Judge Diana E. Murphy found that Beach's testimony about his frequent complaints and the psychological problems he endured discredited this argument.

The company also argued that the graffiti problem was neither severe nor pervasive enough to be said to have negatively affected Beach's working conditions, a tough argument to make on appeal since an appeals court will normally yield to the trial court's factual determinations. Several of Beach's co-workers corroborated his testimony, including the prior successful sexual harassment plaintiff, and Beach documented the graffiti problem with numerous photographs.

The court was also impressed with testimony about the reaction of customers to the graffiti, including one customer's threat to stop using the company because of the offensive graffiti on the its trucks and equipment.

Beach also filed a partial appeal, feeling that he would have received more damages had the trial court correctly interpreted the graffiti "Al Beach sucks" as being sexual in nature. The company successfully argued that it was not sexual in nature, and should not be considered by the court. Beach argued that in the context of the other graffiti, the word "sucks" was clearly sexually oriented.

Once again, the appeals court deferred to the trial judge's conclusion on this point.

"Although we might have made a different finding if we had been the trier of fact," wrote Murphy, "the district court heard all the evidence and was in the best position to decide the meaning of the term in its context."


#15
Omaha World-Herald, December 15, 2002
World Herald Square, Omaha, NE, 68102
(Fax: 402-345-4547 ) (E-Mail:  pulse@owh.com )
( http://www.omaha.com )
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=36&u_sid=594535

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN FACULTY MEMBERS PUSH DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS
World-Herald Bureau
       LINCOLN - Faculty members renewed their push Saturday to convince the
University of Nebraska that employees' domestic partners should receive
medical coverage and other benefits.
       George Wolf, a member of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln English
department, said most of UNL's peer schools already offer benefits to
domestic partners.
       Wolf, who is gay, told the Board of Regents that the university is
falling behind competing schools.
       The issue was not on the board's agenda, and no action was taken.
       Wolf said he wanted the board to consider the issue.  An NU official
said there are no plans to bring it to the board for a vote.
       Al Riskowski, executive director of the Nebraska Family Council, told
the regents it would be a mistake to extend benefits to domestic partners.
Doing so, he said, "places a University of Nebraska endorsement on immoral
behavior."
       Riskowski criticized UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman for backing
benefits for domestic partners.
       Perlman said it's a matter of competition.  He said without such
benefits it is tougher for the university to recruit faculty and staff.

------_=_NextPart_001_01C2A51C.BC1C3DF0-- From AFilson@csustan.edu Mon, 16 Dec 2002 08:04:31 -0800 Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 08:04:31 -0800 From: April Dunham-Filson AFilson@csustan.edu Subject: [Cause-members] FW: Higher Ed LGBT Articles Digest #104 This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C2A51C.D1D43D50 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Higher Education LGBT Articles Digest #104, for the week ending = 12-08-02 1. FREDERICKSBURG FREE LANCE-STAR Unsigned opinion column paints = professor as a martyr because of her "politically incorrect" beliefs as a member = of the anti-gay Concerned Women of America 2. LINCOLN (NE) JOURNAL STAR University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman says UNL will have to extend benefits to the domestic partners of faculty and staff sooner or later 3. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE Job Posting for Staff Psychologist 4. COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE Few University of Colorado employees ask = for same-sex benefits 5. HARVARD CRIMSON Queer Studies Gets Okay for Brochure 6. IOWA STATE DAILY Panel discusses homophobia, vandalism 7. CORNELL DAILY SUN Renewed concern is arising around the Cornell = Weill Medical College-Qatar because of the country's recent record on lesbian = and gay rights 8. THE NEWS-LEADER (Springfield, MO) Southwest Missouri State president = says no to 'sexual orientation' in discrimination policy; Only one teacher = speaks up to challenge him 9. WASHINGTON TIMES Letter writer is appalled that Harvard apologized = for persecuting gays in the 1920s 10. PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Police outnumber protesters at antigay = (Phelps) march in Allentown 11. ALLENTOWN (PA) MORNING CALL Anti-gay protest at Cedar Crest College = kept peaceful; more planned in Valley; Students counter with signs, songs of tolerance 12. CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION Firestorm In Missoula: A lesbian = professor sues a university system and her house is torched [the Chronicle = finally does an in depth article on University of Montana psychology professor, Carla E. Grayson, and her family] 13. THE EXPRESS-TIMES (Pennsylvania) Tentacles of new law protecting = gays against hate crimes can't reach Phelps pickets 14. THE EXPRESS-TIMES (Pennsylvania) Phelps family faces backlash at = Lehigh 15. ASSOCIATED PRESS Montana: Lesbian arson case inactive in Missoula = [more on #12 above] #1 Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, December 1, 2002 P. O. Box 617, Fredericksburg, VA, 22401 (Fax: 703-373-8450 ) (E-Mail: letters@freelancestar.com ) (http://www.freelancestar.com ) http://www.freelancestar.com/News/FLS/2002/122002/12012002/802436 THOUGHT GANTLET [at Mary Washington College] [no author listed] Rita Thompson, the new assistant dean of admissions at Mary Washington College, is obviously qualified for her job. She held an equivalent position at Georgetown University Law Center for seven = years, sits on the Fairfax County School Board, has spoken out against discrimination before the U.S. Civil Rights Commission (she's African-American), and served on the White House Advisory Committee on Education. That powerful resum=E9 - plus the fact that as a former member = of MWC's board of visitors, she's a known quantity - makes it no surprise that = she emerged on top from among 52 other applicants after a rigorous = screening process. So why was Ms. Thompson welcomed to campus last month by a = spate of widely circulated e-mails impugning her fitness for the job? = Because she doesn't think correctly - so charge a handful of influential tenured professors. Steven Watkins, a professor of English, linguistics and speech, = got the ball rolling by sounding an e-mail alert about "the anti-gay, anti-abortion organization for which the college's new assistant dean = of admissions served as 'national spokesman.'" Ms. Thompson is guilty (by association) as charged. For a few years, she worked for Concerned = Women for America. Rooted in conservative Christianity, CWA opposes abortion = on demand, gay marriage and adoption, pornography, and affirmative action. While such views might be considered marginal or even "hateful" = by a learned professorate, they are shared by millions of clear-thinking and decent Americans. For example, only Vermont and Hawaii have legally recognized gay marriage. (Q: What do you call 48 state legislatures? = A: Hate groups.) Few - certainly few feminists - would argue that = pornography is a healthy pursuit, several federal courts have put affirmative = action under the microscope, and the abortion issue splits America roughly = down the middle. Nonetheless, Mr. Watkins, with cyberized amicus briefs by = colleagues Stephen Farnsworth and Christopher Kilmartin, characterized the views = of CWA as "anti-American" and "repugnant." While in fact Ms. Thompson took = issue with some CWA positions - notably its opposition to female clergy, of = whom she is one - it's safe to say that she cleaves to orthodox Christian = beliefs that define some human behaviors as sinful. But this in no way indicts = her professionalism - i.e., her ability to separate personal convictions = from rule-governed on-the-job decisions. Mormons deem tobacco and alcohol iniquitous, but dedicated Mormon doctors do their best to treat = patients with lung cancer and cirrhosis. Even so, Mr. Farnsworth, professor of political science and international affairs, wrote, "I feel that her views conflict with the publicized statements of the college and send a message of intolerance = to gay students." This claim is falsely premised - when did Ms. Thompson = or CWA ever say that they won't "tolerate" gays? - and its implication is stunning: that any Christian who holds the view dominant in every era = of Christendom (including ours) that homosexual behavior is a sin, should = be denied a position of authority at a state college. Americans should be = able to honorably disagree about gay issues without ending up on someone's blacklist. In fact, any suspicions that now attach to Ms. Thompson - a = woman surely heretofore unknown to MWC applicants - stem mostly from the = three profs' precipitous e-mail campaign, which may also have raised = suspicions about their own hospitality toward, say, devout Southern Baptist or = Roman Catholic students. Messrs. Watkins, Farnsworth, and Kilmartin - fine teachers all - would rightly recoil at such an aspersion. So does Ms. Thompson. "I've not for a moment let the comments of a few people affect = the way I feel about the college," she says with magnanimity. "I agree = that no one under any circumstances should be discriminated against because of = their beliefs, color, or lifestyle." That's good enough for us, and for the president of MWC, who hired Ms. Thompson. It should be good enough for = the protesting faculty, too. After all, there's a word for the habit of reflexively condemning individuals based on their group affiliation: prejudice. #2 Lincoln Journal Star, December 4, 2002 P. O. Box 81609, Lincoln, NE, 68501 (Fax: 402-473-7291 ) (E-Mail: oped@nebweb.com ) (http://www.journalstar.com ) http://www.journalstar.com/local.php?story_id=3D3852 CHANCELLOR: MARKETPLACE LIKELY TO FORCE DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS By Martha Stoddard, Lincoln Journal Star The University of Nebraska will have to extend benefits to the domestic partners of faculty and staff sooner or later, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman predicted Tuesday. "The question is when - and how we get there," he told members = of the UNL Academic Senate. Perlman addressed the issue of domestic partner benefits in = response to a question from [Articles reader] George Wolf, an associate English professor, during a senate meeting. Wolf said later that he also planned to raise the issue at the = Dec. 14 meeting of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. He noted that the board had asked for a study of domestic = partner benefits in spring 2001. The study was completed that December. But in April, President L. Dennis Smith sent letters to Wolf and others saying the board would not be taking action on the issue. The letters noted that most of the university's peer schools did not offer = such benefits. That's no longer true, Wolf said. Six of the 10 universities UNL officials use when making = comparisons now offer domestic partner benefits, he said. Three have been added to = the list since April. Only Colorado State, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois = do not provide benefits. "If we do not do anything, within a short period of time we are = going to be alone in not offering domestic partner benefits," Wolf said. Perlman also said the university would be at a disadvantage in seeking faculty and staff if it did not offer domestic partner = benefits. Those jobs are filled in a national marketplace. "If you look across the landscape, we will become increasingly noncompetitive if we don't have them," he said. In addition, the chancellor said, domestic partner benefits make sense for the same reason the university offers benefits to the spouses = and children of employees: Such benefits add to productivity by relieving employees of concerns for their family. "It seems to me that domestic partner benefits are of that = order. ... It is as important for gay and lesbian colleagues to have that = comfort," he said. Wolf said that domestic partner benefits could be added at = little cost to the university. The numbers of people taking advantage of such benefits typically are low. . Reach Martha Stoddard at 473-7245 or = mstoddard@journalstar.com. #3 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE Job Posting for Staff Psychologist This is a great position for someone who wants to work at a LGBT- affirmative Counseling Center. I have worked here for many years and = have been able to develop many programs and services to the LGBT community. = I really look forward to having a colleague to collaborate with! The = Irvine area has terrific weather and is close to the ocean and within two = hours of the mountains and deserts. UCI provides domestic partnership benefits = for health care and retirement. There is a campus LGBT Resource (www.lgbtrc.uci.edu) that is very active and co-sponsors a LGBT peer counseling program. This is a new position that was advertised last = year but we didn't fill it. Please pass the information along to any = listserv, colleague, student, or friend that you think might be interested. We = are really hoping for a candidate who has had experience working with gay = and bisexual men and who may be able to serve as a role model for the gay = and bisexual men at UCI. If you have any questions please feel free to = contact me. The job description is listed below and as an attachment. Thanks, Chris Browning UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE COUNSELING CENTER (www.counseling.uci.edu): invites applications for a staff = Psychologist position This is a 10-month, full-time, career appointment. = Responsibilities include: Provision of comprehensive services to a diverse, = multicultural student population in the form of individual couple, and group psychotherapy, teaching, workshop delivery, outreach, consultation, supervision, and crisis response. Requirements include: Ph.D. or Psy.D. in Counseling or Clinical Psychology and licensed or license-eligible in the State = of California. Experience working with a diverse college student = population preferred and with the lesbian, gay, and bisexual population required. Clinical and outreach experience and knowledge working with gay and bisexual men essential. Salary is $4175/per month with excellent = benefits. Starting date: September 1, 2003. Application Deadline: February 28, = 2003. Send cover letter, vita, and three letters of recommendation to: Noah Apodaca, UC Irvine, Human Resources, Irvine, CA 92697-4600 or email to: napodaca@uci.edu. Christine Browning, Ph.D. University of California Counseling Center 202, Student Services 1 Irvine, CA 92697 Campus # (949) 824-6457 Fax # 949- 824-6586 cmbrowni@uci.edu #4 Colorado Springs Gazette, December 5, 2002 P. O. Box 1779, Colorado Springs, CO, 80901 (Fax: 719-636-0202 ) (E-Mail: gtop@gazette.com ) ( http://www.gazette.com/ ) http://www.gazette.com/display.php?id=3D114126 FEW ASK FOR SAME-SEX BENEFITS [AT UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO] By Barry Noreen, The Gazette Only 42 University of Colorado workers applied for health = insurance benefits for their same-sex domestic partners during an enrollment = period that ended Nov. 18, CU officials said Wednesday. Because the four-campus CU system has 8,338 full-time employees, = the number of enrollees amounts to less than one-half of 1 percent of those eligible, said CU spokesman Bob Nero. Approved by the CU Board of = Regents in June, the same-sex domestic partner program required all enrollees = to sign documents called certificates of partnership, even though = heterosexual enrollees have never had to provide similar documentation. Three of those who applied for the benefits work at the = University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, which has 504 full-time workers. At the Boulder campus, 21 enrolled for benefits; at the Denver campus there = were two and there were 16 enrollees at CU's Health Sciences Center. Nero said the precise cost of benefits for same-sex domestic = partners isn't available because various health plans offered to CU employees = have different price tags. "It depends on the plan and the plans really vary," Nero said. = "It's safe to say, based upon the number of people who signed up, that this = is cost-neutral from our point of view." For instance, if each domestic partner added $300 a month to = CU's cost, the CU system would spend about $150,000 for the coverage in = 2003. Providing health insurance for same-sex domestic partners has = been an issue in Colorado Springs, where the City Council recently voted 5-4 to include the benefits in the 2003 budget. Including employees in = utilities and at Memorial Hospital, the city has about 8,000 workers. Although = the city and CU have roughly the same number of full-time workers, city officials have no precise way of predicting how many will apply for = same-sex domestic partner benefits. City Manager Lorne Kramer, who has said providing the benefits = is "the right thing to do," estimated that it would cost about $58,000 for = the 3,100 general fund employees. Utilities officials have estimated their = cost at about $69,000. Asked if requiring CU employees to fill out the certificates of partnership had a chilling effect on enrollment, Nero said, "I think = that's a possibility." Some religious groups, including Focus on the Family, oppose extending health insurance coverage to gays. But for a growing number = of companies, especially those in the tech sector, the coverage is common. Hewlett-Packard, Agilent Technologies, Wells Fargo, Checks = Unlimited, Intel, Electronic Data Systems and Oracle Corporation are all firms = with Colorado Springs operations that provide same-sex domestic partner = benefits. #5 Harvard Crimson, December 5, 2002 14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com ) ( http://www.thecrimson.com ) http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=3D255656 QUEER STUDIES GETS OKAY FOR BROCHURE [AT HARVARD] By Sarah M. Seltzer, Crimson Staff Writer Students and faculty lobbying for a standing committee on queer studies recently received University approval to advertise courses = relevant to the discipline in a brochure starting next fall. Twenty students met yesterday afternoon with Lecturer in = Literature Heather K. Love '91 and Professor of Romance Languages and Literature Bradley S. Epps to plan the format of the brochure and continue their = push for an official committee - dubbed "gender and sexuality" - in charge = of coordinating undergraduate education in queer studies. At the meeting, Love said the group had received "tentative encouragement" from the administration for a standing committee. Epps, Love and the students at the meeting said that even with a brochure compiling relevant course offerings, a standing committee = remains necessary to keep queer studies in the curriculum. "Institutional structures like committees guarantee that classes happen and that people know about them," Love said. Current standing committees, permanent groups which do not grant degrees, include medieval studies and mind, brain and behavior. This fall, Epps, Love and 16 other faculty members proposed the brochure - similar to ones offered in cultural studies and film studies = - to Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby and Associate Dean of = Undergraduate Education Jeffrey Wolcowitz. The deans approved the brochure and agreed to provide funding = for the 2003-04 school year, Epps said. But the formation of a standing committee is a more complicated prospect, Epps said, which would have to go to a vote before the = Faculty Council followed by a full Faculty vote. Epps and Love said yesterday they hope the brochure will pave = the way for an eventual standing committee. "We want to consider how the brochure might fold into the = committee idea, and how the committee might fold into the curriculum and life of = the University," Epps said. Students at the meeting, including several officers of the = Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered and Supporters Alliance, BOND and GirlSpot, proposed ways to make the brochure more comprehensive than a simple = list of courses. They suggested an introduction explaining the nature of queer studies, full-paragraph course descriptions and a list of relevant past theses and advisors. Students said the brochure, as well as being a helpful resource, = will highlight the deficiencies that currently exist in queer studies - what = they describe as the disconnected nature of the current offerings, which = span several departments. Epps said he hopes so-called "signifiers" - or words such as = "gay, "lesbian" and "queer," which were omitted from the title of the = proposed committee - can appear in the brochure and thereby become a more = regular part of the University's academic discussions. The group plans to reconvene next semester to edit the brochure = and plan future lobbying efforts. . -Staff writer Sarah M. Seltzer can be reached at sseltzer@fas.harvard.edu. #6 Iowa State Daily, December 5, 2002 108 Hamilton Hall, Ames, Ia., 50011 (E-Mail: letters@iowastatedily.com ) ( http://www.iowastatedaily.com ) http://www.iowastatedaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/12/05/3deee3e5441= d6 PANEL DISCUSSES HOMOPHOBIA, VANDALISM [AT IOWA STATE] By Natalie Spray, Daily Staff Writer Students interested in the meaning of homophobia and its = existence on campus gathered Wednesday evening for a panel discussion. A group of about 25 gathered in 128 Carver Hall for a discussion = that was organized by Women's Studies 201 students Nichole Feuerstein, Amy Malfitano, Blair Polhamus and Laura Rusk. Polhamus, freshman in women's studies, said she has been shocked = by the level of homophobia on campus, which spurred her to suggest it as = the topic for the evening's discussion. "The main goal is to educate myself and others," said = Feuerstein, sophomore in women's studies. Thomas Hill, vice president for student affairs, said students = should take advantage of educational opportunities available on campus. "[Becoming educated about different views] doesn't mean changing = your beliefs - it means being open to others' beliefs," he said. "It's okay = to view the world differently." "Homophobia is a deadly business," said Jerry Mayes, spokesman = for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center in Des = Moines. "Thirty to 40 percent of teenage suicides are the result of = homophobia." Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists shouldn't have = to pay a price for expressing their views, he said. Jeff Sorensen, a university staff member at an office that was vandalized with hate speech in November, said he has experienced a supportive work environment despite hate crimes committed against him = on campus. "The response of the community has been wonderful," he said. "I = have received 150 [positive] e-mails from around the country." "I believe there is a lot of support for people to be free to be = who they are," Hill said. #7 Cornell Daily Sun, December 4, 2002 S Cayuga St., Ithaca, NY, 14850 (E-Mail: Cornell.Daily.Sun@cornell.edu ) http://cornelldailysun.com/articles/7169/ QATAR'S GAY RIGHTS POLICY UNDER SCRUTINY [BY CORNELL] By Freda Ready Renewed concern is arising around the Cornell Weill Medical College-Qatar because of the country's recent record on lesbian and gay rights. According to the International Lesbian and Gay Association's = (ILGA) world legal survey, "Article 201 of the Qatari Penal Code punishes = sodomy between consenting adults (irrespective of sex) with up to five years = of imprisonment." Qatar's sodomy laws hardly make it unique, especially in the = Arab world. According to Amnesty International, 83 countries explicitly = condemn homosexuality in their criminal codes. 26 of those 83 countries are = Muslim. Most convictions in those 26 countries happen in the Sharia courts, = which use the Koran, Sunna and Ijma as sources for law. In the Sharia courts, "Law is not a product of human = intelligence and adaptation to changing social needs, but of divine inspiration, which = makes it immutable," according to H.A.R. Gibb in Mohammedanism, An Historical Survey. What makes Qatar's laws unique, however, is how they are put = into practice. In most countries, foreigners, especially Westerners, are = often immune to punitive action based on sexuality. In 1995, while the = country's government was still under Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani, the = father of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, with whom Cornell has been largely negotiating, an American citizen in Qatar was sentenced to receive 90 = lashes during a 6-month prison term for "homosexual activity," according to = the U.S. Department of State's report on human rights practices for 1996. = In October of 1997, 36 gay Filipino workers were deported, according to = the Manila daily newspaper, Today. Provost Biddy (Carolyn A.) Martin, however, remains confident = that the University will be able to protect those students, faculty members = and staff of the medical school who may be affected by Qatar's sodomy laws. "The Qatari government has agreed to abide by Cornell = University's standards for admissions and the status of students. The criteria for Cornell University medical students are all academic," she said. But, one student worried that it is the gesture itself that is important. "I think it's outrageous that Cornell would consider opening a = school in a place where its students could be arrested for what they do in the privacy of their own bedrooms," said Jake Lazarus '05. Qatar currently has no medical schools of its own, a fact that = has consistently been given as one of the important reasons for opening = this branch of the medical school. But such arguments are of little comfort = to Lazarus. "If they want access to our education, they can get a student = visa and come to Ithaca. Cornell shouldn't disregard its commitment to inclusiveness and diversity just because they want to make a few quick tuition bucks off rich Arab oilmen sending their sons to med school," = he said. Martin agreed that the Qatari laws in relation to Cornell's commitment to diversity was an important issue. "It's certainly worth my mentioning it directly to the Board of Trustees," she said. Martin also pointed out, however, that there are "a lot of = provisions in the agreement [between Cornell and the Qatar Foundation] for = protection of people in any emergency situation." #8 The News-Leader, December 6, 2002 651 Boonville, Springfield, MO, 65801 (Fax: 417-837-1381 ) ( http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com ) (Online Mailer: = http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/opinions/index.html ) http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/news/sms120602.html SOUTHWEST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY'S CHIEF SAYS NO TO 'SEXUAL = ORIENTATION' [ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY] Resistance minimal; only one teacher challenges Keiser face to face. By Steve Koehler, News-Leader Holly Baggett was red-faced and feeling lonely Thursday when she = left Southwest Missouri State University's Faculty Senate meeting. The anticipated showdown between SMS President John Keiser and faculty members over inclusion of the words "sexual orientation" in the school's nondiscrimination policy failed to materialize. Of 70 members in the audience in Plaster Student Union, only = Baggett challenged Keiser to his face about his refusal to include the words in = the policy recommended by the university's Equal Opportunity Advisory = Committee. "It's really sad. People seem afraid to say what's on their = mind," she said. The atmosphere was more spirited outside Carrington Hall where = about 15 students with the Sexual Orientation Action Project - SOAP - = protested Keiser's stance. The protesters were cold, walking in a circle to get the = attention of passersby and keep warm. They held their signs high, hoping to sway just one person. Signs read, "What's to fear?" "Or we could just change the = policy" and "Funny ... I don't feel protected." Keiser maintains that the word "all" in the policy he supports includes homosexuals without specifically mentioning them. He will not recommend including "sexual orientation" when the issue comes before = the Board of Governors next week. After Keiser's appearance, the Faculty Senate Thursday voted = nearly unanimously to recommend the policy include the words "sexual = orientation." A smattering of about two or three nays were registered in the voice = vote. Keiser told faculty members: "I haven't hidden my position from anyone. It's not a homophobic position." Baggett, an associate history professor, accused Keiser of = saying one thing and doing another. She contends the president's view on the issue is different from = the university's faculty and staff senates, the Student Government = Association and dozens of academic departments. "You say you support self-governance but your actions don't underscore that at all," Baggett said. The comments triggered a pointed response from Keiser directed = at Baggett. "You've said all of that before," Keiser said. "I've protected = more students than you ever will." "(Your position) is embarrassing and shameful," Baggett shot = back. In a low voice, Keiser mumbled: "You need a group." "What?" Baggett asked. "Never mind," Keiser told her and turned away. "(My policy) is = more inclusive." Tom Plymate, who chaired the subcommittee that wrote the = sentence that included the words "sexual orientation," explained to Keiser he = added the words so the policy would be "as inclusive as possible, to = embrace." Keiser said he knew it was a carefully drafted sentence, but "I = have a strong problem with including groups." Keiser left the room to applause from most audience members. The president walked past the protesting students on his way = from the meeting. He accepted one of the small purple fliers students were = handing out at the SOAP event. Some students bristled. "He's showing his true colors," said Chuck Lauer, 21, a = psychology major, who also protested last year when the issue came to a Board of Governors' vote. SOAP was established after last month's town hall meeting. = Unlike the social group BiGALA (Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Alliance), SOAP is = an action-based student effort to change the current non-discrimination = policy. The project's president, Rima Freeman, 26, a senior, said she = hoped the protest would generate awareness of the controversy. "There are many students on campus that don't realize it's an = issue," she said, adding that she hoped the protest would "get Keiser's = attention." Juli Warner, 29, a junior, hoped the event puts pressure on the = Board of Governors to add sexual orientation to the policy. She said she has = been harassed by students on campus, but hasn't had problems with faculty. "It's not his decision, it's the Board of Governors'," she said = as she carried a sign that read, "Protecting everyone hurts no one." "Will it make them do what we want them to do? No. But maybe = it will put pressure on them." Once Keiser left the faculty meeting, audience members continued = the discussion. "Why is he so pigheaded on this issue?" asked a woman who did = not identify herself. "Why didn't you ask him that when he was here?" responded = Faculty Senate President Lois Shufeldt. Plymate also had more to say after Keiser was gone. "His objections don't make any sense. He's worried about an = infinite list of groups (being added)," he said. "I'm frustrated I didn't have = the guts to raise that here." . News-Leader Reporter Angela Wilson contributed to this story. #9 Washington Times, December 3, 2002 3600 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC, 20002 (Fax: 202-269-3419 ) (E-Mail: letter@twtmail.com ) ( http://www.washtimes.com/ ) LETTER: HARVARD'S UNNECESSARY APOLOGY It's hard to believe, but Harvard University - and society at = large - once had integrity enough to be shocked by open homosexual behavior ("Harvard apologizes for its purge of gays," Nation, Sunday). How = quaint. About 80 years ago, a small group of gay students were asked to = leave the hallowed Harvard Yard after late-night sessions of "The Court" were discovered. The school was shocked that its staid and proper environs = were being sullied by young men eagerly undressing before each other outside = of the locker room. Apparently, there was a time when moral understanding at the university level was not as cloudy as it is today, and such = "lifestyles" were called what they were: aberrant and unacceptable. Instead of apologizing for how "intolerant" they were, perhaps Harvard's = administrators should reflect on how far they have fallen morally by accepting what = ought to be unacceptable. But a dose of reality is hard to take. - Jack Webb, Springfield, Va. #10 Philadelphia Inquirer, December 7, 2002 PO Box 8263, Philadelphia, PA, 19101 (Fax: 215-854-4483 ) (E-Mail: Inquirer.opinion@phillynews.com ) ( http://www.philly.com ) http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/4685254.htm POLICE OUTNUMBER PROTESTERS AT ANTIGAY MARCH IN ALLENTOWN [AND LEHIGH UNIVERSITY] By Oliver Prichard, Inquirer Staff Writer ALLENTOWN - A church group from Kansas known for its crude = antigay diatribes arrived yesterday to little fanfare in the Lehigh Valley, = where its first protest was met by more police officers than = counterdemonstrators. Earlier, more than 100 Lehigh University students had gathered = on the Bethlehem campus to demonstrate against the Westboro Baptist Church, = but an airline cancellation had caused the Topeka group to miss the scheduled protest there. The group then arrived at 4:30 p.m. for a protest aimed at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, where nine members picketed along a nearby street carrying signs bearing slogans such as "God Hates Fags," "Thank = God for Sept. 11," and "Prepare to Meet Thy God." The pickets were confined to a small stretch of sidewalk and surrounded by more than 20 Allentown police officers, many of whom wore = riot helmets. Small groups of students watched in silence from a safe = distance, and neighborhood resident Chris Hoenscheid was the lone = counterdemonstrator. "That's not what Christianity is about," said Hoenscheid, 32, = who carried a cardboard sign that read: "Christian, not close-minded." "They have as much right to be here as anyone else," he said, = "but I think they are a little misguided." Westboro members, who are led by the Rev. Fred Phelps, decided = to bring their crusade against homosexuality to the Lehigh Valley after residents spoke out against a Baptist preacher who had suggested that = the Sept. 11 attacks resulted from America's growing tolerance of same-sex unions. The Westboro group will protest at Lehigh and several Bethlehem churches today. It targeted Cedar Crest because the college recently = gave an award to tennis great Billie Jean King, a lesbian. "This place needs some preaching to," said Westboro picket = Charles Hockenbarger, 28, who is married to one of Mr. Phelps' daughters. "Any university that is going to put a dyke like Billie Jean King up on a pedestal needs a whole lot of preaching to." As rush-hour traffic on Hamilton Street crawled past the = pickets, motorists peered out their windows with mystified expressions. Groups = from the women's college watched quietly from a hillside on campus. At Lehigh, where the Westboro group failed to show earlier in = the day, student activist Meghan Punschke said the big student turnout = showed the campus was mobilized against intolerance. "This brought all kinds of people together who normally wouldn't socialize with each other," Punschke, 21, said. "It's more about us = coming together than it is about them." . Contact Oliver Prichard at 610-313-8219 or oprichard@phillynews.com. #11 The Morning Call, December 7, 2002 Box 1260, Allentown, PA, 18105 (Fax: 610-820-6693 ) (E-Mail: letters@mcall.com ) ( http://www.mcall.com ) http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b21_4westboro.2313216dec07,0,7690706= .sto ry?coll=3Dall%2Dnewslocal%2Dhed ANTI-GAY PROTEST AT CEDAR CREST COLLEGE KEPT PEACEFUL; MORE PLANNED IN VALLEY Students counter with signs, songs of tolerance. By Genevieve Marshall and Nicole Radzievich of The Morning Call The first protest in the Lehigh Valley led by Westboro Baptist = Church ended peacefully Friday, giving 20 Allentown police officers in riot = gear little to do but direct traffic and keep the media at bay. Eleven members of the Topeka, Kan., church picketed at Cedar = Crest College behind police tape. Most hoisted Day-Glo signs decrying homosexuality, among them ''No Tears for Queers,'' ''Thank God for = Sept. 11'' and ''God Sent the Sniper.'' Traffic snarled during the evening rush hour as drivers = rubbernecked at the Westboro members, 40 counter-protesters and a gaggle of = reporters at Hamilton Boulevard and College Drive. As counter-protesters sang ''God Bless America,'' Westboro = members held an American flag upside down and sang their own version: ''God = hates America, land of the fags.'' Margie Phelps, daughter of Westboro's leader, the Rev. Fred = Phelps, said her family chose to picket Cedar Crest because the college awarded = an honorary degree to Billie Jean King, who had a relationship with a = woman. The counter-protesters are a ''motley band of pitiful = perverts,'' Phelps said. ''I feel sorry for them.'' Westboro, whose members claim to have picketed at more than = 22,000 sites across the country, planned the trip to support a Bethlehem = pastor who linked the terrorist attacks to same-sex marriages when he spoke at a = Sept. 11 memorial ecumenical service. Despite occasional shouts for the Westboro members to go home = and Westboro's taunts of ''fag enablers,'' there were no threats of = violence. Police Chief Stephen L. Kuhn said he planned the high level of security to ''make sure nobody's freedom of speech was obstructed and = to keep everyone safe.'' A snowstorm delayed Westboro's flight, and the group canceled = what was supposed to be its first picket, at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, where President Gregory Farrington recently announced plans to increase diversity. About 100 Lehigh students held a counter-demonstration anyway = next to Zoellner Arts Center. At Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethlehem, the Valley = coordinator of the Pennsylvania Gay and Lesbian Alliance was among 25 people who = spoke to a crowd of 100. ''We don't have to have hate groups come from Kansas,'' Liz = Bradbury said. ''We have hate groups in the Lehigh Valley.'' Another speakout is set for 7 p.m. today at Lehigh's Packer = Memorial Church to coincide with Westboro's picket near Zoellner Arts Center. Westboro has also scheduled two pickets at Bethlehem churches = tonight and at five more churches Sunday morning. . Reporter Nick Politi contributed to this story. #12 Chronicle of Higher Education, December 6, 2002 1255 23rd St. N.W., Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20037 (Fax : 202-452-1033) (E-mail: opinion@chronicle.com ) ( http://chronicle.com ) FIRESTORM IN MISSOULA A LESBIAN PROFESSOR SUES A UNIVERSITY SYSTEM AND HER HOUSE IS TORCHED By Scott Smallwood Missoula, Mont. - Adrianne Neff didn't notice the unusual return address. In shaky handwriting, it said: "God's Way." When she opened = the envelope last February, white powder fell onto her kitchen table. The = note inside was blunt: "Die Dykes." After calling the police, she spoke with her partner, Carla E. Grayson, a psychology professor at the University of Montana. Just two = days earlier the couple had made their sexual orientation very public when = they sued the university system for domestic-partner health benefits. Ms. Grayson, while angry about the threatening letter, was 99 percent sure = any white powder was a hoax. "Who's going to get anthrax in Missoula on a day's notice?" she = says. Regardless, this letter was already more than they had bargained = for. They had expected some harassment once the lawsuit became public, maybe = a phone call, maybe graffiti on their house. Things were about to get = much worse. Two nights later, sometime after 3 a.m., Ms. Neff thought she = heard someone in their house. She was reaching for the phone next to their = bed to call the police when the smoke alarms started blaring. The house was = on fire. They opened the bedroom door. Black smoke filled the hall, so = thick they couldn't see more than a few feet. A skinny trail of orange flame = ran along the floor. In the living room, the videotape diary Ms. Grayson = had been dutifully keeping of her son's second year was melting. The = armoire Ms. Neff had recently built herself to hold their television was = getting scorched. Those keepsake cups on the mantle were turning into puddles = of pewter. They grabbed their 22-month-old son from his bedroom and planned their escape. With dense smoke billowing through the rest of the = house, their only option was the small window above their bed. Ms. Grayson climbed out first and Ms. Neff handed their son out. = But when Ms. Neff tried to scramble out, she got stuck in the window. "Go, = go!" she screamed. Ms. Grayson, swaddling her son in a quilt, made what she = says was her toughest decision ever, leaving her partner there in the = burning house as she ran through the cold night in her socks. Fortunately, = minutes later, after safely squeezing through the window, Ms. Neff was again by = Ms. Grayson's side. Or maybe it didn't happen like that at all. Maybe Missoula - = and those 700 people who turned out at a rally for them the next night - = had been duped. Over the next eight months, the police would come to = mistrust the victims, the gay community would lose faith in the police, and the = rest of the town would mostly just wonder. Ultimately, even in this college town proud of its reputation = for tolerance, many are left questioning whether everything might have been different had Ms. Grayson been lying in bed next to a man, instead of = her female lover. Stirring Up a Liberal Enclave The rest of the country sees Montana as home to pickup-driving, gun-toting Republicans. Within the state, Missoula has a different reputation. It's the progressive enclave, home to the Feng Shui Center = and the Butterfly Herbs shop. Stores sell hemp clothing and organic milk. = On Oak Street, there's a gay community center, and at night the American Veterans Post becomes the gay bar. If you are a lesbian in Montana, it would seem Missoula is the friendliest place to be. But when Ms. Grayson told her friends in Ann Arbor, Mich., that = she was taking the job at the University of Montana, they were = apprehensive. "Isn't that where they killed Matthew Shepard?" said some, to whom = Montana and Wyoming are just parts of a mountain range of intolerance in the = West. For Ms. Grayson, a social-psychology professor who studies = emotions, the move was simply about taking a good tenure-track job. After = enjoying a comfortable childhood in northern New Jersey and studying at Cornell University and the University of Michigan, living out in the wilds of western Montana seemed like an adventure. Of course, being gay in Missoula is a far cry from being gay in = Ann Arbor, that bastion of liberalism where they could legally certify = their domestic partnership. Once in Montana, the couple didn't hold hands on the sidewalk = any more. While Ms. Grayson still wore her wedding ring, she used the = vague "we" in class when speaking about Ms. Neff. The pair bought a three-bedroom ranch house in the hills south = of Missoula, and Ms. Neff stayed home with the infant son Ms. Grayson had = given birth to just before moving West. But the university job didn't = provide health benefits for the professor's partner. Such benefits have become more common over the past decade, and = are now available at 173 colleges and universities, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay-rights group. But they remain the = exception in much of the country. About 40 percent of the campuses that offer = the benefits are in California, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. Long before the couple arrived, gay faculty and staff members at = the University of Montana had been battling for health benefits for their domestic partners. They had the support of the Faculty Senate, the president, and the systemwide benefits committee. But Richard A. = Crofts, Montana's commissioner of higher education, turned down their recommendations. "It would be a good thing for us to provide as much access to = our health-insurance plan as possible," he wrote. "However, I am not = convinced that we have the legal, ethical, or moral obligation to do so." The Outfield Alliance, a group of gay employees at the = university, then turned to the courts, with the help of the American Civil = Liberties Union. The suit, which was dismissed by a state judge last week, = argued that excluding gay partners from the benefits violates the employees' = rights to privacy and equal protection under the state Constitution. The university system argued that the court cannot extend the benefits = without legalizing gay marriage, a decision that should be left up to the Legislature. The health benefits, if granted, would apply to fewer than 30 = people, "but the symbolic value for our state is incredible," says Karl Olson, executive director of Pride, a Montana gay-rights group that joined the lawsuit. "Critics say that next is going to be gay marriage, and we = never disagree with that. The prize is full equality." Ms. Grayson and Ms. Neff, who aren't veterans of previous = gay-rights battles, became accidental activists. When the lawyers came looking for plaintiffs, the family, with a stay-at-home mom and a small child, made an attractive choice. They feared the publicity at first, though, and asked about = filing the suit as Jane Does. Other potential plaintiffs "bailed out because = they realized that they couldn't do it from within the closet," Mr. Olson = says. The two others that stuck it out were Carol Snetsinger, a Web designer in the biology department at Montana, and her partner, Nancy Siegel. After Ms. Neff got the threatening letter, she warned the = other couple. Ms. Snetsinger slipped on latex gloves before going out to her mailbox. A letter, with the same God's Way return address, was waiting = for her. She called the police without opening the envelope. It contained = the same message and the same white powder Ms. Neff had received and that authorities later determined was not anthrax. Soon after escaping the fire, the couple called Ms. Snetsinger = and Ms. Siegel, alerting them of the arson. "We didn't know if we were = next on the list," Ms. Snetsinger says. They hired a security guard to watch = their house at night, and their fears intensified when he spotted a = suspicious car a few days later. Their house wasn't set on fire, but little things changed for = them. Ms. Snetsinger started parking her car in different spots each day, = making sure it was in well-traveled areas. And each time she sat behind the = wheel, she worried, just slightly, that it would blow up. When she turned the = key, she even listened for the telltale click, "like in the movies." The fire, which authorities quickly announced was set = deliberately and was investigated as an attempted murder, shocked Missoula. "My = thought was it had to come from outside our community," says Christopher = Peterson, then a senior at Montana and the openly gay president of the student = senate. "It just wouldn't happen here." But the fire also brought out the best in the city. People = poured into the rally at a local church, and they donated money, eventually $50,000, to a relief fund. They helped the family find housing, = clothes, and toys. Signs proclaiming "Hate Hurts" went up in store windows. People would come up to Ms. Grayson and say, "You're heroes. = You're like Rosa Parks." They didn't feel like heroes. They were petrified that whoever = had tried to kill them was still out there. Then, about a week later, came a stunning article in the local newspaper. Police had narrowed the focus, the Missoulian reported, and = were working with two possible theories - that someone outside the house set = the fire, or that someone inside did. Police officials were vague, but the coverage hinted that they = were investigating whether the women had set the fire themselves. Gay = advocates in town were outraged, angry at the newspaper and at the police. But = for many others it was just confusing, and support softened. Fewer people posted signs, and others "said it made them wonder, when they hadn't wondered before," says Karen Loos, co-chairwoman of a local group for parents of gay and lesbian people. More speculation and more newspaper stories led Fred Van = Valkenburg, the Missoula County attorney, to do something he'd never done before - = issue a gag order, demanding that police investigators stop talking about the case. That quieted things for months. Then in August, a police search warrant to examine the couple's home safe became public. The safe = contained only financial documents and love letters, but the warrant itself = changed everything. The search-warrant request was the first public document to lay = out the evidence and hint at the detectives' theory about the case. While = no one named the women as suspects, and no charges were filed, the investigation was clearly focused on the professor and her partner. Police officers had found a plastic bucket of gasoline in the = garage, the warrant said. They found cotton rope similar to the rope that had = been soaked in gasoline, spread throughout the house, and draped over and = around furniture. They discovered rags similar to those that had been soaked = in gasoline and used to speed the fire along. They found no sign of = forced entry, and the front door was unlocked. An outsider, investigators contended, would have needed considerable time, and would have stumbled around the unfamiliar house in the dark. Firefighters described Ms. Grayson as calm that night and = overhead the couple joking that "now they would get new carpet." At the police station, the warrant said, Ms. Neff called a friend on the phone. = "We're at the police station being grilled for hours," she said. "Neither of us broke, though." The warrant also reported the opinions of outside arson experts = who had been consulted on the case. One said he wasn't aware of any case = where an arsonist broke into an occupied home to destroy it. And, he said, = fires motivated by hate typically involve burning crosses or throwing molotov cocktails. Another expert said he believed the fire was "not a = vengeful, spiteful set, but a fire set for exposure and/or sympathy." Anyone who hadn't bought into the rumors before now had plenty = of reasons to suspect the women. The details released in the warrant have persuaded many people that the women had perpetrated a hoax, although = they won't say that publicly. "I hate to think that they did it," says one student. "It's exactly the opposite of what they should be doing." But the couple, after staying silent for months, has offered = their side of the story. Ms. Neff says someone could have easily gotten in = the house through the door between the garage and the kitchen. And because = the garage is at the other end of the house, the arsonist could have stayed = in the house for a while without attracting notice. Items were moved in = the garage and a bag of fertilizer had been dumped on the floor, as though someone had tried to set it on fire. No one would have been stumbling = since the women kept a light near the kitchen on all night, they say. As for their comments, they were sarcastic jokes made in trying times. And Ms. Grayson, it is clear from several hours of interviews, = is prone to sarcasm. Everyone handles trauma differently, they argue. Is there some right way to act in the hours after your house is gutted by = fire but you realize that what you love most has survived? The couple maintains that just because materials from their = house were used in the fire doesn't make them the perpetrators. Alan Clark, executive director of the International Association of Arson = Investigators, doesn't know about the details of the Missoula arson, but he's aware of cases in which arsonists broke into occupied homes. While they = generally bring their own materials, he says, it's not unheard of for them to use = what is available. Ultimately, any evidence against the women is circumstantial, = and police officials have never offered a very persuasive motive. The fire didn't provide a big payday. The insurance company investigated and = gave them about $200,000, enough to cover the house and its contents. And = the idea that these women, who filed the lawsuit with such hesitation, were looking for more sympathy by burning up their home and prized = possessions seems, at best, a stretch. While more than a few "victims" have = eventually proved to have faked campus hate crimes, the Montana couple scoffs at = that theory. "If we wanted more publicity, we could have found an easier = way to do it," Ms. Grayson says. Trying to Out an Arsonist Ms. Grayson admits that the detectives were just "doing a = thorough job" by investigating the couple. "But that didn't make it any less unpleasant, and after a while it began to feel like persecution," she = says. Others go even further, arguing that the investigation focused on the = women because of an anti-gay bias, and that only that kind of prejudice makes = it seem plausible that these women would behave so irrationally. Some thought investigators went overboard when they questioned = Mr. Olson, the gay-rights advocate, back in August, calling him a "person = of interest." Most of the questioning, Mr. Olson says, was about the = rally he helped organize so quickly. He says police seemed unaware of how fast activists with e-mail accounts could set it up. The detectives' = attitude, tinged with false surprise, was "Gee whiz. Wow. How could that have happened?" Mona Bachman, a founder of the Outfield Alliance, says a = straight couple would have been treated differently. "Heterosexism involves an = idea that gay people are depraved, strange, and immoral," she says. "So = it's not that hard to plant the idea that maybe they're weird enough to set fire = to their home, burn all their possessions, and endanger their son." Bob Weaver, Missoula's police chief, defends his detectives and = how they handled the case. "I don't believe we focus our attention on any suspect, any victim, any witness based on their life choices, ever," he says. And Mr. Van Valkenburg suggests that the investigators were = sensitive to the fact that the women are a lesbian couple. "A straight couple = would have probably faced greater scrutiny and be treated less gingerly by = law enforcement," he says. The couple and their friends say the police department's = apparent single-minded focus on the victims kept them from examining other = leads, including tracing connections to other recent arsons involving activist women in Missoula. In May 2001, Vicki Watson, an environmentalist and professor at Montana, got a call from a neighbor. Her garage had been set on fire, destroying the separate building, along with the car inside. The fire = had been started using a can of gas from the garage. Ms. Watson never = thought her arson was connected to the Grayson fire. "I didn't think of mine = as political in any way," she says. "Nobody ever sent a note or said, = 'Ha-ha, we got you.' I just figured it was a fire bug." Two years ago, someone shoved a rag in the gas tank of Kate = Kahan's Subaru Outback and lit it on fire, scorching the side. Ms. Kahan, = executive director of a local antipoverty group, describes herself as a "very out lesbian" whose car bumper was plastered with rainbow stickers. She suggested that maybe her sexual orientation was a factor, but she says investigators dismissed the fire as a prank. But Mr. Weaver, the police chief, maintains that his officers = "looked into those cases, and we follow leads up even if we don't think they're true." Mr. Van Valkenburg notes that the department assigned two = detectives almost full time for six months to the Grayson fire - something it = doesn't even do for homicides. 'Filled With Reasonable Doubt' Ten months after the fire, the investigation is nearly complete. = And the results satisfy no one. "The police and our office have mutually concluded that there is insufficient evidence to charge anyone with = anything in this case," says Mr. Van Valkenburg. "As time has gone by and more has been learned, there are a lot = of people who really wonder and some who are willing to assume that it = wasn't a hate crime, that it was done by the occupants or sympathizers," he = adds. "But from a prosecutor's perspective, it's a case filled with = reasonable doubt." Ms. Grayson, of course, wishes the police would publicly = exonerate her, rather than leave things muddy and unresolved. "Everyone who = knows us, and everyone who knows the details of the investigation, knows that we didn't do it," she says. "Blaming the victim seems like an easy way = out. People don't have to confront the reality of the amount of hatred that exists." Ms. Grayson took a leave for this year, returning to Ann Arbor = with a one-year position at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender. = In Missoula, friends asked why she and Ms. Neff were leaving. In the rest = of the country, friends asked when they were leaving. Ms. Grayson plans = to return to Montana, but she's wondering what this all means for her = career. Now she's worlds from Montana and the arson, but her mind is = rarely far away. Even when playing with her son in the living room of their = rented Ann Arbor house, there are reminders. "Unfortunately," she reads to = him from The Paper Bag Princess, "a dragon smashed her castle, burned all = her clothes with his fiery breath, and carried off Prince Ronald." Back in Missoula, their old house remains unscathed at first = glance. Firewood is still stacked in the yard, and no burn marks can be seen = from the street. But inside, the walls have been removed, leaving just the studs. Owned by a contractor now, it sits empty, grimly reflecting the hollowness felt by people who thought something like this could never = happen here, a reminder of what you may glimpse after peeling away the = progressive facade of a small college town. #13 The Express-Times, December 7, 2002 30 N. 4th Street, P.O. Box 391, Easton, PA 18044-0391 (Online Mailer: http://penn.nj.com/expresstimes/submit.html ) ( http://penn.nj.com/expresstimes ) http://pennlive.com/news/expresstimes/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-3/10392555= 9322 6490.xml TENTACLES OF NEW LAW PROTECTING GAYS CAN'T REACH [PHELPS] PICKETS AT = LEHIGH UNIVERSITY By Jeff Schogol, The Express-Times A new Pennsylvania law that defines criminal activity against = gays as ethnic intimidation does not apply to Friday's anti-gay rally at Lehigh University, said State Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton. On Tuesday, Gov. Mark S. Schweiker signed into law a bill co-sponsored by Freeman that expands existing hate-crime legislation to include attacks on people because of their sexual orientation. "These kinds of laws are necessary to ensure this kind of = behavior can be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Freeman said. However, the law does not make anti-gay speech illegal, Freeman = said. "Obviously, you can't in any way circumvent freedom of speech," = he said. While Freeman called the Westboro Baptist Church's anti-gay = stance "un-American," he also said the group is still legally allowed to speak = out against gays as long as it does not commit criminal acts against gays. On Thursday, Shirley Phelps-Roper, the Kansas church's attorney, = said Friday's protest would be peaceful and thus legal. She said the church's protests against gays have been peaceful because church members serve God. The government may not abridge the freedom of speech, the = freedom of the press or the right of people to assemble, said Phelps-Roper, who is = also one of the eight daughters of the church's pastor, the controversial = Rev. Fred Phelps. The government can only restrict speech when people's lives and physical safety are in danger, Phelps-Roper said. She also said the = church group had no intentions to take action against gay people. She added = she does not know if people can or want to do what the church preaches. "They need to humble themselves before the Lord their God," she = said. "They need to repent. They need to break off this onslaught of filth." A church news release about the protest reads: "God Hates Fags! = & Fag-Enablers! Ergo, God hates Lehigh U. Pink Swastika Fag Tyranny, = Pres. Farrington, his administration, staff, faculty and student body!" Phelps-Roper said church members have a right to preach against = gays, even if some people do not want them to. "We're not going to stop saying it because this is, after all, America," she said. Under the First Amendment, you can say you hate anyone, said = Jamin Raskin, a professor at the American University Washington College of = Law. "It is very unusual that hate speech loses the protection of the First Amendment," said Raskin, who teaches constitutional and First Amendment law. However, Raskin said the court has given two paradigms of speech = that are not protected: a mob scene and someone graphically insulting = someone else's mother in a bar. "Short of that, you can vent your emotions as fiercely as you = want." In the precedent-setting case Brandenburg vs. Ohio, the U.S. = Supreme Court ruled that the Klu Klux Klan had the right to stand in a field = and threaten to exact "revengeance" on blacks and Jews, Raskin said. However, the First Amendment would not protect the ringleader of = a mob who urged the mob to burn a building down, Raskin said. "The Supreme Court said that aggressive and hostile speech is protected unless it incites imminent lawless action," Raskin said. Under the Brandenburg case, the church has the right to denounce = gays at a group meeting, Raskin said. However, the court has ruled that individuals who indulge in tirades against other individuals are not protected, Raskin said. "What's critical is the context of a one-on-one verbal assault, = not speaking to a group," Raskin said. The court has ruled that a member of the church group does not = have the right to go up to a person and get into a screaming match with him = or her, Raskin said. Raskin said free speech is critical to democracy. He also said = the majority opinion should never dictate what is acceptable or = unacceptable speech. "The kind of homophobia they (the church group) want to bring to Pennsylvania is unpopular today, but 50 years ago it would have been unpopular for gays and lesbians to speak about the importance of coming = out of the closet," Raskin said. He said he was also confident in the historic tolerance of the = people of Pennsylvania. Benjamin Franklin left Massachusetts because he found = the state's puritan orthodoxy suffocating, Raskin pointed out. "He found Pennsylvania in contrast to be a welcoming and open culture," Raskin said. #14 The Express-Times, December 8, 2002 30 N. 4th Street, P.O. Box 391, Easton, PA 18044-0391 (Online Mailer: http://penn.nj.com/expresstimes/submit.html ) ( http://penn.nj.com/expresstimes ) http://www.pennlive.com/news/expresstimes/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1039= 3419 50248890.xml ANTI-GAY PROTESTERS FACE BACKLASH AT LEHIGH By Nick Falsone, The Express-Times BETHLEHEM - Picketers from an anti-homosexual church exchanged = some harsh words with counterprotesters Saturday night, but both sides = steered clear of any violence. About 10 members from the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church = held signs bearing phrases such as "God Hates Fags" and "No Special Law for = Fags" and altered lyrics of songs such as "God Bless America" to suit their message during the demonstration. It started about 6:30 p.m. at Packer Avenue and University Drive = in the heart of Lehigh University's campus. The intersection was the = sight [sic] of the third demonstration of the day for the church members. = They also set up earlier demonstrations at two city churches. The church launched the campaign Friday at Cedar Crest College = in Allentown. It will conclude the campaign today by picketing several = other Bethlehem churches, Westboro Baptist spokeswoman Margie Phelps said. Saturday night's demonstration appeared to have been met with = more opposition than the previous ones. While only about a dozen counterprotesters stood in view of the demonstration, a group of close = to 50 others, mostly Lehigh students, set up a couple hundred yards down the = road. "We're not following them around," Lehigh senior Meghan Punschke said. "We didn't want to throw hate back at them." Many of those in the larger group held candles and sang songs = such as "Amazing Grace." Afterward, they walked to Lehigh's Packer Memorial = Church for a rally. Several got in front of the crowd and spoke during the = rally. Among them was Liz Bradbury, the Lehigh Valley coordinator of = the Pennsylvania Gay and Lesbian Alliance. Bradbury made a plea to the = audience to support the adoption of an anti-discrimination act in the state of = Pennsy lvania. New Jersey and several other states already have such an act = in place, she said. Bradbury also criticized the city of Bethlehem for having no = policy to deal with hate mail. "Right here in the Lehigh Valley, people have received virulent anonymous hate mail, all of it morally wrong, some of = it illegal," she said. Others taking the podium during the rally stressed the = acceptance of all people. It's a rationale that the Westboro Baptist Church strongly opposed during its demonstration. Phelps said one of the reasons why her church decided to = demonstrate at Lehigh University is because of the university's support of = homosexuals. The support was apparent after the university "went crazy = protesting" a comment made by the Rev. Marshall Griffin of St. Paul's Baptist = Church in Bethlehem, Phelps said. Griffin suggested during a service that = homosexual unions could have led to the Sept. 11 attacks. Phelps said another reason for the demonstration is the current = state of college campuses across the country. "It's a hotbed of filth at = these campuses," she said. On Saturday night, there were few that agreed. Many of the counterprotesters said the church's message was ignorant. "A lot of stuff they say comes out of context," said Moravian = College student Rena Drezner, who was among the small group of = counterprotesters standing in clear view of the church members. "God loves everybody," = she said. The signs held by Drezner and the other counterprotesters = included phrases such as "Love Knows No Gender" and "Go Home Biggots [sic]." = One counterprotester held up a sign with a sexual innuendo about Jesus = Christ. It said, "Jesus Rode an Ass." Others who weren't even involved in the counterprotest made spontaneous remarks at the church members while they passed by in cars. Several drivers honked their horns and stuck out their middle fingers = at the church members. The counterprotesters cheered loudly when a firetruck pulled in = front of the church members, blocking their demonstration momentarily. The firetruck had responded to a false alarm on campus. It left in a = matter of minutes. Bethlehem police Capt. Walt Diefenderfer said everyone involved = in the demonstration remained peaceful. He said several officers were on = hand just in case. "We're here to keep the peace for everybody," Diefenderfer said. = "We don't want them (the church members) to get hurt. We don't want anyone = to get hurt." Punschke, who was one of the organizers for the counterprotest, = said she was very pleased with the turnout. "It was about coming together = as a group," she said. "We accomplished so much." Phelps said the turnout for the counterprotest was not = impressive at all. She said homosexuals are supposed to make up 10 percent of the population of the city of Bethlehem. Doing the math, it was clear that = the majority of them didn't bother showing up, she said. . Reporter Nick Falsone can be reached at 610-867-5000 or by = e-mail at nfalsone@express-times.com. #15 Associated Press, December 8, 2002 http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=3D1&display=3Drednews/2002/1= 2/08/bui ld/local/88-arson.inc LESBIAN ARSON CASE INACTIVE IN MISSOULA MISSOULA (AP) - An investigation into an arson fire that = destroyed the residence of a lesbian couple early this year is essentially over, = a Missoula police detective said. "The case is officially inactive from our perspective," said = Capt. Steve Ross, captain of detectives for the Missoula City Police. Ross said if new information surfaces the case could be = reopened, but he referred questions about the details of the investigation to = Missoula County Attorney Fred Van Valkenburg. In the months after the fire, which police initially = characterized as attempted murder, focus shifted toward the couple, Carla Grayson and Adrianne Neff. A search warrant application detailed speculation about = why one or both of the women might have torched their own home and how they could have done it using rope and rags from their home soaked in = gasoline from their garage. They were never officially named as suspects. In an earlier interview with the Missoulian, Neff denied that = she or Grayson would ever have set the fire. The couple and their child moved to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a year = and could not be reached for comment. Their attorney, John Smith, refused = to comment. The fire was set early Feb. 8, just days after Neff, Grayson and another couple, Carol Snetsinger and Nancy Siegel, joined a lawsuit = against the state. In the suit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana, the women say gay and lesbian couples should have the same = benefits as straight couples who work for the Montana University System. = Grayson and Snetsinger are both university employees. After filing the suit, both couples also received hoax anthrax letters, and then there was the fire. The FBI has been analyzing DNA = and handwriting on the letters, but Van Valkenburg said he hasn't yet = received the results of those tests. "Until we get that information from the FBI, it's still really = an open investigation," Van Valkenburg said. "If there's nothing there, = then I don't think that there's going to be any charges. There's not enough evidence now to charge anybody with this fire." Missoula City Fire Marshal Bob Rajala said it's frustrating when somebody's house gets destroyed and "you either don't know or can't = prove who did it." A District Court judge recently dismisssed the suit filed by the couples, but an appeal to the Montana Supreme Court is expected. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C2A51C.D1D43D50 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Higher Ed LGBT Articles Digest #104
Higher Education LGBT Articles Digest #104, = for the=20 week ending 12-08-02

1. FREDERICKSBURG FREE LANCE-STAR Unsigned = opinion=20 column paints professor as a martyr because of her "politically = incorrect"=20 beliefs as a member of the anti-gay Concerned Women of America
2. = LINCOLN=20 (NE) JOURNAL STAR University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey = Perlman says=20 UNL will have to extend benefits to the domestic partners of faculty = and staff=20 sooner or later
3. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE Job Posting for = Staff=20 Psychologist
4. COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE Few University of Colorado = employees=20 ask for same-sex benefits
5. HARVARD CRIMSON Queer Studies Gets Okay = for=20 Brochure
6. IOWA STATE DAILY Panel discusses homophobia, = vandalism
7.=20 CORNELL DAILY SUN Renewed concern is arising around the Cornell Weill = Medical=20 College-Qatar because of the country's recent record on lesbian and gay = rights
8. THE NEWS-LEADER (Springfield, MO) Southwest Missouri State = president says no to 'sexual orientation' in discrimination policy; = Only one=20 teacher speaks up to challenge him
9. WASHINGTON TIMES Letter writer = is=20 appalled that Harvard apologized for persecuting gays in the = 1920s
10.=20 PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Police outnumber protesters at antigay (Phelps) = march in=20 Allentown
11. ALLENTOWN (PA) MORNING CALL Anti-gay protest at Cedar = Crest=20 College kept peaceful; more planned in Valley; Students counter with = signs,=20 songs of tolerance
12. CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION Firestorm In = Missoula: A=20 lesbian professor sues a university system and her house is torched = [the=20 Chronicle finally does an in depth article on University of Montana = psychology=20 professor, Carla E. Grayson, and her family]
13. THE EXPRESS-TIMES=20 (Pennsylvania) Tentacles of new law protecting gays against hate crimes = can't=20 reach Phelps pickets
14. THE EXPRESS-TIMES (Pennsylvania) Phelps = family faces=20 backlash at Lehigh
15. ASSOCIATED PRESS Montana: Lesbian arson case = inactive=20 in Missoula [more on #12 above]

#1
Fredericksburg Free = Lance-Star,=20 December 1, 2002
P. O. Box 617, Fredericksburg, VA, 22401
(Fax:=20 703-373-8450 ) (E-Mail: letters@freelancestar.com=20 )
(http://www.freelancestar.com=20 )
http://www.freelancestar.com/News/FLS/2002/122002/1= 2012002/802436

THOUGHT=20 GANTLET [at Mary Washington College]
[no author=20 listed]
       Rita Thompson, the new = assistant=20 dean of admissions at Mary
Washington College, is obviously = qualified for her=20 job.  She held an
equivalent position at Georgetown University = Law=20 Center for seven years,
sits on the Fairfax County School Board, has = spoken=20 out against
discrimination before the U.S. Civil Rights Commission=20 (she's
African-American), and served on the White House Advisory = Committee=20 on
Education.
       That powerful = resum=E9 -=20 plus the fact that as a former member of MWC's
board of visitors, = she's a=20 known quantity - makes it no surprise that she
emerged on top from = among 52=20 other applicants after a rigorous screening
process.  So why = was Ms.=20 Thompson welcomed to campus last month by a spate
of widely = circulated=20 e-mails impugning her fitness for the job?  Because she
doesn't = think=20 correctly - so charge a handful of influential=20 tenured
professors.
       Steven = Watkins, a=20 professor of English, linguistics and speech, got
the ball rolling = by=20 sounding an e-mail alert about "the anti-gay,
anti-abortion = organization for=20 which the college's new assistant dean of
admissions served as = 'national=20 spokesman.'"  Ms. Thompson is guilty (by
association) as = charged. =20 For a few years, she worked for Concerned Women
for America.  = Rooted in=20 conservative Christianity, CWA opposes abortion on
demand, gay = marriage and=20 adoption, pornography, and affirmative=20 action.
       While such views might = be=20 considered marginal or even "hateful" by a
learned professorate, = they are=20 shared by millions of clear-thinking and
decent Americans.  For = example,=20 only Vermont and Hawaii have legally
recognized gay marriage.  = (Q: What=20 do you call 48 state legislatures?  A:
Hate groups.)  Few = -=20 certainly few feminists - would argue that pornography
is a healthy pursuit, several federal courts = have put=20 affirmative action
under the microscope, and the abortion issue = splits=20 America roughly down = the
middle.
      =20 Nonetheless, Mr. Watkins, with cyberized amicus briefs by = colleagues
Stephen=20 Farnsworth and Christopher Kilmartin, characterized the views of = CWA
as=20 "anti-American" and "repugnant."  While in fact Ms. Thompson took=20 issue
with some CWA positions - notably its opposition to female = clergy, of=20 whom
she is one - it's safe to say that she cleaves to orthodox = Christian=20 beliefs
that define some human behaviors as sinful.  But this = in no way=20 indicts her
professionalism - i.e., her ability to separate personal = convictions from
rule-governed on-the-job decisions.  Mormons = deem=20 tobacco and alcohol
iniquitous, but dedicated Mormon doctors do = their best to=20 treat patients
with lung cancer and=20 cirrhosis.
       Even so, Mr. = Farnsworth,=20 professor of political science and
international affairs, wrote, "I = feel that=20 her views conflict with the
publicized statements of the college and = send a=20 message of intolerance to
gay students."  This claim is falsely = premised=20 - when did Ms. Thompson or
CWA ever say that they won't "tolerate" = gays? -=20 and its implication is
stunning:  that any Christian who holds = the view=20 dominant in every era of
Christendom (including ours) that = homosexual=20 behavior is a sin, should be
denied a position of authority at a = state=20 college.  Americans should be able
to honorably disagree about = gay=20 issues without ending up on=20 someone's
blacklist.
       In = fact, any=20 suspicions that now attach to Ms. Thompson - a woman
surely = heretofore=20 unknown to MWC applicants - stem mostly from the three
profs' = precipitous=20 e-mail campaign, which may also have raised suspicions
about their = own=20 hospitality toward, say, devout Southern Baptist or Roman
Catholic=20 students.  Messrs. Watkins, Farnsworth, and Kilmartin - = fine
teachers=20 all - would rightly recoil at such an aspersion.  So does=20 Ms.
Thompson.
       "I've not for = a moment=20 let the comments of a few people affect the
way I feel about the = college,"=20 she says with magnanimity.  "I agree that no
one under any = circumstances=20 should be discriminated against because of their
beliefs, color, or=20 lifestyle."  That's good enough for us, and for the
president = of MWC,=20 who hired Ms. Thompson.  It should be good enough for = the
protesting=20 faculty, too.  After all, there's a word for the habit = of
reflexively=20 condemning individuals based on their group=20 affiliation:
prejudice.

#2
Lincoln Journal Star, December = 4,=20 2002
P. O. Box 81609, Lincoln, NE, 68501
(Fax: 402-473-7291 ) = (E-Mail:=20 oped@nebweb.com )
(http://www.journalstar.com=20 )
http://www.journalstar.com/local.php?story_id=3D3852

CHANCELLOR: MARKETPLACE LIKELY TO FORCE = DOMESTIC=20 PARTNER BENEFITS
By Martha Stoddard, Lincoln Journal=20 Star
       The University of Nebraska = will=20 have to extend benefits to the
domestic partners of faculty and = staff sooner=20 or later, University of
Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman = predicted=20 Tuesday.
       "The question is when = - and how=20 we get there," he told members of the
UNL Academic=20 Senate.
       Perlman addressed the = issue of=20 domestic partner benefits in response
to a question from [Articles = reader]=20 George Wolf, an associate English
professor, during a senate=20 meeting.
       Wolf said later that = he also=20 planned to raise the issue at the Dec.
14 meeting of the University = of=20 Nebraska Board of Regents.
       He = noted that=20 the board had asked for a study of domestic partner
benefits in = spring=20 2001.  The study was completed that=20 December.
       But in April, = President L.=20 Dennis Smith sent letters to Wolf and
others saying the board would = not be=20 taking action on the issue.  The
letters noted that most of the = university's peer schools did not offer=20 such
benefits.
       That's no = longer true,=20 Wolf said.
       Six of the 10 = universities=20 UNL officials use when making comparisons
now offer domestic partner = benefits, he said.  Three have been added to the
list since = April. =20 Only Colorado State, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois do not
provide=20 benefits.
       "If we do not do = anything,=20 within a short period of time we are going
to be alone in not offering domestic partner = benefits,"=20 Wolf said.
       Perlman also said = the=20 university would be at a disadvantage in
seeking faculty and staff = if it did=20 not offer domestic partner benefits.
Those jobs are filled in a = national=20 marketplace.
       "If you look = across the=20 landscape, we will become increasingly
noncompetitive if we don't = have them,"=20 he said.
       In addition, the = chancellor=20 said, domestic partner benefits make
sense for the same reason the = university=20 offers benefits to the spouses and
children of employees:  Such = benefits=20 add to productivity by relieving
employees of concerns for their=20 family.
       "It seems to me that = domestic=20 partner benefits are of that order. ...
It is as important for gay = and=20 lesbian colleagues to have that comfort,"=20 he
said.
       Wolf said that = domestic=20 partner benefits could be added at little
cost to the = university.  The=20 numbers of people taking advantage of such
benefits typically are=20 low.
       . Reach Martha Stoddard at = 473-7245=20 or mstoddard@journalstar.com.


#3
UNIVERSITY OF = CALIFORNIA, IRVINE=20 Job Posting for Staff Psychologist

This is a great position for = someone=20 who wants to work at a LGBT- affirmative Counseling Center. I have = worked here=20 for many years and have been able to develop many programs and services = to the=20 LGBT community. I really look forward to having a colleague to = collaborate with!=20 The Irvine area has terrific weather and is close to the ocean and = within two=20 hours of the mountains and deserts.  UCI provides domestic = partnership=20 benefits for health care and retirement. There is a campus LGBT = Resource=20 (www.lgbtrc.uci.edu) that is very active and co-sponsors a LGBT peer = counseling=20 program.  This is a new position that was advertised last year but = we=20 didn't fill it. Please pass the information along to any listserv, = colleague,=20 student, or friend  that you think might be interested. We are = really=20 hoping for a candidate who has had experience working with gay and = bisexual men=20 and who may be able to serve as a role model for the gay and bisexual = men at=20 UCI. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. The job=20 description is listed below and as an = attachment.

Thanks,
Chris=20 Browning

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA  IRVINE COUNSELING=20 CENTER
(www.counseling.uci.edu):  invites applications for a = staff=20 Psychologist
position This is a 10-month, full-time, career = appointment.=20 Responsibilities
include: Provision of comprehensive services to a = diverse,=20 multicultural
student population in the form of individual couple, = and group=20 psychotherapy,
teaching, workshop delivery, outreach, consultation,=20 supervision, and
crisis response. Requirements include: Ph.D. or = Psy.D. in=20 Counseling
or Clinical Psychology  and licensed or = license-eligible in=20 the State of
California. Experience working with a diverse college = student=20 population
preferred and with the lesbian, gay, and bisexual = population=20 required.
Clinical and outreach experience and knowledge working = with gay=20 and
bisexual men essential. Salary is $4175/per month with excellent = benefits.
Starting date: September 1, 2003. Application Deadline: = February=20 28, 2003.
Send cover letter, vita, and three letters of = recommendation to:=20 Noah Apodaca,
UC Irvine, Human Resources, Irvine, CA 92697-4600 or = email to:=20 napodaca@uci.edu.

Christine Browning, Ph.D.
University of=20 California
Counseling Center
202, Student Services 1
Irvine, = CA=20 92697
Campus # (949) 824-6457
Fax # 949-=20 824-6586
cmbrowni@uci.edu


#4
Colorado Springs Gazette, = December=20 5, 2002
P. O. Box 1779, Colorado Springs, CO, 80901
(Fax: = 719-636-0202 )=20 (E-Mail: gtop@gazette.com )
( http://www.gazette.com/=20 )
http://www.gazette.com/display.php?id=3D114126
<= BR>FEW=20 ASK FOR SAME-SEX BENEFITS [AT UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO]
By Barry = Noreen, The=20 Gazette
       Only 42 University of = Colorado=20 workers applied for health insurance
benefits for their same-sex = domestic=20 partners during an enrollment period
that ended Nov. 18, CU = officials said=20 Wednesday.
       Because the = four-campus CU=20 system has 8,338 full-time employees, the
number of enrollees = amounts to less=20 than one-half of 1 percent of those
eligible, said CU spokesman Bob Nero.  = Approved by=20 the CU Board of Regents
in June, the same-sex domestic partner = program=20 required all enrollees to
sign documents called certificates of = partnership,=20 even though heterosexual
enrollees have never had to provide similar = documentation.
       Three of those = who=20 applied for the benefits work at the University of
Colorado at = Colorado=20 Springs, which has 504 full-time workers.  At the
Boulder = campus, 21=20 enrolled for benefits; at the Denver campus there were
two and there = were 16=20 enrollees at CU's Health Sciences=20 Center.
       Nero said the precise = cost of=20 benefits for same-sex domestic partners
isn't available because = various=20 health plans offered to CU employees have
different price=20 tags.
       "It depends on the plan = and the=20 plans really vary," Nero said.  "It's
safe to say, based upon = the number=20 of people who signed up, that this is
cost-neutral from our point of = view."
       For instance, if each = domestic=20 partner added $300 a month to CU's
cost, the CU system would spend = about=20 $150,000 for the coverage in = 2003.
      =20 Providing health insurance for same-sex domestic partners has been = an
issue=20 in Colorado Springs, where the City Council recently voted 5-4 = to
include the=20 benefits in the 2003 budget.  Including employees in = utilities
and at=20 Memorial Hospital, the city has about 8,000 workers.  Although = the
city=20 and CU have roughly the same number of full-time workers, = city
officials have=20 no precise way of predicting how many will apply for = same-sex
domestic=20 partner benefits.
       City Manager = Lorne=20 Kramer, who has said providing the benefits is
"the right thing to = do,"=20 estimated that it would cost about $58,000 for the
3,100 general = fund=20 employees.  Utilities officials have estimated their cost
at = about=20 $69,000.
       Asked if requiring CU = employees=20 to fill out the certificates of
partnership had a chilling effect on = enrollment, Nero said, "I think that's
a=20 possibility."
       Some religious = groups,=20 including Focus on the Family, oppose
extending health insurance = coverage to=20 gays.  But for a growing number of
companies, especially those = in the=20 tech sector, the coverage is = common.
      =20 Hewlett-Packard, Agilent Technologies, Wells Fargo, Checks = Unlimited,
Intel,=20 Electronic Data Systems and Oracle Corporation are all firms = with
Colorado=20 Springs operations that provide same-sex domestic partner=20 benefits.


#5
Harvard Crimson, December 5, 2002
14 = Plympton=20 Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
(E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com )
(=20 http://www.thecrimson.com=20 )
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=3D255656=

QUEER=20 STUDIES GETS OKAY FOR BROCHURE [AT HARVARD]
By Sarah M. Seltzer, = Crimson=20 Staff Writer
       Students and = faculty=20 lobbying for a standing committee on queer
studies recently received = University approval to advertise courses relevant
to the discipline = in a=20 brochure starting next fall.
       = Twenty=20 students met yesterday afternoon with Lecturer in Literature
Heather = K. Love=20 '91 and Professor of Romance Languages and Literature
Bradley S. = Epps to plan=20 the format of the brochure and continue their push
for an official = committee=20 - dubbed "gender and sexuality" - in charge of
coordinating = undergraduate=20 education in queer studies.
       At = the=20 meeting, Love said the group had received "tentative
encouragement" = from the=20 administration for a standing = committee.
      =20 Epps, Love and the students at the meeting said that even with = a
brochure=20 compiling relevant course offerings, a standing committee = remains
necessary=20 to keep queer studies in the = curriculum.
      =20 "Institutional structures like committees guarantee that = classes
happen and=20 that people know about them," Love = said.
      =20 Current standing committees, permanent groups which do not = grant
degrees,=20 include medieval studies and mind, brain and=20 behavior.
       This fall, Epps, Love = and 16=20 other faculty members proposed the
brochure - similar to ones = offered in=20 cultural studies and film studies - to
Dean of the Faculty William = C. Kirby=20 and Associate Dean of Undergraduate
Education Jeffrey=20 Wolcowitz.
       The deans approved = the=20 brochure and agreed to provide funding for the
2003-04 school year, Epps=20 said.
       But the formation of a = standing=20 committee is a more complicated
prospect, Epps said, which would = have to go=20 to a vote before the Faculty
Council followed by a full Faculty=20 vote.
       Epps and Love said = yesterday they=20 hope the brochure will pave the way
for an eventual standing=20 committee.
       "We want to consider = how the=20 brochure might fold into the committee
idea, and how the committee = might fold=20 into the curriculum and life of the
University," Epps=20 said.
       Students at the meeting, = including=20 several officers of the Bisexual,
Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered and = Supporters=20 Alliance, BOND and GirlSpot,
proposed ways to make the brochure more = comprehensive than a simple list=20 of
courses.
       They suggested = an=20 introduction explaining the nature of queer
studies, full-paragraph = course=20 descriptions and a list of relevant past
theses and=20 advisors.
       Students said the = brochure, as=20 well as being a helpful resource, will
highlight the deficiencies = that=20 currently exist in queer studies - what they
describe as the = disconnected=20 nature of the current offerings, which span
several=20 departments.
       Epps said he hopes = so-called "signifiers" - or words such as "gay,
"lesbian" and = "queer," which=20 were omitted from the title of the proposed
committee - can appear = in the=20 brochure and thereby become a more regular
part of the University's = academic=20 discussions.
       The group plans to = reconvene next semester to edit the brochure and
plan future = lobbying=20 efforts.
       . -Staff writer Sarah = M.=20 Seltzer can be reached = at
sseltzer@fas.harvard.edu.


#6
Iowa=20 State Daily, December 5, 2002
108 Hamilton Hall, Ames, Ia., = 50011
(E-Mail:=20 letters@iowastatedily.com ) ( http://www.iowastatedaily.com=20 )
http://www.iowastatedaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2= 002/12/05/3deee3e5441d6

PANEL=20 DISCUSSES HOMOPHOBIA, VANDALISM [AT IOWA STATE]
By Natalie Spray, = Daily Staff=20 Writer
       Students interested in = the=20 meaning of homophobia and its existence on
campus gathered Wednesday = evening=20 for a panel discussion.
       A group = of about=20 25 gathered in 128 Carver Hall for a discussion that
was organized = by Women's=20 Studies 201 students Nichole Feuerstein, Amy
Malfitano, Blair = Polhamus and=20 Laura Rusk.
       Polhamus, freshman = in=20 women's studies, said she has been shocked by
the level of = homophobia on=20 campus, which spurred her to suggest it as the
topic for the = evening's=20 discussion.
       "The main goal is = to educate=20 myself and others," said Feuerstein,
sophomore in women's=20 studies.
       Thomas Hill, vice = president for=20 student affairs, said students should
take advantage of educational=20 opportunities available on = campus.
      =20 "[Becoming educated about different views] doesn't mean changing = your
beliefs=20 - it means being open to others' beliefs," he said.  "It's okay = to
view=20 the world differently."
       = "Homophobia is a=20 deadly business," said Jerry Mayes, spokesman for
the Lesbian, Gay, = Bisexual=20 and Transgender Community Center in Des Moines.
"Thirty to 40 = percent of=20 teenage suicides are the result of=20 homophobia."
       Lesbian, gay, = bisexual and=20 transgender activists shouldn't have to
pay a price for expressing = their=20 views, he said.
       Jeff Sorensen, = a=20 university staff member at an office that was
vandalized with hate = speech in=20 November, said he has experienced a
supportive work environment = despite hate=20 crimes committed against him=20 on
campus.
       "The response of = the=20 community has been wonderful," he said.  "I have
received 150 = [positive]=20 e-mails from around the = country."
       "I=20 believe there is a lot of support for people to be free to be = who
they are,"=20 Hill said.


#7
Cornell Daily Sun, December 4, 2002
S = Cayuga St.,=20 Ithaca, NY, 14850
(E-Mail: Cornell.Daily.Sun@cornell.edu=20 )
http://cornelldailysun.com/articles/7169/

QATAR'S=20 GAY RIGHTS POLICY UNDER SCRUTINY [BY CORNELL]
By Freda=20 Ready
       Renewed concern is = arising around=20 the Cornell Weill Medical
College-Qatar because of the country's = recent=20 record on lesbian and = gay
rights.
      =20 According to the International Lesbian and Gay Association's = (ILGA)
world=20 legal survey, "Article 201 of the Qatari Penal Code punishes = sodomy
between consenting adults (irrespective of = sex) with up=20 to five years = of
imprisonment."
      =20 Qatar's sodomy laws hardly make it unique, especially in the=20 Arab
world.  According to Amnesty International, 83 countries = explicitly=20 condemn
homosexuality in their criminal codes.  26 of those 83 = countries=20 are Muslim.
Most convictions in those 26 countries happen in the = Sharia=20 courts, which
use the Koran, Sunna and Ijma as sources for=20 law.
       In the Sharia courts, "Law = is not a=20 product of human intelligence and
adaptation to changing social = needs, but of=20 divine inspiration, which makes
it immutable," according to H.A.R. = Gibb in=20 Mohammedanism, An = Historical
Survey.
      =20 What makes Qatar's laws unique, however, is how they are put=20 into
practice.  In most countries, foreigners, especially = Westerners,=20 are often
immune to punitive action based on sexuality.  In = 1995, while=20 the country's
government was still under Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad = Al-Thani,=20 the father of
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, with whom Cornell = has been=20 largely
negotiating, an American citizen in Qatar was sentenced to = receive 90=20 lashes
during a 6-month prison term for "homosexual activity," = according to=20 the
U.S. Department of State's report on human rights practices for=20 1996.  In
October of 1997, 36 gay Filipino workers were = deported,=20 according to the
Manila daily newspaper,=20 Today.
       Provost Biddy (Carolyn = A.)=20 Martin, however, remains confident that
the University will be able = to=20 protect those students, faculty members and
staff of the medical = school who=20 may be affected by Qatar's sodomy = laws.
      =20 "The Qatari government has agreed to abide by Cornell = University's
standards=20 for admissions and the status of students.  The criteria = for
Cornell=20 University medical students are all academic," she=20 said.
       But, one student worried = that it=20 is the gesture itself that=20 is
important.
       "I think it's=20 outrageous that Cornell would consider opening a school
in a place = where its=20 students could be arrested for what they do in the
privacy of their = own=20 bedrooms," said Jake Lazarus = '05.
       Qatar=20 currently has no medical schools of its own, a fact that = has
consistently=20 been given as one of the important reasons for opening this
branch = of the=20 medical school.  But such arguments are of little comfort=20 to
Lazarus.
       "If they want = access to=20 our education, they can get a student visa
and come to Ithaca.  = Cornell=20 shouldn't disregard its commitment to
inclusiveness and diversity = just=20 because they want to make a few quick
tuition bucks off rich Arab = oilmen=20 sending their sons to med school,"=20 he
said.
       Martin agreed that = the=20 Qatari laws in relation to Cornell's
commitment to diversity was an = important=20 issue.
       "It's certainly worth my = mentioning it directly to the Board of
Trustees," she=20 said.
       Martin also pointed out, = however,=20 that there are "a lot of provisions
in the agreement [between = Cornell and the=20 Qatar Foundation] for protection
of people in any emergency=20 situation."


#8
The News-Leader, December 6, 2002
651 = Boonville,=20 Springfield, MO, 65801
(Fax: 417-837-1381 ) (=20 http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com )
(Online Mailer:=20 http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/opinions/index.html=20 )
http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/news/sms12060= 2.html

SOUTHWEST=20 MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY'S CHIEF SAYS NO TO 'SEXUAL ORIENTATION'=20 [ANTI-DISCRIMINATION POLICY]
Resistance minimal; only one teacher = challenges=20 Keiser face to face.
By Steve Koehler,=20 News-Leader
       Holly Baggett was = red-faced=20 and feeling lonely Thursday when she left
Southwest Missouri State=20 University's Faculty Senate = meeting.
       The=20 anticipated showdown between SMS President John Keiser and
faculty = members=20 over inclusion of the words "sexual orientation" in the
school's=20 nondiscrimination policy failed to=20 materialize.
       Of 70 members in = the=20 audience in Plaster Student Union, only Baggett
challenged Keiser to = his face=20 about his refusal to include the words in the
policy recommended by = the=20 university's Equal Opportunity Advisory=20 Committee.
       "It's really = sad. =20 People seem afraid to say what's on their mind,"
she = said.
       The=20 atmosphere was more spirited outside Carrington Hall where about
15 = students=20 with the Sexual Orientation Action Project - SOAP - = protested
Keiser's=20 stance.
       The protesters were = cold,=20 walking in a circle to get the attention of
passersby and keep=20 warm.
       They held their signs = high, hoping=20 to sway just one person.
       Signs = read,=20 "What's to fear?" "Or we could just change the policy"
and "Funny = ... I don't=20 feel protected."
       Keiser = maintains that=20 the word "all" in the policy he supports
includes homosexuals = without=20 specifically mentioning them.  He will not
recommend including = "sexual=20 orientation" when the issue comes before the
Board of Governors next = week.
       After Keiser's = appearance, the=20 Faculty Senate Thursday voted nearly
unanimously to recommend the = policy=20 include the words "sexual orientation."
A smattering of about two or = three=20 nays were registered in the voice = vote.
      =20 Keiser told faculty members: "I haven't hidden my position = from
anyone. =20 It's not a homophobic = position."
      =20 Baggett, an associate history professor, accused Keiser of saying = one
thing=20 and doing another.
       She contends = the=20 president's view on the issue is different from the
university's = faculty and=20 staff senates, the Student Government Association
and dozens of = academic=20 departments.
       "You say you = support=20 self-governance but your actions don't
underscore that at all," = Baggett=20 said.
       The comments triggered a = pointed=20 response from Keiser directed=20 at
Baggett.
       "You've said all = of that=20 before," Keiser said.  "I've protected more
students than you = ever=20 will."
       "(Your position) is = embarrassing=20 and shameful," Baggett shot = back.
       In a=20 low voice, Keiser mumbled: "You need a=20 group."
       "What?" Baggett=20 asked.
       "Never mind," Keiser = told her and=20 turned away.  "(My policy) is=20 more
inclusive."
       Tom = Plymate, who=20 chaired the subcommittee that wrote the sentence
that included the = words=20 "sexual orientation," explained to Keiser he added
the words so the = policy=20 would be "as inclusive as possible, to=20 embrace."
       Keiser said he knew = it was a=20 carefully drafted sentence, but "I have
a strong problem with = including=20 groups."
       Keiser left the room = to=20 applause from most audience = members.
       The=20 president walked past the protesting students on his way from=20 the
meeting.  He accepted one of the small purple fliers = students were=20 handing
out at the SOAP event.  Some students=20 bristled.
       "He's showing his = true=20 colors," said Chuck Lauer, 21, a psychology
major, who also = protested last=20 year when the issue came to a Board of
Governors'=20 vote.
       SOAP was established = after last=20 month's town hall meeting.  Unlike
the social group BiGALA = (Bisexual,=20 Gay and Lesbian Alliance), SOAP is an
action-based student effort to = change=20 the current non-discrimination = policy.
      =20 The project's president, Rima Freeman, 26, a senior, said she = hoped
the=20 protest would generate awareness of the=20 controversy.
       "There are many = students on=20 campus that don't realize it's an issue,"
she said, adding that she = hoped the=20 protest would "get Keiser's = attention."
      =20 Juli Warner, 29, a junior, hoped the event puts pressure on the = Board
of=20 Governors to add sexual orientation to the policy.  She said she = has=20 been
harassed by students on campus, but hasn't had problems with=20 faculty.
       "It's not his = decision, it's=20 the Board of Governors'," she said as
she carried a sign that read,=20 "Protecting everyone hurts no = one."
      =20 "Will it make them do what we want them to do?  No.  But = maybe=20 it
will put pressure on = them."
       Once=20 Keiser left the faculty meeting, audience members continued=20 the
discussion.
       "Why is he = so=20 pigheaded on this issue?" asked a woman who did not
identify=20 herself.
       "Why didn't you ask = him that=20 when he was here?" responded Faculty
Senate President Lois=20 Shufeldt.
       Plymate also had more = to say=20 after Keiser was gone.
       "His = objections=20 don't make any sense.  He's worried about an infinite
list of = groups=20 (being added)," he said.  "I'm frustrated I didn't have = the
guts to raise that=20 here."
       . News-Leader Reporter = Angela=20 Wilson contributed to this story.


#9
Washington Times, = December 3,=20 2002
3600 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC, 20002
(Fax: = 202-269-3419 )=20 (E-Mail:  letter@twtmail.com )
( http://www.washtimes.com/=20 )

LETTER:  HARVARD'S UNNECESSARY=20 APOLOGY
       It's hard to believe, = but=20 Harvard University - and society at large -
once had integrity = enough to be=20 shocked by open homosexual behavior
("Harvard apologizes for its = purge of=20 gays," Nation, Sunday).  How=20 quaint.
       About 80 years ago, a = small=20 group of gay students were asked to leave
the hallowed Harvard Yard = after=20 late-night sessions of "The Court" were
discovered.  The school = was=20 shocked that its staid and proper environs were
being sullied by = young men=20 eagerly undressing before each other outside of
the locker=20 room.
       Apparently, there was a = time when=20 moral understanding at the
university level was not as cloudy as it = is today,=20 and such "lifestyles"
were called what they were:  aberrant and = unacceptable.  Instead of
apologizing for how "intolerant" they = were,=20 perhaps Harvard's administrators
should reflect on how far they have = fallen=20 morally by accepting what ought
to be unacceptable.  But a dose = of=20 reality is hard to take.
- = Jack Webb,=20 Springfield, Va.


#10
Philadelphia Inquirer, December 7, = 2002
PO=20 Box 8263, Philadelphia, PA, 19101
(Fax: 215-854-4483 ) (E-Mail:=20 Inquirer.opinion@phillynews.com )
( http://www.philly.com=20 )
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/46852= 54.htm

POLICE=20 OUTNUMBER PROTESTERS AT ANTIGAY MARCH IN ALLENTOWN [AND LEHIGH =20 UNIVERSITY]
By Oliver Prichard, Inquirer Staff=20 Writer
       ALLENTOWN - A church = group from=20 Kansas known for its crude antigay
diatribes arrived yesterday to = little=20 fanfare in the Lehigh Valley, where
its first protest was met by = more police=20 officers than = counterdemonstrators.
      =20 Earlier, more than 100 Lehigh University students had gathered on=20 the
Bethlehem campus to demonstrate against the Westboro Baptist = Church, but=20 an
airline cancellation had caused the Topeka group to miss the=20 scheduled
protest there.
       The = group=20 then arrived at 4:30 p.m. for a protest aimed at Cedar
Crest College = in=20 Allentown, where nine members picketed along a nearby
street = carrying signs=20 bearing slogans such as "God Hates Fags," "Thank God
for Sept. 11," = and=20 "Prepare to Meet Thy God."
       The = pickets=20 were confined to a small stretch of sidewalk and
surrounded by more = than 20=20 Allentown police officers, many of whom wore riot
helmets.  = Small groups=20 of students watched in silence from a safe distance,
and = neighborhood=20 resident Chris Hoenscheid was the lone=20 counterdemonstrator.
       "That's = not what=20 Christianity is about," said Hoenscheid, 32, who
carried a cardboard = sign=20 that read: "Christian, not=20 close-minded."
       "They have as = much right=20 to be here as anyone else," he said, "but I
think they are a little=20 misguided."
       Westboro members, = who are=20 led by the Rev. Fred Phelps, decided to
bring their crusade against=20 homosexuality to the Lehigh Valley after
residents spoke out against = a=20 Baptist preacher who had suggested that the
Sept. 11 attacks = resulted from=20 America's growing tolerance of=20 same-sex
unions.
       The = Westboro group=20 will protest at Lehigh and several Bethlehem
churches today.  = It=20 targeted Cedar Crest because the college recently gave
an award to = tennis=20 great Billie Jean King, a = lesbian.
       "This=20 place needs some preaching to," said Westboro picket = Charles
Hockenbarger,=20 28, who is married to one of Mr. Phelps' daughters.  = "Any
university=20 that is going to put a dyke like Billie Jean King up on a
pedestal = needs a=20 whole lot of preaching to."
       As = rush-hour=20 traffic on Hamilton Street crawled past the pickets,
motorists = peered out=20 their windows with mystified expressions.  Groups from
the = women's=20 college watched quietly from a hillside on=20 campus.
       At Lehigh, where the = Westboro=20 group failed to show earlier in the
day, student activist Meghan = Punschke=20 said the big student turnout showed
the campus was mobilized against = intolerance.
       "This brought all = kinds of=20 people together who normally wouldn't
socialize with each other," Punschke, 21, = said. =20 "It's more about us coming
together than it is about=20 them."
       . Contact Oliver = Prichard at=20 610-313-8219 = or
oprichard@phillynews.com.


#11
The=20 Morning Call, December 7, 2002
Box 1260, Allentown, PA, = 18105
(Fax:=20 610-820-6693 ) (E-Mail: letters@mcall.com )
( http://www.mcall.com=20 )
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b21_4westboro.2= 313216dec07,0,7690706.story?coll=3Dall%2Dnewslocal%2Dhed
ANTI-GAY=20 PROTEST AT CEDAR CREST COLLEGE KEPT PEACEFUL; MORE PLANNED=20 IN
VALLEY
Students counter with signs, songs of tolerance.
By = Genevieve=20 Marshall and Nicole Radzievich of The Morning=20 Call
       The first protest in the = Lehigh=20 Valley led by Westboro Baptist Church
ended peacefully Friday, = giving 20=20 Allentown police officers in riot gear
little to do but direct = traffic and=20 keep the media at bay.
       Eleven = members of=20 the Topeka, Kan., church picketed at Cedar Crest
College behind = police=20 tape.  Most hoisted Day-Glo signs decrying
homosexuality, among = them=20 ''No Tears for Queers,'' ''Thank God for Sept.
11'' and ''God Sent = the=20 Sniper.''
       Traffic snarled = during the=20 evening rush hour as drivers rubbernecked
at the Westboro members, = 40=20 counter-protesters and a gaggle of reporters at
Hamilton Boulevard = and=20 College Drive.
       As = counter-protesters=20 sang ''God Bless America,'' Westboro members
held an American flag = upside=20 down and sang their own version: ''God hates
America, land of the=20 fags.''
       Margie Phelps, daughter = of=20 Westboro's leader, the Rev. Fred Phelps,
said her family chose to = picket=20 Cedar Crest because the college awarded an
honorary degree to Billie = Jean=20 King, who had a relationship with a=20 woman.
       The counter-protesters = are a=20 ''motley band of pitiful perverts,''
Phelps said.  ''I feel = sorry for=20 them.''
       Westboro, whose members = claim to=20 have picketed at more than 22,000
sites across the country, planned = the trip=20 to support a Bethlehem pastor who
linked the terrorist attacks to = same-sex=20 marriages when he spoke at a Sept.
11 memorial ecumenical=20 service.
       Despite occasional = shouts for=20 the Westboro members to go home and
Westboro's taunts of ''fag = enablers,''=20 there were no threats of = violence.
      =20 Police Chief Stephen L. Kuhn said he planned the high level = of
security to=20 ''make sure nobody's freedom of speech was obstructed and to
keep = everyone=20 safe.''
       A snowstorm delayed = Westboro's=20 flight, and the group canceled what
was supposed to be its first = picket, at=20 Lehigh University in Bethlehem,
where President Gregory Farrington = recently=20 announced plans to=20 increase
diversity.
       About = 100 Lehigh=20 students held a counter-demonstration anyway next to
Zoellner Arts=20 Center.
       At Unitarian = Universalist Church=20 in Bethlehem, the Valley coordinator
of the Pennsylvania Gay and = Lesbian=20 Alliance was among 25 people who spoke
to a crowd of=20 100.
       ''We don't have to have = hate groups=20 come from Kansas,'' Liz Bradbury
said.  ''We have hate groups = in the=20 Lehigh Valley.''
       Another = speakout is set=20 for 7 p.m. today at Lehigh's Packer Memorial
Church to coincide with = Westboro's picket near Zoellner Arts=20 Center.
       Westboro has also = scheduled two=20 pickets at Bethlehem churches tonight
and at five more churches = Sunday=20 morning.
       . Reporter Nick Politi = contributed to this story.


#12
Chronicle of Higher = Education,=20 December 6, 2002
1255 23rd St. N.W., Suite 700, Washington, D.C.=20 20037
(Fax : 202-452-1033) (E-mail: opinion@chronicle.com )
(=20 http://chronicle.com )

FIRESTORM IN MISSOULA
A LESBIAN = PROFESSOR SUES=20 A UNIVERSITY SYSTEM AND HER HOUSE IS TORCHED
By Scott=20 Smallwood
       Missoula, Mont. - = Adrianne=20 Neff didn't notice the unusual return
address.  In shaky = handwriting, it=20 said: "God's Way."  When she opened the
envelope last February, = white=20 powder fell onto her kitchen table.  The note
inside was blunt: = "Die=20 Dykes."
       After calling the = police, she=20 spoke with her partner, Carla E.
Grayson, a psychology professor at = the=20 University of Montana.  Just two days
earlier the couple had = made their=20 sexual orientation very public when they
sued the university system = for=20 domestic-partner health benefits.  Ms.
Grayson, while angry about the threatening = letter, was=20 99 percent sure any
white powder was a=20 hoax.
       "Who's going to get = anthrax in=20 Missoula on a day's notice?" she = says.
      =20 Regardless, this letter was already more than they had bargained = for.
They=20 had expected some harassment once the lawsuit became public, maybe = a
phone=20 call, maybe graffiti on their house.  Things were about to get=20 much
worse.
       Two nights = later,=20 sometime after 3 a.m., Ms. Neff thought she heard
someone in their=20 house.  She was reaching for the phone next to their bed = to
call the=20 police when the smoke alarms started blaring.  The house was=20 on
fire.
       They opened the = bedroom=20 door.  Black smoke filled the hall, so thick
they couldn't see = more than=20 a few feet.  A skinny trail of orange flame ran
along the = floor. =20 In the living room, the videotape diary Ms. Grayson had
been = dutifully=20 keeping of her son's second year was melting.  The armoire
Ms. = Neff had=20 recently built herself to hold their television was = getting
scorched. =20 Those keepsake cups on the mantle were turning into puddles=20 of
pewter.
       They grabbed = their=20 22-month-old son from his bedroom and planned
their escape.  = With dense=20 smoke billowing through the rest of the house,
their only option was = the=20 small window above their bed.
       = Ms.=20 Grayson climbed out first and Ms. Neff handed their son out.  = But
when=20 Ms. Neff tried to scramble out, she got stuck in the window.  "Go, = go!"
she screamed.  Ms. Grayson, swaddling her son in a quilt, = made what=20 she says
was her toughest decision ever, leaving her partner there = in the=20 burning
house as she ran through the cold night in her socks. =20 Fortunately, minutes
later, after safely squeezing through the = window, Ms.=20 Neff was again by Ms.
Grayson's = side.
      =20 Or maybe it didn't happen like that at all.  Maybe Missoula - = and
those=20 700 people who turned out at a rally for them the next night - = had
been=20 duped.  Over the next eight months, the police would come to=20 mistrust
the victims, the gay community would lose faith in the = police, and=20 the rest
of the town would mostly just=20 wonder.
       Ultimately, even in = this college=20 town proud of its reputation for
tolerance, many are left = questioning whether=20 everything might have been
different had Ms. Grayson been lying in = bed next=20 to a man, instead of her
female=20 lover.
       Stirring Up a Liberal=20 Enclave
       The rest of the country = sees=20 Montana as home to pickup-driving,
gun-toting Republicans.  = Within the=20 state, Missoula has a different
reputation.  It's the = progressive=20 enclave, home to the Feng Shui Center and
the Butterfly Herbs = shop. =20 Stores sell hemp clothing and organic milk.  On
Oak Street, = there's a=20 gay community center, and at night the American
Veterans Post = becomes the gay=20 bar.  If you are a lesbian in Montana, it
would seem Missoula = is the=20 friendliest place to be.
       But = when Ms.=20 Grayson told her friends in Ann Arbor, Mich., that she
was taking = the job at=20 the University of Montana, they were apprehensive.
"Isn't that where = they=20 killed Matthew Shepard?" said some, to whom Montana
and Wyoming are = just=20 parts of a mountain range of intolerance in the=20 West.
       For Ms. Grayson, a=20 social-psychology professor who studies emotions,
the move was = simply about=20 taking a good tenure-track job.  After enjoying a
comfortable = childhood=20 in northern New Jersey and studying at Cornell
University and the = University=20 of Michigan, living out in the wilds of
western Montana seemed like = an=20 adventure.
       Of course, being gay = in=20 Missoula is a far cry from being gay in Ann
Arbor, that bastion of = liberalism=20 where they could legally certify their
domestic=20 partnership.
       Once in Montana, = the couple=20 didn't hold hands on the sidewalk any
more.  While Ms. Grayson = still=20 wore her wedding ring, she used the vague
"we" in class when = speaking about=20 Ms. Neff.
       The pair bought a=20 three-bedroom ranch house in the hills south of
Missoula, and Ms. = Neff stayed=20 home with the infant son Ms. Grayson had given
birth to just before = moving=20 West.  But the university job didn't provide
health benefits = for the=20 professor's partner.
       Such = benefits have=20 become more common over the past decade, and are
now available at = 173=20 colleges and universities, according to the Human
Rights Campaign, a = national=20 gay-rights group.  But they remain the exception
in much of the = country.  About 40 percent of the campuses that offer = the
benefits are=20 in California, Massachusetts, New York, and=20 Pennsylvania.
       Long before the = couple=20 arrived, gay faculty and staff members at the
University of Montana = had been=20 battling for health benefits for their
domestic partners.  They = had the=20 support of the Faculty Senate, the
president, and the systemwide = benefits=20 committee.  But Richard A. Crofts,
Montana's commissioner of = higher=20 education, turned down=20 their
recommendations.
       "It = would be a=20 good thing for us to provide as much access to our
health-insurance = plan as=20 possible," he wrote.  "However, I am not convinced
that we have = the=20 legal, ethical, or moral obligation to do=20 so."
       The Outfield Alliance, a = group of=20 gay employees at the university,
then turned to the courts, with the = help of=20 the American Civil Liberties
Union.  The suit, which was = dismissed by a=20 state judge last week, argued
that excluding gay partners from the = benefits=20 violates the employees' rights
to privacy and equal protection under = the=20 state Constitution.  The
university system argued that the = court cannot=20 extend the benefits without
legalizing gay marriage, a decision that = should=20 be left up to = the
Legislature.
       The=20 health benefits, if granted, would apply to fewer than 30 = people,
"but the=20 symbolic value for our state is incredible," says Karl = Olson,
executive=20 director of Pride, a Montana gay-rights group that joined = the
lawsuit. =20 "Critics say that next is going to be gay marriage, and we = never
disagree=20 with that.  The prize is full=20 equality."
       Ms. Grayson and Ms. = Neff, who=20 aren't veterans of previous gay-rights
battles, became accidental=20 activists.
       When the lawyers = came looking=20 for plaintiffs, the family, with a
stay-at-home mom and a small = child, made=20 an attractive choice.
       They = feared the=20 publicity at first, though, and asked about filing
the suit as Jane=20 Does.  Other potential plaintiffs "bailed out because = they
realized that=20 they couldn't do it from within the closet," Mr. Olson=20 says.
       The two others that stuck = it out=20 were Carol Snetsinger, a Web
designer in the biology department at = Montana,=20 and her partner, Nancy
Siegel.  After Ms. Neff got the = threatening=20 letter, she warned the other
couple.  Ms. Snetsinger slipped on = latex=20 gloves before going out to her
mailbox.  A letter, with the = same God's=20 Way return address, was waiting for
her.  She called the police = without=20 opening the envelope.  It contained the
same message and the = same white=20 powder Ms. Neff had received and that
authorities later determined = was not=20 anthrax.
       Soon after escaping = the fire,=20 the couple called Ms. Snetsinger and
Ms. Siegel, alerting them of = the=20 arson.  "We didn't know if we were next on
the list," Ms. = Snetsinger=20 says.  They hired a security guard to watch their
house at = night, and=20 their fears intensified when he spotted a suspicious car
a few days=20 later.
       Their house wasn't set = on fire,=20 but little things changed for them.
Ms. Snetsinger started parking = her car in=20 different spots each day, making
sure it was in well-traveled = areas. =20 And each time she sat behind the wheel,
she worried, just slightly, = that it=20 would blow up.  When she turned the key,
she even listened for = the=20 telltale click, "like in the = movies."
      =20 The fire, which authorities quickly announced was set = deliberately
and was=20 investigated as an attempted murder, shocked Missoula.  "My = thought
was=20 it had to come from outside our community," says Christopher = Peterson,
then a=20 senior at Montana and the openly gay president of the student = senate.
"It=20 just wouldn't happen here."
       But = the fire=20 also brought out the best in the city.  People poured
into the = rally at=20 a local church, and they donated money, eventually
$50,000, to a = relief=20 fund.  They helped the family find housing, clothes,
and = toys. =20 Signs proclaiming "Hate Hurts" went up in store windows.
       People = would come=20 up to Ms. Grayson and say, "You're heroes.  You're
like Rosa=20 Parks."
       They didn't feel like=20 heroes.  They were petrified that whoever had
tried to kill = them was=20 still out there.
       Then, about a = week=20 later, came a stunning article in the local
newspaper.  Police = had=20 narrowed the focus, the Missoulian reported, and were
working with = two=20 possible theories - that someone outside the house set the
fire, or = that=20 someone inside did.
       Police = officials=20 were vague, but the coverage hinted that they were
investigating = whether the=20 women had set the fire themselves.  Gay advocates
in town were = outraged,=20 angry at the newspaper and at the police.  But for
many others = it was=20 just confusing, and support softened.  Fewer people
posted = signs, and=20 others "said it made them wonder, when they hadn't
wondered before," = says=20 Karen Loos, co-chairwoman of a local group for
parents of gay and = lesbian=20 people.
       More speculation and = more=20 newspaper stories led Fred Van Valkenburg,
the Missoula County = attorney, to=20 do something he'd never done before - issue
a gag order, demanding = that=20 police investigators stop talking about the
case.  That quieted = things=20 for months.  Then in August, a police search
warrant to examine = the=20 couple's home safe became public.  The safe contained
only = financial=20 documents and love letters, but the warrant itself=20 changed
everything.
       The=20 search-warrant request was the first public document to lay out
the = evidence=20 and hint at the detectives' theory about the case.  While = no
one named=20 the women as suspects, and no charges were filed, the
investigation = was=20 clearly focused on the professor and her=20 partner.
       Police officers had = found a=20 plastic bucket of gasoline in the garage,
the warrant said.  = They found=20 cotton rope similar to the rope that had been
soaked in gasoline, = spread=20 throughout the house, and draped over and around
furniture.  = They=20 discovered rags similar to those that had been soaked in
gasoline = and used to=20 speed the fire along.  They found no sign of forced
entry, and = the front=20 door was unlocked.  An outsider, investigators
contended, would = have=20 needed considerable time, and would have stumbled
around the = unfamiliar house=20 in the dark.
       Firefighters = described Ms.=20 Grayson as calm that night and overhead
the couple joking that "now = they=20 would get new carpet."  At the police
station, the warrant = said, Ms.=20 Neff called a friend on the phone.  "We're at
the police = station being=20 grilled for hours," she said.  "Neither of us
broke,=20 though."
       The warrant also = reported the=20 opinions of outside arson experts who
had been consulted on the = case. =20 One said he wasn't aware of any case where
an arsonist broke into an = occupied=20 home to destroy it.  And, he said, fires
motivated by hate = typically=20 involve burning crosses or throwing molotov
cocktails.  Another = expert=20 said he believed the fire was "not a vengeful,
spiteful set, but a = fire set=20 for exposure and/or sympathy."
       = Anyone=20 who hadn't bought into the rumors before now had plenty of
reasons = to suspect=20 the women.  The details released in the warrant have
persuaded = many=20 people that the women had perpetrated a hoax, although they
won't = say that=20 publicly.  "I hate to think that they did it," says = one
student. =20 "It's exactly the opposite of what they should be=20 doing."
       But the couple, after = staying=20 silent for months, has offered their
side of the story.  Ms. = Neff says=20 someone could have easily gotten in the
house through the door = between the=20 garage and the kitchen.  And because the
garage is at the other = end of=20 the house, the arsonist could have stayed in
the house for a while = without=20 attracting notice.  Items were moved in the
garage and a bag of = fertilizer had been dumped on the floor, as though
someone had tried = to set=20 it on fire.  No one would have been stumbling since
the women = kept a=20 light near the kitchen on all night, they=20 say.
       As for their comments, = they were=20 sarcastic jokes made in trying
times.  And Ms. Grayson, it is = clear from=20 several hours of interviews, is
prone to sarcasm.  Everyone = handles=20 trauma differently, they argue.  Is
there some right way to act in the hours = after your=20 house is gutted by fire
but you realize that what you love most has=20 survived?
       The couple maintains = that just=20 because materials from their house
were used in the fire doesn't = make them=20 the perpetrators.  Alan Clark,
executive director of the = International=20 Association of Arson Investigators,
doesn't know about the details = of the=20 Missoula arson, but he's aware of
cases in which arsonists broke = into=20 occupied homes.  While they generally
bring their own = materials, he=20 says, it's not unheard of for them to use what
is=20 available.
       Ultimately, any = evidence=20 against the women is circumstantial, and
police officials have never = offered=20 a very persuasive motive.  The fire
didn't provide a big = payday. =20 The insurance company investigated and gave
them about $200,000, = enough to=20 cover the house and its contents.  And the
idea that these = women, who=20 filed the lawsuit with such hesitation, were
looking for more = sympathy by=20 burning up their home and prized possessions
seems, at best, a = stretch. =20 While more than a few "victims" have eventually
proved to have faked = campus=20 hate crimes, the Montana couple scoffs at that
theory.  "If we = wanted=20 more publicity, we could have found an easier way to
do it," Ms. = Grayson=20 says.
       Trying to Out an=20 Arsonist
       Ms. Grayson admits = that the=20 detectives were just "doing a thorough
job" by investigating the=20 couple.  "But that didn't make it any less
unpleasant, and = after a while=20 it began to feel like persecution," she says.
Others go even = further, arguing=20 that the investigation focused on the women
because of an anti-gay = bias, and=20 that only that kind of prejudice makes it
seem plausible that these = women=20 would behave so irrationally.
       = Some=20 thought investigators went overboard when they questioned Mr.
Olson, = the=20 gay-rights advocate, back in August, calling him a "person=20 of
interest."  Most of the questioning, Mr. Olson says, was = about the=20 rally he
helped organize so quickly.  He says police seemed = unaware of=20 how fast
activists with e-mail accounts could set it up.  The=20 detectives' attitude,
tinged with false surprise, was "Gee whiz. = Wow. How=20 could that have
happened?"
       = Mona=20 Bachman, a founder of the Outfield Alliance, says a straight
couple = would=20 have been treated differently.  "Heterosexism involves an = idea
that gay=20 people are depraved, strange, and immoral," she says.  "So it's = not
that=20 hard to plant the idea that maybe they're weird enough to set fire = to
their=20 home, burn all their possessions, and endanger their=20 son."
       Bob Weaver, Missoula's = police=20 chief, defends his detectives and how
they handled the case.  = "I don't=20 believe we focus our attention on any
suspect, any victim, any = witness based=20 on their life choices, ever," he
says.  And Mr. Van Valkenburg = suggests=20 that the investigators were sensitive
to the fact that the women are = a=20 lesbian couple.  "A straight couple would
have probably faced = greater=20 scrutiny and be treated less gingerly by law
enforcement," he=20 says.
       The couple and their = friends say=20 the police department's apparent
single-minded focus on the victims = kept them=20 from examining other leads,
including tracing connections to other = recent=20 arsons involving activist
women in=20 Missoula.
       In May 2001, Vicki = Watson, an=20 environmentalist and professor at
Montana, got a call from a = neighbor. =20 Her garage had been set on fire,
destroying the separate building, = along with=20 the car inside.  The fire had
been started using a can of gas = from the=20 garage.  Ms. Watson never thought
her arson was connected to = the Grayson=20 fire.  "I didn't think of mine as
political in any way," she = says. =20 "Nobody ever sent a note or said, 'Ha-ha,
we got you.'  I just = figured=20 it was a fire bug."
       Two years = ago,=20 someone shoved a rag in the gas tank of Kate Kahan's
Subaru Outback = and lit=20 it on fire, scorching the side.  Ms. Kahan, executive
director = of a=20 local antipoverty group, describes herself as a "very out
lesbian" = whose car=20 bumper was plastered with rainbow stickers.  She
suggested that = maybe=20 her sexual orientation was a factor, but she says
investigators dismissed the fire as a=20 prank.
       But Mr. Weaver, the = police chief,=20 maintains that his officers "looked
into those cases, and we follow = leads up=20 even if we don't think they're
true."  Mr. Van Valkenburg notes = that the=20 department assigned two detectives
almost full time for six months = to the=20 Grayson fire - something it doesn't
even do for=20 homicides.
       'Filled With = Reasonable=20 Doubt'
       Ten months after the = fire, the=20 investigation is nearly complete.  And
the results satisfy no = one. =20 "The police and our office have mutually
concluded that there is = insufficient=20 evidence to charge anyone with anything
in this case," says Mr. Van=20 Valkenburg.
       "As time has gone = by and=20 more has been learned, there are a lot of
people who really wonder = and some=20 who are willing to assume that it wasn't a
hate crime, that it was = done by=20 the occupants or sympathizers," he adds.
"But from a prosecutor's=20 perspective, it's a case filled with=20 reasonable
doubt."
       Ms. = Grayson, of=20 course, wishes the police would publicly exonerate
her, rather than = leave=20 things muddy and unresolved.  "Everyone who knows us,
and = everyone who=20 knows the details of the investigation, knows that we
didn't do it," = she=20 says.  "Blaming the victim seems like an easy way out.
People = don't have=20 to confront the reality of the amount of hatred=20 that
exists."
       Ms. Grayson = took a=20 leave for this year, returning to Ann Arbor with a
one-year position = at the=20 Institute for Research on Women and Gender.  In
Missoula, = friends asked=20 why she and Ms. Neff were leaving.  In the rest of
the country, = friends=20 asked when they were leaving.  Ms. Grayson plans to
return to = Montana,=20 but she's wondering what this all means for her=20 career.
       Now she's worlds from = Montana=20 and the arson, but her mind is rarely
far away.  Even when = playing with=20 her son in the living room of their rented
Ann Arbor house, there = are=20 reminders.  "Unfortunately," she reads to him
from The Paper = Bag=20 Princess, "a dragon smashed her castle, burned all her
clothes with = his fiery breath, and carried off Prince = Ronald."
      =20 Back in Missoula, their old house remains unscathed at first = glance.
Firewood=20 is still stacked in the yard, and no burn marks can be seen from
the = street.  But inside, the walls have been removed, leaving just=20 the
studs.  Owned by a contractor now, it sits empty, grimly = reflecting=20 the
hollowness felt by people who thought something like this could = never=20 happen
here, a reminder of what you may glimpse after peeling away = the=20 progressive
facade of a small college town.


#13
The=20 Express-Times, December 7, 2002
30 N. 4th Street, P.O. Box 391, = Easton, PA=20 18044-0391
(Online Mailer:=20 http://penn.nj.com/expresstimes/submit.html )
(=20 http://penn.nj.com/expresstimes=20 )
http://pennlive.com/news/expresstimes/pa/index.ssf?/ba= se/news-3/103925559322
6490.xml

TENTACLES=20 OF NEW LAW PROTECTING GAYS CAN'T REACH [PHELPS] PICKETS AT=20 LEHIGH
UNIVERSITY
By Jeff Schogol, The=20 Express-Times
       A new = Pennsylvania law=20 that defines criminal activity against gays as
ethnic intimidation = does not=20 apply to Friday's anti-gay rally at Lehigh
University, said State = Rep. Robert=20 Freeman, D-Northampton.
       On = Tuesday, Gov.=20 Mark S. Schweiker signed into law a bill
co-sponsored by Freeman = that expands=20 existing hate-crime legislation to
include attacks on people because = of their=20 sexual orientation.
       "These = kinds of laws=20 are necessary to ensure this kind of behavior
can be prosecuted to = the=20 fullest extent of the law," Freeman=20 said.
       However, the law does not = make=20 anti-gay speech illegal, Freeman = said.
      =20 "Obviously, you can't in any way circumvent freedom of speech,"=20 he
said.
       While Freeman = called the=20 Westboro Baptist Church's anti-gay stance
"un-American," he also = said the=20 group is still legally allowed to speak out
against gays as long as = it does=20 not commit criminal acts against = gays.
      =20 On Thursday, Shirley Phelps-Roper, the Kansas church's attorney,=20 said
Friday's protest would be peaceful and thus=20 legal.
       She said the church's = protests=20 against gays have been peaceful
because church members serve=20 God.
       The = government may=20 not abridge the freedom of speech, the freedom of
the press or the = right of=20 people to assemble, said Phelps-Roper, who is also
one of the eight = daughters=20 of the church's pastor, the controversial Rev.
Fred=20 Phelps.
       The government can only = restrict=20 speech when people's lives and
physical safety are in danger, = Phelps-Roper=20 said.  She also said the church
group had no intentions to take = action=20 against gay people.  She added she
does not know if people can = or want=20 to do what the church preaches.
       = "They=20 need to humble themselves before the Lord their God," she = said.
"They need to=20 repent.  They need to break off this onslaught of=20 filth."
       A church news release = about the=20 protest reads: "God Hates Fags! &
Fag-Enablers! Ergo, God hates = Lehigh U.=20 Pink Swastika Fag Tyranny, Pres.
Farrington, his administration, = staff,=20 faculty and student body!"
       = Phelps-Roper=20 said church members have a right to preach against gays,
even if = some people=20 do not want them to.
       "We're not = going to=20 stop saying it because this is, after all,
America," she=20 said.
       Under the First Amendment,= you can=20 say you hate anyone, said Jamin
Raskin, a professor at the American=20 University Washington College of = Law.
      =20 "It is very unusual that hate speech loses the protection of = the
First=20 Amendment," said Raskin, who teaches constitutional and = First
Amendment=20 law.
       However, Raskin said the = court has=20 given two paradigms of speech that
are not protected:  a mob = scene and=20 someone graphically insulting someone
else's mother in a=20 bar.
       "Short of that, you can = vent your=20 emotions as fiercely as you = want."
       In=20 the precedent-setting case Brandenburg vs. Ohio, the U.S. = Supreme
Court ruled=20 that the Klu Klux Klan had the right to stand in a field = and
threaten to=20 exact "revengeance" on blacks and Jews, Raskin=20 said.
       However, the First = Amendment would=20 not protect the ringleader of a
mob who urged the mob to burn a = building=20 down, Raskin said.
       "The Supreme = Court=20 said that aggressive and hostile speech is
protected unless it = incites=20 imminent lawless action," Raskin = said.
      =20 Under the Brandenburg case, the church has the right to denounce = gays
at a=20 group meeting, Raskin said.  However, the court has ruled=20 that
individuals who indulge in tirades against other individuals = are=20 not
protected, Raskin said.
       = "What's=20 critical is the context of a one-on-one verbal assault, not
speaking = to a=20 group," Raskin said.
       The court = has ruled=20 that a member of the church group does not have
the right to go up = to a=20 person and get into a screaming match with him or
her, Raskin=20 said.
       Raskin said free speech = is=20 critical to democracy.  He also said the
majority opinion = should never=20 dictate what is acceptable or=20 unacceptable
speech.
       "The = kind of=20 homophobia they (the church group) want to bring to
Pennsylvania is = unpopular=20 today, but 50 years ago it would have been
unpopular for gays and = lesbians to=20 speak about the importance of coming out
of the closet," Raskin=20 said.
       He said he was also = confident in=20 the historic tolerance of the people
of Pennsylvania.  Benjamin = Franklin=20 left Massachusetts because he found the
state's puritan orthodoxy=20 suffocating, Raskin pointed = out.
       "He=20 found Pennsylvania in contrast to be a welcoming and open
culture," = Raskin=20 said.


#14
The Express-Times, December 8, 2002
30 N. = 4th Street,=20 P.O. Box 391, Easton, PA 18044-0391
(Online Mailer:=20 http://penn.nj.com/expresstimes/submit.html )
(=20 http://penn.nj.com/expresstimes=20 )
http://www.pennlive.com/news/expresstimes/pa/index.ssf= ?/base/news-3/10393419
50248890.xml

ANTI-GAY=20 PROTESTERS FACE BACKLASH AT LEHIGH
By Nick Falsone, The=20 Express-Times
       BETHLEHEM - = Picketers from=20 an anti-homosexual church exchanged some
harsh words with = counterprotesters=20 Saturday night, but both sides steered
clear of any=20 violence.
       About 10 members from = the=20 Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church held
signs bearing phrases such = as "God=20 Hates Fags" and "No Special Law for Fags"
and altered lyrics of = songs such as=20 "God Bless America" to suit their
message during the=20 demonstration.
       It started about = 6:30=20 p.m. at Packer Avenue and University Drive in
the heart of Lehigh=20 University's campus.  The intersection was the sight
[sic] of = the third=20 demonstration of the day for the church members.  They
also set = up=20 earlier demonstrations at two city=20 churches.
       The church launched = the=20 campaign Friday at Cedar Crest College in
Allentown.  It will = conclude=20 the campaign today by picketing several other
Bethlehem churches, = Westboro=20 Baptist spokeswoman Margie Phelps = said.
      =20 Saturday night's demonstration appeared to have been met with = more
opposition=20 than the previous ones.  While only about a = dozen
counterprotesters=20 stood in view of the demonstration, a group of close to 50
others, = mostly=20 Lehigh students, set up a couple hundred yards down the=20 road.
       "We're not following them = around,"=20 Lehigh senior Meghan Punschke
said.  "We didn't want to throw = hate back=20 at them."
       Many of those in the = larger=20 group held candles and sang songs such as
"Amazing Grace."  = Afterward,=20 they walked to Lehigh's Packer Memorial Church
for a rally.  = Several got=20 in front of the crowd and spoke during the=20 rally.
       Among them was Liz = Bradbury, the=20 Lehigh Valley coordinator of the
Pennsylvania Gay and Lesbian = Alliance. =20 Bradbury made a plea to the audience
to support the adoption of an=20 anti-discrimination act in the state of Pennsy
lvania.  New = Jersey and=20 several other states already have such an act in
place, she=20 said.
       Bradbury also criticized = the city=20 of Bethlehem for having no policy
to deal with hate mail.  = "Right here=20 in the Lehigh Valley, people have
received virulent anonymous hate = mail, all=20 of it morally wrong, some of it
illegal," she=20 said.
       Others taking the podium = during=20 the rally stressed the acceptance of
all people.  It's a = rationale that=20 the Westboro Baptist Church strongly
opposed during its=20 demonstration.
       Phelps said one = of the=20 reasons why her church decided to demonstrate
at Lehigh University = is because=20 of the university's support of=20 homosexuals.
       The support was = apparent=20 after the university "went crazy protesting"
a comment made by the = Rev.=20 Marshall Griffin of St. Paul's Baptist Church in
Bethlehem, Phelps=20 said.  Griffin suggested during a service that = homosexual
unions could=20 have led to the Sept. 11 = attacks.
       Phelps=20 said another reason for the demonstration is the current state
of = college=20 campuses across the country.  "It's a hotbed of filth at=20 these
campuses," she said.
       = On=20 Saturday night, there were few that agreed.  Many of=20 the
counterprotesters said the church's message was=20 ignorant.
       "A lot of stuff they = say comes=20 out of context," said Moravian College
student Rena Drezner, who was = among=20 the small group of counterprotesters
standing in clear view of the = church=20 members.  "God loves everybody,"=20 she
said.
       The signs held by = Drezner=20 and the other counterprotesters included
phrases such as "Love Knows = No=20 Gender" and "Go Home Biggots [sic]."  One
counterprotester held = up a=20 sign with a sexual innuendo about Jesus Christ.
It said, "Jesus Rode = an=20 Ass."
       Others who weren't even = involved=20 in the counterprotest made
spontaneous remarks at the church members = while=20 they passed by in cars.
Several drivers honked their horns and stuck = out=20 their middle fingers at the
church=20 members.
       The counterprotesters = cheered=20 loudly when a firetruck pulled in front
of the church members, = blocking their=20 demonstration momentarily.  The
firetruck had responded to a = false alarm=20 on campus.  It left in a matter=20 of
minutes.
       Bethlehem police = Capt.=20 Walt Diefenderfer said everyone involved in
the demonstration = remained=20 peaceful.  He said several officers were on hand
just in=20 case.
       "We're here to keep the = peace for=20 everybody," Diefenderfer said.  "We
don't want them (the church = members)=20 to get hurt.  We don't want anyone to
get=20 hurt."
       Punschke, who was one of = the=20 organizers for the counterprotest, said
she was very pleased with = the=20 turnout.  "It was about coming together as a
group," she = said.  "We=20 accomplished so much."
       Phelps = said the=20 turnout for the counterprotest was not impressive at
all.  She = said=20 homosexuals are supposed to make up 10 percent of the
population of = the city=20 of Bethlehem.  Doing the math, it was clear that the
majority = of them=20 didn't bother showing up, she = said.
       .=20 Reporter Nick Falsone can be reached at 610-867-5000 or by = e-mail
at=20 nfalsone@express-times.com.


#15
Associated Press, = December 8,=20 2002
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=3D1&= ;display=3Drednews/2002/12/08/bui
ld/local/88-arson.inc

LESBIA= N=20 ARSON CASE INACTIVE IN MISSOULA
       = MISSOULA=20 (AP) - An investigation into an arson fire that destroyed
the = residence of a=20 lesbian couple early this year is essentially over, a
Missoula = police=20 detective said.
       "The case is = officially=20 inactive from our perspective," said Capt.
Steve Ross, captain of = detectives=20 for the Missoula City Police.
       = Ross said=20 if new information surfaces the case could be reopened, but
he = referred=20 questions about the details of the investigation to Missoula
County = Attorney=20 Fred Van Valkenburg.
       In the = months after=20 the fire, which police initially characterized as
attempted murder, = focus=20 shifted toward the couple, Carla Grayson and
Adrianne Neff.  A = search=20 warrant application detailed speculation about why
one or both of = the women=20 might have torched their own home and how they
could have done it = using rope=20 and rags from their home soaked in gasoline
from their=20 garage.
       They were never = officially named=20 as suspects.
       In an earlier = interview=20 with the Missoulian, Neff denied that she or
Grayson would ever have = set the=20 fire.
       The couple and their = child moved=20 to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a year and
could not be reached for = comment. =20 Their attorney, John Smith, refused=20 to
comment.
       The fire was set = early=20 Feb. 8, just days after Neff, Grayson and
another couple, Carol = Snetsinger=20 and Nancy Siegel, joined a lawsuit against
the state.  In the = suit,=20 filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of
Montana, the women = say gay and=20 lesbian couples should have the same benefits
as straight couples = who work=20 for the Montana University System.  Grayson and
Snetsinger are = both=20 university employees.
       After = filing the=20 suit, both couples also received hoax anthrax
letters, and then = there was the=20 fire.  The FBI has been analyzing DNA and
handwriting on the = letters,=20 but Van Valkenburg said he hasn't yet received
the results of those=20 tests.
       "Until we get that = information=20 from the FBI, it's still really an
open investigation," Van = Valkenburg=20 said.  "If there's nothing there, then I
don't think that = there's going=20 to be any charges.  There's not enough
evidence now to charge = anybody=20 with this fire."
       Missoula City = Fire=20 Marshal Bob Rajala said it's frustrating when
somebody's house gets = destroyed=20 and "you either don't know or can't prove
who did=20 it."
       A District Court judge = recently=20 dismisssed the suit filed by the
couples, but an appeal to the = Montana=20 Supreme Court is = expected.





------_=_NextPart_001_01C2A51C.D1D43D50-- From AFilson@csustan.edu Mon, 23 Dec 2002 07:44:08 -0800 Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2002 07:44:08 -0800 From: April Dunham-Filson AFilson@csustan.edu Subject: [Cause-members] FW: Higher Ed LGBT Articles Digest #106 This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C2AA9A.21884760 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Higher Education LGBT Articles Digest #106, for the week ending 12-22-02 [Happy holidays to you, your families, and your loved ones.] 1. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE Job Announcement: Associate Student Services Specialist 2. HARVARD CRIMSON Undergraduate Council members debate the prevalence of homophobia on campus 3. THE DAILY CAMERA (Boulder, Colorado) State puts crimp in University of Colorado health plan; Classified staff won't get subsidies for gay partners 4. HARVARD CRIMSON Amid a running debate on homophobia at Harvard, Mather House tutors sponsor meeting aimed at sending "a message of welcoming" to sexual minorities on campus 5. LANSING STATE JOURNAL (Michigan) Same-sex benefits cost Lansing Community College only $9,000; Few couples seek coverage under new plan 6. DAILY NEBRASKAN Two University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty members urge the Board of Regents to add a discussion on domestic partner benefits to its to-do list 7. BAY WINDOWS (Boston glbt) LGBT youth singled out with cyber bullying; New trend takes intimidation to the masses [Editor's Note: Slightly off topic, but a trend we should all be aware of and on the look out for among our own students] 8. MODESTO BEE (CA) Yosemite Community College District considers same-sex benefits 9. DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS University of Colorado takes on state law restricting same-sex partners' benefits 10. ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION Morehouse College plans required sessions on homophobia #1 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Job Announcement Title: Associate Student Services Specialist Job: The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center seeks a full-time Student Services Specialist who will be responsible for coordinating student outreach and advising. Duties include assessing student needs and developing programs and services regarding sexual orientation and gender identity; Making recommendations on policies and procedures; Promoting the Resource Center's events and activities to all campus units. Qualifications: a. Minimum of a Bachelors Degree (Student Personnel Administration or Social Work helpful) b. Two years professional or equivalent experience working with young adults around sexual orientation issues in varied racial, ethnic and cultural contexts. c. Experience coordinating workshops and presentations dealing with issues of sexual orientation, gender and related "isms". Experience helping students organize around campus climate, social justice and diversity education issues. d. Excellent oral and written communication skills e. Must have all basic office and computer software skills. f. Ability to handle multiple tasks in an active work environment. Application Deadline: Postmarked by 2/1/03 This is a full-time 12-month fixed term academic staff appointment. Salary will be commensurate with training and experience and is at the SG 1 level of 24,184 to 30,230 range. Anticipated start date is 3/1/03. Send, fax or email a letter of application and resume along with names, addresses and telephone numbers of three professional references to: Yves LaPierre Director, LGBT Resource Center at UW-Milwaukee P.O. Box 413 Milwaukee, WI 53201-0413 Fax: 414-229-4274 Email: Yves@uwm.edu www.lgbt.uwm.edu The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is an Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity employer. For Campus Security Information, see http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/OSL/CleryAct/CleryAct.html, or call the Office of Student Life, Mellencamp Hall 118 at (414) 229-4632 for a paper copy. #2 Harvard Crimson, December 16, 2002 14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com ) ( http://www.thecrimson.com ) http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255916 COUNCIL PASSES TOLERANCE BILL OUTSPOKEN LETTER WRITER PAPPIN FURTHER ELABORATES ON HIS VIEWS By Alexander J. Blenkinsopp, Crimson Staff Writer Undergraduate Council members debated the prevalence of homophobia on campus at a tense meeting last night that brought a prominent student critic of homosexuality to the council floor. The council voted overwhelmingly to allocate $700 to groups with a plan to help reduce intolerance towards gay students at Harvard - but not before nearly a dozen impassioned speeches describing personal experiences with homophobia. Fred O. Smith '04, who had co-sponsored the bill with former vice-presidential running-mate Justin R. Chapa '05, cited recent assaults in the Yard and destruction of posters expressing support for bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgendered students as evidence of heightened homophobia on campus. But at the center of last night's council debate was a letter to the editor in last Monday's issue of The Crimson, written by Gladden J. Pappin ' 04, editor of the Harvard Salient, a conservative biweekly journal. In the letter, Pappin argued that the College should discipline students for certain sexual behaviors. "Such punishments would apply to heterosexuals, of course, but even more so to homosexuals, whose activities are not merely immoral but perverted and unnatural," Pappin wrote. At the council meeting last night, Pappin elaborated upon his views. "Homophobia is not something that even counts as a phobia," he said. The heated debate on Smith and Chapa's bill had begun well before last night's meeting, via the council's open e-mail list. Some members contended that the measure would contribute to a chilling effect on the expression of unpopular beliefs on campus. "If we are to discuss the issue of tolerance on this campus, then we must discuss our tolerance of Mr. Pappin and every other student who might profess an unpopular opinion," representative P. K. Agarwalla '04 wrote in an e-mail to the council. "The real issue is - can you be against homosexuality morally, and still not discriminate. I think you can," Agarwalla said at the meeting. Representative and Harvard lacrosse player Andrew C. Crocco '03 spoke before the council for the first time to argue in favor of the bill. "Be an athlete for four years," Crocco said. "You'd see that homophobia is alive and well at Harvard." Joshua A. Barro '05 opposed the bill, however, questioning its usefulness in a community he described as a "great place to be gay." "I'm very glad I came to Harvard," Barro said. "I see a very accepting community." He added that "idiots like Gladden Pappin" are "lonely idiots" without many supporters. The climax of the debate came when Pappin took the floor to offer his own views to the council. As he walked to the front of the room, the council suddenly fell silent. "I think the real issue is not to pretend that intolerance toward homosexuality is on the rise. I don't think it is," Pappin said. "Homophobia is not based on anxiety or fear. It's based on disgust for homosexual sexual actions," Pappin said, just as his speaking time of about one minute ran out. After several minutes of debate, the council voted to extend Pappin's time on the floor. "Anyone who wants to consider me a homophobe should also label me a 'heterophobe,'" Pappin said, explaining his opposition to all sexual license. After the emotional speeches, the council approved the bill. Agarwalla and Barro, along with Thomas J. Mucha '03, who called homophobia at Harvard "a relatively small problem," cast the only votes against the bill. Aaron D. Chadbourne '06 abstained. . Staff writer Alexander J. Blenkinsopp can be reached at blenkins@fas.harvard.edu. #3 The Daily Camera, December 17, 2002 1048 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO, 80306 (Fax: 303-442-1508 ) (E-Mail: openforum@thedailycamera.com ) ( http://www.thedailycamera.com ) http://www2.dailycamera.com/bdc/buffzone_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2448_161511 8,00.html STATE PUTS CRIMP IN UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO'S HEALTH PLAN CLASSIFIED STAFF WON'T GET SUBSIDIES FOR GAY PARTNERS By Matt Sebastian, Camera Staff Writer State law has complicated the University of Colorado's plan to extend health coverage to the partners of gay employees. Under Colorado law, CU is prohibited from subsidizing the domestic partners of classified staff members, who fall under the state's payroll. Faculty and exempt staff, such as administrative directors, aren't affected, since their benefits are handled directly through the university. "We really believe we're obligated to follow the law," said Steve McNally, CU's associate vice president of operations. "It's unfortunate, but it would require legislative action to change it." The policy change affects 11 of the 42 employees who signed up for the new benefits, which were approved last August following a controversial vote by the Board of Regents. Classified staff members may still enroll their gay partners in CU's health plan. Those partners, though, will not receive a state contribution toward their monthly premium. For Catherine Coleman, who works in CU's information technology unit, the change means the projected monthly premium to insure herself and her partner will increase from $289 to nearly $400 for medical and dental coverage. "This makes it not worthwhile," Coleman said of the anticipated increase. "The whole purpose of doing this now seems pointless." The regents approved the domestic partner coverage last summer following years of lobbying from CU's same-sex employees. Proponents said the insurance measure promotes equality for all university employees. About a month later though, the state's human resources department notified CU that classified employees would not be able to receive subsidies toward their premiums. Colorado law does not include gay partners or their offspring among the list of dependents covered by health plans administered through the state's payroll system, according to a Sept. 10 letter from Jeffrey C. Schutt, the state's director of human resources. CU's attorneys reviewed the university's options through the fall, as employees signed up for the new health benefits, which will debut Jan. 1. Last week, the university sent letters to the impacted employees, alerting them of the change and giving them the option to drop their partners from their health coverage. University officials are vowing to lobby the Legislature to remedy the situation. "Needless to say, that law needs to be changed," Regent Jim Martin said. "We need to be able to treat all of our employees the same - that was the whole point of this." . Contact Matt Sebastian at (303) 473-1498 or sebastianm@dailycamera.com. #4 Harvard Crimson, December 17, 2002 14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com ) ( http://www.thecrimson.com ) http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255938 TUTORS SPONSOR TALK ON TOLERANCE [AT HARVARD] By Elizabeth W. Green, Crimson Staff Writer Amid a running debate on homophobia at Harvard, Mather House tutors sponsored an open dinner meeting last night aimed at sending "a message of welcoming" to sexual minorities on campus. Billed as a discussion on "The Role of Free Speech and Hate Speech on College Campuses," the meeting was the latest response to a letter to the editor published in The Crimson last Monday that has been criticized as homophobic. In his letter, Gladden J. Pappin '04 argued that the University should discipline students for certain sexual behaviors and called homosexuality "not merely immoral but perverted and unnatural." Roughly 25 students attended the discussion, which organizers said put human faces on a debate which had raged over the Mather House open e-mail list over the last week. "It's helpful to contextualize the arguments into people," Mather Tutor Janson Wu told those in attendance. "People live, breathe and feel these experiences every day." Others said the meeting filled an important void. "We tried to make sure that there was a dialogue between the tutors and the students," Mather Tutor Peter B. Green said. "Unfortunately, there wasn't that same sentiment on the part of the administration." Green said that after speaking with students frustrated by the lack of official response to the Pappin letter, he felt it was time "for a real representative of the University to step in." He said the role of the tutors as University representatives should be to foster a community where every student feels welcome. One of the most vocal of the students in attendance last night was Chanda R.S. Prescod-Weinstein '03, a member of the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters Alliance. Prescod-Weinstein expressed her own experiences with homophobia, calling on the University to publicly affirm its support for sexual minority students. "The University really does have an obligation to pay attention to intolerance on campus," Prescod-Weinstein said after the meeting. "If they want us all to have the opportunity to fulfill our intellectual potential then we need to have the psychological freedom to do that." Prescod-Weinstein praised Mather tutors for their efforts to create a welcoming community, calling them "a model for the rest of the campus." While last night's debate was relatively uncontentious, differences of opinion did surface. Some students spoke out against limits on free speech and cautioned that the University should be careful in inserting itself into the debate. . -Staff writer Elizabeth W. Green can be reached at egreen@fas.harvard.edu. #5 Lansing State Journal, December 16, 2002 120 E. Lenawee St., Lansing, MI, 48919 (Fax: 517-377-1284 ) (E-Mail: opinions@lansing.gannett.com ) (http://www.lansingstatejournal.com ) http://www.lsj.com/news/local/021216_partner_1a-4a.html SAME-SEX BENEFITS COST LANSING COMMUNITY COLLEGE $9,000 FEW COUPLES SEEK COVERAGE UNDER NEW PLAN By Sharon Terlep, Lansing State Journal Lansing Community College's controversial plan to extend same-sex partner benefits to employees is off to a quiet start. The college is spending about $9,000 this year on health insurance benefits for fewer than five people, college spokeswoman Ruth Borger said. She would not give an exact number. The Board of Trustees voted in October to offer benefits, despite objections from three board members who said the decision was pushed through with too little public input. Officials estimated benefits would cost about $30,000 a year for the 19,000-student school, Michigan's third-largest community college. LCC has a $92 million budget. Michigan State University, which first offered same-sex partner benefits five years ago, is spending about $105,000 on benefits for about 40 people, officials said. At LCC, couples who want benefits are required to sign an affidavit saying they have been in a committed relationship for more than 12 months. They also must provide documents, such as tax returns, bills and bank statements, to show they live together and share financial responsibility, said Tim Zeller, LCC's director of labor relations. "It can't just be that you're roommates who share expenses," Zeller said. "You have to be emotionally committed." Unlike married couples, people who get the partner benefits are taxed for them because same-sex unions are not recognized by the state or federal governments, Zeller said. LCC joined a growing number of employers offering health insurance benefits to same-sex partners. More than 4,500 companies offer such benefits, up 60 percent from three years ago, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights advocacy group. Eight other Michigan colleges and universities offer same-sex benefits, but no community colleges do, according to the group. The Ingham County Board of Commissioners voted last week to extend the same-sex benefits to some county employees. . Contact Sharon Terlep at 377-1066 or sterlep@lsj.com. #6 Daily Nebraskan, December 16, 2002 P.O. Box 88044, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0448 (Fax: 402-472-1761) (E-Mail: dn@unl.edu ) ( http://www.dailynebraskan.com ) http://www.dailynebraskan.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/12/16/3dfd67babde36 REGENTS [AT UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN] REVISIT SAME-SEX BENEFITS IN MEETING By Melissa Lee Saying the issue was "long overdue" for a visit, two University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty members urged the NU Board of Regents to add a discussion on domestic partner benefits to its to-do list Saturday. "The time has come," said John Wunder, a UNL history professor and president-elect of the Academic Senate. "We should be able to untie the hands of (NU employees) that are currently tied behind our backs." Wunder and others said the university should extend health care coverage and other benefits to its employees in domestic partnerships for three reasons: to be fair, to stay competitive and because the practice has become mainstream, particularly among UNL's peers. Top faculty across the nation have bypassed UNL, in part, because of the university's lack of domestic partner benefits, Wunder said. He and UNL associate English professor George Wolf urged the board to pursue the issue before the end of the current academic year. No action was taken Saturday during the board's December meeting. Critics argued the university would be acting against Nebraska mentality if it were to approve domestic partner benefits. In 2000, Nebraskans passed Initiative 416, a state constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships, by a 70 percent margin. "I urge you not to go against what the majority of Nebraskans have said," Lincoln resident Gordon Opp told the regents. Opp said he was gay for four years, but then realized he had another option. He and Al Riskowski, executive director of the Nebraska Family Council, said marriages between a man and a woman had always been most conducive to a stable society. "Traditional marriage is unquestionably good. It deserves respect and protection," Riskowski said. In addition, he said, approving domestic partner benefits would imply the university endorsed homosexual relationships. Those are "not on par with" heterosexual relationships, Riskowski said. UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman has repeatedly said he would support moving to extend benefits to all employees. It's crucial to do so, he said, because it would keep NU in the national hunt for top faculty. "I believe the university system will need to address this issue to remain competitive," he said. Perlman said he recognized the political and emotional issues involved in the debate. But NU competes far beyond state borders, he said. #7 Bay Windows (glbt), December 19, 2002 631 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02118 (Fax: 617-266-5973 ) (E-Mail: letters@baywindows.com ) ( http://www.baywindows.com ) http://www.baywindows.com/news/342350.html LGBT YOUTH SINGLED OUT WITH CYBER BULLYING NEW TREND TAKES INTIMIDATION TO THE MASSES By Peter Cassels When Canadian high school student David Knight heard about an Internet Web site that accused him of being a gay pedophile who used a date-rape drug to seduce and molest young boys, he was shocked. When Knight checked it out, he found a Web site titled "Welcome to the page that makes fun of Dave Knight," with his photo prominently displayed. The site was filled with hateful comments, not only about Knight but also everyone in his family. The student also received nasty e-mail messages. One read: "You're gay. Don't ever talk again. No one likes you. You're immature and dirty. Go wash your face." Knight, who lives near Burlington, Ont., had been verbally and physically harassed in school for years. Now he had become the victim of an insidious new form of bullying that uses the popular and pervasive Internet to terrible effect. His plight was the subject of a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) documentary that aired in October. "Cyber-bullying: The Internet is the latest weapon in a bully's arsenal" explored the emerging trend, already popular in Europe and now becoming so in North America as growing numbers of teenagers use computers for entertainment, education, and socializing. Bullying is "a new and odious use of the Internet and, right now, there's little anyone can do to stop it," the documentary reported. The Internet is such a new phenomenon that laws have not yet been written that address abuses. Much of the abuse is directed at harassing school students by accusing them of being gay, whether or not they really are (Knight says he is not). Despite progress in gay rights and the work of organizations like the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) to address school harassment, GLBT people remain the last minority many, particularly students, believe it's okay to attack. "Working on the story and talking to teenagers, it turns out that among teenage boys the worst sort of slur you can cast on somebody is to call them a faggot," Alison Hancock, co-producer of the CBC documentary, told Bay Windows. Hancock added that using the Internet to target Knight "certainly isn't unique. People I talked to say that in Europe it's absolutely huge and is only beginning to get noticed here. A lot happens in [instant messaging] and erecting a Web site which is interactive is not uncommon. I came across other kids [who have been targets]. None of it takes place in isolation. It's a fairly potent form of bullying because you live in fear that it is there." In Knight's case, the Web site and other forms of Internet bullying was the last straw. "Rather than just some people, say 30 in a cafeteria, hearing them all yell insults at you, it's up there for 6 billion people to see," the student told the CBC. "Anyone with a computer can see it. And you can't get away from it. It doesn't go away when you come home from school. It made me feel even more trapped." Knight felt so trapped he decided to leave school and finish his senior year at home. School bullies are attracted to the Internet because, as one told the CBC, "You don't really see their face or they don't see yours and you don't have to look in their eyes and see they're hurt." "It's a cowardly form of bullying," Knight's mother, Nancy, said. "It's like being stabbed in the back by somebody [and] you have no way of ever finding out who they are or defending yourself against the words they say. So it's more damaging than a face-to-face confrontation with somebody who is clearly willing to tell you what he or she thinks of you." The online bullying had an even more devastating impact on her son, Mrs. Knight explained: "After this bullying started, he began withdrawing completely, isolating himself from everyone. I guess it's a matter of not knowing who knows about you sort of makes you feel you don't want to know anyone." Because school computers were not used to bully, there was nothing administrators could do to stop it, according to the CBC. Neither could law enforcement authorities. One detective interviewed for the documentary said that unless Internet bullying crosses the line into death threats or other criminal offenses their hands are tied. The Web site targeting Knight was hosted by Yahoo, one of the largest Internet portals. Yahoo and most of the thousands of other portals and ISPs that allow subscribers to set up Web sites have policies prohibiting the posting of offensive material. However, users can say whatever they want most of the time, according to the CBC. Eventually Yahoo removed the Web site about Knight, but not until after his family spent seven months phoning and e-mailing its Sunnyvale, Calif., headquarters. The Knights theorize that it was threat of legal action that finally prompted Yahoo to kill the site. Contacted by Bay Windows, a Yahoo spokesperson would not comment on the incident. So-called "cyber-bullying" largely escaped news media attention in the U.S. until the New Yorker magazine ran an item in its "Talk of the Town" column in 2001. Headlined "The New Bathroom Wall," the piece described how private school students in Manhattan used Freevote.com, a free Web site that lets users create a virtual voting booth, to list alleged promiscuous female students. The "Interschool Ho" voting booth listed and ranked 150 students before parents and teachers found out and had it shut down. When e-mailing Freevote.com's webmaster proved fruitless, they used their influence to have the Brooklyn district attorney phone the webmaster. No charges were filed and no students were suspended or expelled. A spokesperson for the Brooklyn D.A. told the New Yorker: "It's very clear: There's no accounting for taste, but the site is protected by the First Amendment free speech clause." Under current law, students and others can safely bully online without fear of reprisals. According to a July 2001 article on Salon.com, schools have no recourse unless the cyber-bullying is conducted on school computers. And most won't result in criminal charges. Even legal advocates who frequently come to the defense of gays and lesbians stop short when it comes to the First Amendment. The closest legal comparison to the Internet, Salon.com reported, is a sidewalk. According to the 1996 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Reno v. ACLU, the Internet, unlike the public airwaves, which the federal government regulates, is relatively protected when it comes to free speech. The protection covers "high school kids saying vulgar, unproductive, socially useless gossip on a Web site," Aaron Caplan, an attorney for the Washington state ACLU, told Salon.com. The attorney has successfully defended several students whom school administrators sanctioned for publishing offensive content on non-school Web sites. Bennett Hazelton, webmaster for Peacefire.org, a Seattle-based organization that supports the rights of minors online, told Bay Windows: "I do think [cyber-bullying] is protected by the First Amendment and should not be illegal. Evidence suggests that for gay teenagers, the benefits of unrestricted Internet access far outweigh the negatives, so it would set a bad precedent to create special laws about what students can post or say. Of course, other laws may apply. Someone calling or e-mailing you after you've asked them to stop does constitute harassment." GLSEN reports that it routinely gets hateful e-mails directed to its staff and to students and teachers who are involved with addressing homophobia in the nation's schools. "Additionally, we sometimes need to evict people from the various listservs we operate when they turn out to be harassers, posting hate material directed at the full membership to individuals on the list," spokesperson Chadwick Bovee wrote in an e-mail to Bay Windows. Bovee reported that one student recently received an online mock MasterCard ad made by another student. "Gun: $1,000. Bullets: $10. Killing a faggot like you so I don't have to be around you at school: Priceless," is how GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings remembers the message reading. "This was a situation where officials didn't initially understand the legitimate nature of the threat," Jennings said in a statement to Bay Windows. "I had to underline the fact that this was a death threat and something to be taken very seriously. I think because this is a new phenomenon, school administrators, parents and others aren't yet aware of what they might have on their hands. That's why it is so vitally important to end this sort of bias before it starts and to deal with it immediately when it does." The best way to address cyber-bullying is to contact the ISP or Internet portal that hosts an offensive Web site. Yahoo, for example, has a detailed Terms of Service (TOS) - a sort of contract between the portal and its users - available through a link at the bottom of its home page, www.yahoo.com. The section on member conduct notes that Yahoo does not control content users post and is not liable for "offensive, indecent or objectionable" material. However, the TOS also warns users not to "upload, post, e-mail, transmit or otherwise make available any content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable." And the TOS warns users not to "harm minors in any way." Yahoo spokesperson Scott Morris told Bay Windows: "We encourage our users to report material through [the] customer care [department] that they may find offensive. We review it internally and take the appropriate action." Such action could include removal of the material, Morris added. To report complaints, e-mail customercare@yahoo-inc.com. . Peter Cassels is the Associate Editor at Bay Windows. His e-mail address is pcassels@baywindows.com #8 Modesto Bee, December 21, 2002 P. O. Box 3928, Modesto, CA, 95352 (Fax: 209-441-6499 ) (E-Mail: letters@modbee.com ) ( http://www.modbee.com ) http://www.modbee.com/local/story/5667571p-6642135c.html YOSEMITE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT CONSIDERS SAME-SEX BENEFITS By Melanie Turner, Bee Staff Writer The Yosemite Community College District is looking into the idea of giving health benefits to same-sex domestic partners. The push comes from faculty and staff who spoke before the board Tuesday, saying it is time for the district to stop discriminating against its gay and lesbian employees. "Please do not leave your gay and lesbian colleagues standing and waiting at the table of equality," said Sandy Woodside, a Modesto Junior College faculty member. She and a half-dozen others spoke in support of domestic partner benefits, saying the board has a legal right to add the benefits. Two people disagreed, saying the matter should go through the Yosemite Faculty Association and the California School Employees Association, both negotiating bodies at the college. The board will hear a report on related legal opinions and be presented with several options on how to proceed at a future meeting. A couple of trustees reacted favorably to the idea of extending health benefits to domestic partners. "I am in favor of what you're talking about," Trustee Delsie Schrimp said. Added Trustee Linda Flores: "I hope we will be able to solve everything toward your benefit." Donna Jamison, a member of MJC's support staff, said if the district approved benefits for domestic partners it would diminish the value of the institution of marriage. She also said benefits and wages are negotiated through the CSEA and this should be, too. Lew Mayhew, president of the Yosemite Faculty Association, also said the matter should be negotiated through the associations. Columbia College Academic Senate President Morgan McBride said the YCCD has fallen behind other higher learning institutions in the state. The University of California Board of Regents voted in 1998 to extend health and welfare benefits to domestic partners, said Paul Schwartz, a spokesman for the UC. Last spring, the Board of Regents voted to provide a set of retirement benefits to domestic partners. As of Oct. 31, 2001, there were about 950 employees with same-sex domestic partners participating in UC medical, vision and dental plans, according to the UC president's office. By January 2000, California State University had provided medical benefits to domestic partners as long as the partners are registered with the state, CSU spokeswoman Clara Potes-Fellow said. Initially, the CSU board of trustees adopted the benefits for nonunion employees. Eventually the board extended the benefits to union employees, too. Some community college districts also offer such benefits, such as the Los Rios district in Sacramento. In Modesto, teachers in Modesto City Schools are seeking health benefits for domestic partners, but some conservative members of the board have taken issue with the proposal in the past. The benefits are in the district's proposed teachers contract, which was set aside last week after the governor said schools would have to make c uts to help the state close its budget gap. Meanwhile, the Columbia College Academic Senate adopted a resolution in November supporting benefits for domestic partners at the YCCD. The resolution states that doing so reflects the goals of the district's Beyond Tolerance Initiative and hiring policy. The initiative's purpose is to ensure that the work environment at the college is "characterized by inclusiveness, tolerance and respect for all of our students, staff and community." The hiring policy does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, age or sexual preference. "As long as YCCD fails to offer domestic partner benefits, the district is not offering equal pay for equal work," said Mary Ann Greenwood, a counselor at MJC. MJC English instructor Tim Hobert said his benefits extend to his son and should extend to his partner, too. "I want to work for a forward-looking district, one that will not be tied to the past," he said. Janell Glance, another MJC instructor, said: "We're told it's going to cost a lot of money." But she added, "freedom is not free." . Bee staff writer Melanie Turner can be reached at 578-2366 or mturner@modbee.com. #9 Denver Rocky Mountain News, December 19, 2002 400 W. ColFax Ave., Denver, CO, 80204 (Fax: 303-892-2568 ) (E-Mail: letters@rockymountainnews.com ) ( http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn ) http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_1619889,0 0.html UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO TAKES ON LAW RESTRICTING SAME-SEX PARTNERS' BENEFITS By Associated Press BOULDER - The University of Colorado will seek to change a state law that prohibits it from giving health-care benefits to the domestic partners of classified employees. Colorado law does not include gay partners or their offspring among the list of dependents covered by health plans administered through the state's payroll system, said Jeffrey C. Schutt, the state's director of human resources. CU's Board of Regents approved same-sex benefits last summer following years of lobbying from proponents, who said the measure promotes equality. But state law prohibits CU from subsidizing the domestic partners of classified staff members on the state's payroll. "Needless to say, that law needs to be changed," Regent Jim Martin said. "We need to be able to treat all of our employees the same." Faculty and exempt staff, such as administrative directors, aren't affected, since their benefits are handled directly through the university. "We really believe we're obligated to follow the law," said Steve McNally, CU's associate vice president of operations. "It's unfortunate, but it would require legislative action to change it." The policy change affects 11 of the 42 employees who signed up for the new benefits, which begin Jan. 1. Classified staff may enroll their gay partners in CU's health plan, but their partners will not receive a state contribution. #10 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 22, 2002 72 Marietta Street NW, Atlanta, GA, 30303 (Fax: 404-526-5746 ) (E-Mail: journal@ajc.com ) ( http://www.accessatlanta.com ) http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/metro/atlanta/1202/22morehouse.html MOREHOUSE PLANS REQUIRED SESSIONS ON HOMOPHOBIA By Paul Donsky, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer Acknowledging they have not done enough to educate students about homophobia, Morehouse College officials are planning a series of seminars and training sessions starting next semester that will directly tackle the topic. In the past, the all-male private school dealt with homophobia and issues involving gay people as part of a broader effort to teach students about diversity and tolerance, making attendance at meetings voluntary. But the November baseball bat beating of a student - allegedly by a classmate who claimed the victim had leered at him in a dormitory shower - caused Morehouse leaders to realize they must deal with homophobia head-on, said Eddie Gaffney, dean of student affairs. "Lesson learned," Gaffney said. "We hate that this happened. But it's an opportunity to do some things differently, to do some new and innovative things, and take a leadership role in terms of how we begin to deal with the whole issue of homophobia." Students will be required to attend the sessions, which will also deal with sexual harassment. The meetings will take place in residence halls, an environment that officials hope will foster discussion. Students also will be required to attend training sessions on anger management and diversity. The college has appointed a dean who will live on campus to supervise the training programs. Morehouse is also planning forums, meetings and discussion groups next semester to tackle the issue of diversity awareness. The theme: "Expect respect." Some students and gay groups criticized Morehouse's handling of the Nov. 3 beating, saying the school did not adequately address homophobia on the 3,000-student campus. Khalid Kamau, one of the leaders of an Atlanta University Center gay and lesbian group called African-Americans for Safe Space Everywhere For All, said Morehouse's plan is a step in the right direction. "We would be happy to see that happen," he said. But he added, "I'm very sad to know that someone had to be beaten so badly for them to learn that lesson." Lorri L. Jean, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, also supports Morehouse's initiatives. "We certainly commend them," she said. "We believe that it's the absolute responsible way to respond to what happened on their campus." Saying education is key to changing attitudes, she said many people are shocked to learn about violence toward gays and lesbians. "When people are educated about the issues, and when it's put in factual perspective for them, it tends to dissipate some of the ignorance and some of the bigotry. It creates an environment of social unacceptably for discriminatory behavior." Most colleges offer students some training about homophobia, Jean said, but most handle the topic as part of a larger discussion of diversity. More schools - usually, like Morehouse, responding to a specific incident - are taking a more direct route and offering homophobia education, she added. Morehouse junior Gregory Love has recovered from the beating, school officials say, and is expected back on campus next semester. The student accused in the attack, Aaron Price, was charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery and expelled from school. Prosecutors plan to charge Price with a hate crime, which could add up to five years to his sentence if he's convicted. Price has told police he was taking a shower when Love looked into his stall. Price left the bathroom, got a baseball bat from his room and returned to the shower, where he hit Love in the head, shoulders and back, fracturing his skull, a report said. Love told police he was not wearing his glasses and was trying to see if Price was his roommate. Morehouse President Walter Massey announced formation of a panel of national experts to look at how the campus deals with diversity, tolerance and homophobia. An internal task force of Morehouse students, faculty and officials was formed. ------_=_NextPart_001_01C2AA9A.21884760 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Higher Ed LGBT Articles Digest #106
 
Higher Education LGBT Articles Digest #106, for the week ending 12-22-02
        [Happy holidays to you, your families, and your loved ones.]

1. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE Job Announcement: Associate Student Services Specialist
2. HARVARD CRIMSON Undergraduate Council members debate the prevalence of homophobia on campus
3. THE DAILY CAMERA (Boulder, Colorado) State puts crimp in University of Colorado health plan; Classified staff won't get subsidies for gay partners
4. HARVARD CRIMSON Amid a running debate on homophobia at Harvard, Mather House tutors sponsor meeting aimed at sending "a message of welcoming" to sexual minorities on campus
5. LANSING STATE JOURNAL (Michigan) Same-sex benefits cost Lansing Community College only $9,000; Few couples seek coverage under new plan
6. DAILY NEBRASKAN Two University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty members urge the Board of Regents to add a discussion on domestic partner benefits to its to-do list
7. BAY WINDOWS (Boston glbt) LGBT youth singled out with cyber bullying; New trend takes intimidation to the masses [Editor's Note: Slightly off topic, but a trend we should all be aware of and on the look out for among our own students]
8. MODESTO BEE (CA) Yosemite Community College District considers same-sex benefits
9. DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS  University of Colorado takes on state law restricting same-sex partners' benefits
10. ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION Morehouse College plans required sessions on homophobia


#1
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Job Announcement
Title: Associate Student Services Specialist

Job: The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center seeks a full-time Student Services Specialist who will be responsible for coordinating student outreach and advising. Duties include assessing student needs and developing programs and services regarding sexual orientation and gender identity; Making recommendations on policies and procedures; Promoting the Resource Center's events and activities to all campus units.

Qualifications:
a. Minimum of a Bachelors Degree (Student Personnel Administration or Social Work helpful)
b. Two years professional or equivalent experience working with young adults around sexual orientation issues in varied racial, ethnic and cultural contexts.
c. Experience coordinating workshops and presentations dealing with issues of sexual orientation, gender and related "isms". Experience helping students organize around campus climate, social justice and diversity education issues.
d. Excellent oral and written communication skills
e. Must have all basic office and computer software skills.
f. Ability to handle multiple tasks in an active work environment.

Application Deadline: Postmarked by 2/1/03

This is a full-time 12-month fixed term academic staff appointment. Salary will be commensurate with training and experience and is at the SG 1 level of 24,184 to 30,230 range. Anticipated start date is 3/1/03. Send, fax or email a letter of application and resume along with names, addresses and telephone numbers of three professional references to:

 Yves LaPierre
 Director, LGBT Resource Center at UW-Milwaukee
 P.O. Box 413
 Milwaukee, WI 53201-0413
 Fax: 414-229-4274
 Email: Yves@uwm.edu
 www.lgbt.uwm.edu

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is an Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity employer. For Campus Security Information, see http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/OSL/CleryAct/CleryAct.html, or call the Office of Student Life, Mellencamp Hall 118 at (414) 229-4632 for a paper copy.


#2
Harvard Crimson, December 16, 2002
14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
(E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com )
( http://www.thecrimson.com )
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255916

COUNCIL PASSES TOLERANCE BILL
OUTSPOKEN LETTER WRITER PAPPIN FURTHER ELABORATES ON HIS VIEWS
By Alexander J. Blenkinsopp, Crimson Staff Writer
       Undergraduate Council members debated the prevalence of homophobia on
campus at a tense meeting last night that brought a prominent student critic
of homosexuality to the council floor.
       The council voted overwhelmingly to allocate $700 to groups with a
plan to help reduce intolerance towards gay students at Harvard - but not
before nearly a dozen impassioned speeches describing personal experiences
with homophobia.
       Fred O. Smith '04, who had co-sponsored the bill with former
vice-presidential running-mate Justin R. Chapa '05, cited recent assaults in
the Yard and destruction of posters expressing support for bisexual, gay,
lesbian and transgendered students as evidence of heightened homophobia on
campus.
       But at the center of last night's council debate was a letter to the
editor in last Monday's issue of The Crimson, written by Gladden J. Pappin '
04, editor of the Harvard Salient, a conservative biweekly journal.  In the
letter, Pappin argued that the College should discipline students for
certain sexual behaviors.
       "Such punishments would apply to heterosexuals, of course, but even
more so to homosexuals, whose activities are not merely immoral but
perverted and unnatural," Pappin wrote.
       At the council meeting last night, Pappin elaborated upon his views.
       "Homophobia is not something that even counts as a phobia," he said.
       The heated debate on Smith and Chapa's bill had begun well before
last night's meeting, via the council's open e-mail list.
       Some members contended that the measure would contribute to a
chilling effect on the expression of unpopular beliefs on campus.
       "If we are to discuss the issue of tolerance on this campus, then we
must discuss our tolerance of Mr. Pappin and every other student who might
profess an unpopular opinion," representative P. K. Agarwalla '04 wrote in
an e-mail to the council.
       "The real issue is - can you be against homosexuality morally, and
still not discriminate.  I think you can," Agarwalla said at the meeting.
       Representative and Harvard lacrosse player Andrew C. Crocco '03 spoke
before the council for the first time to argue in favor of the bill.
       "Be an athlete for four years," Crocco said.  "You'd see that
homophobia is alive and well at Harvard."
       Joshua A. Barro '05 opposed the bill, however, questioning its
usefulness in a community he described as a "great place to be gay."
       "I'm very glad I came to Harvard," Barro said.  "I see a very
accepting community."
       He added that "idiots like Gladden Pappin" are "lonely idiots"
without many supporters.
       The climax of the debate came when Pappin took the floor to offer his
own views to the council.
       As he walked to the front of the room, the council suddenly fell
silent.
       "I think the real issue is not to pretend that intolerance toward
homosexuality is on the rise.  I don't think it is," Pappin said.
       "Homophobia is not based on anxiety or fear.  It's based on disgust
for homosexual sexual actions," Pappin said, just as his speaking time of
about one minute ran out.
       After several minutes of debate, the council voted to extend Pappin's
time on the floor.
       "Anyone who wants to consider me a homophobe should also label me a
'heterophobe,'" Pappin said, explaining his opposition to all sexual
license.
       After the emotional speeches, the council approved the bill.
       Agarwalla and Barro, along with Thomas J. Mucha '03, who called
homophobia at Harvard "a relatively small problem," cast the only votes
against the bill. Aaron D. Chadbourne '06 abstained.
       . Staff writer Alexander J. Blenkinsopp can be reached at
blenkins@fas.harvard.edu.


#3
The Daily Camera, December 17, 2002
1048 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO, 80306
(Fax: 303-442-1508 ) (E-Mail:  openforum@thedailycamera.com )
( http://www.thedailycamera.com )
http://www2.dailycamera.com/bdc/buffzone_news/article/0,1713,BDC_2448_1615118,00.html

STATE PUTS CRIMP IN UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO'S HEALTH PLAN
CLASSIFIED STAFF WON'T GET SUBSIDIES FOR GAY PARTNERS
By Matt Sebastian, Camera Staff Writer
       State law has complicated the University of Colorado's plan to extend
health coverage to the partners of gay employees.
       Under Colorado law, CU is prohibited from subsidizing the domestic
partners of classified staff members, who fall under the state's payroll.
       Faculty and exempt staff, such as administrative directors, aren't
affected, since their benefits are handled directly through the university.
       "We really believe we're obligated to follow the law," said Steve
McNally, CU's associate vice president of operations.  "It's unfortunate,
but it would require legislative action to change it."
       The policy change affects 11 of the 42 employees who signed up for
the new benefits, which were approved last August following a controversial
vote by the Board of Regents.
       Classified staff members may still enroll their gay partners in CU's
health plan.  Those partners, though, will not receive a state contribution
toward their monthly premium.
       For Catherine Coleman, who works in CU's information technology unit,
the change means the projected monthly premium to insure herself and her
partner will increase from $289 to nearly $400 for medical and dental
coverage.
       "This makes it not worthwhile," Coleman said of the anticipated
increase.  "The whole purpose of doing this now seems pointless."
       The regents approved the domestic partner coverage last summer
following years of lobbying from CU's same-sex employees.  Proponents said
the insurance measure promotes equality for all university employees.
       About a month later though, the state's human resources department
notified CU that classified employees would not be able to receive subsidies
toward their premiums.
       Colorado law does not include gay partners or their offspring among
the list of dependents covered by health plans administered through the
state's payroll system, according to a Sept. 10 letter from Jeffrey C.
Schutt, the state's director of human resources.
       CU's attorneys reviewed the university's options through the fall, as
employees signed up for the new health benefits, which will debut Jan. 1.
       Last week, the university sent letters to the impacted employees,
alerting them of the change and giving them the option to drop their
partners from their health coverage.
       University officials are vowing to lobby the Legislature to remedy
the situation.
       "Needless to say, that law needs to be changed," Regent Jim Martin
said.  "We need to be able to treat all of our employees the same - that was
the whole point of this."
       . Contact Matt Sebastian at (303) 473-1498 or
sebastianm@dailycamera.com.


#4
Harvard Crimson, December 17, 2002
14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
(E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com )
( http://www.thecrimson.com )
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=255938

TUTORS SPONSOR TALK ON TOLERANCE [AT HARVARD]
By Elizabeth W. Green, Crimson Staff Writer
       Amid a running debate on homophobia at Harvard, Mather House tutors
sponsored an open dinner meeting last night aimed at sending "a message of
welcoming" to sexual minorities on campus.
       Billed as a discussion on "The Role of Free Speech and Hate Speech on
College Campuses," the meeting was the latest response to a letter to the
editor published in The Crimson last Monday that has been criticized as
homophobic.
       In his letter, Gladden J. Pappin '04 argued that the University
should discipline students for certain sexual behaviors and called
homosexuality "not merely immoral but perverted and unnatural."
       Roughly 25 students attended the discussion, which organizers said
put human faces on a debate which had raged over the Mather House open
e-mail list over the last week.
       "It's helpful to contextualize the arguments into people," Mather
Tutor Janson Wu told those in attendance.  "People live, breathe and feel
these experiences every day."
       Others said the meeting filled an important void.
       "We tried to make sure that there was a dialogue between the tutors
and the students," Mather Tutor Peter B. Green said.  "Unfortunately, there
wasn't that same sentiment on the part of the administration."
       Green said that after speaking with students frustrated by the lack
of official response to the Pappin letter, he felt it was time "for a real
representative of the University to step in."
       He said the role of the tutors as University representatives should
be to foster a community where every student feels welcome.
       One of the most vocal of the students in attendance last night was
Chanda R.S. Prescod-Weinstein '03, a member of the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian,
Transgender and Supporters Alliance.
       Prescod-Weinstein expressed her own experiences with homophobia,
calling on the University to publicly affirm its support for sexual minority
students.
       "The University really does have an obligation to pay attention to
intolerance on campus," Prescod-Weinstein said after the meeting.  "If they
want us all to have the opportunity to fulfill our intellectual potential
then we need to have the psychological freedom to do that."
       Prescod-Weinstein praised Mather tutors for their efforts to create a
welcoming community, calling them "a model for the rest of the campus."
       While last night's debate was relatively uncontentious, differences
of opinion did surface.
       Some students spoke out against limits on free speech and cautioned
that the University should be careful in inserting itself into the debate.
       . -Staff writer Elizabeth W. Green can be reached at
egreen@fas.harvard.edu.


#5
Lansing State Journal, December 16, 2002
120 E. Lenawee St., Lansing, MI, 48919
(Fax: 517-377-1284 ) (E-Mail: opinions@lansing.gannett.com )
(http://www.lansingstatejournal.com )
http://www.lsj.com/news/local/021216_partner_1a-4a.html

SAME-SEX BENEFITS COST LANSING COMMUNITY COLLEGE $9,000
FEW COUPLES SEEK COVERAGE UNDER NEW PLAN
By Sharon Terlep, Lansing State Journal
       Lansing Community College's controversial plan to extend same-sex
partner benefits to employees is off to a quiet start.
       The college is spending about $9,000 this year on health insurance
benefits for fewer than five people, college spokeswoman Ruth Borger said.
She would not give an exact number.
       The Board of Trustees voted in October to offer benefits, despite
objections from three board members who said the decision was pushed through
with too little public input.
       Officials estimated benefits would cost about $30,000 a year for the
19,000-student school, Michigan's third-largest community college.  LCC has
a $92 million budget.
       Michigan State University, which first offered same-sex partner
benefits five years ago, is spending about $105,000 on benefits for about 40
people, officials said.
       At LCC, couples who want benefits are required to sign an affidavit
saying they have been in a committed relationship for more than 12 months.
They also must provide documents, such as tax returns, bills and bank
statements, to show they live together and share financial responsibility,
said Tim Zeller, LCC's director of labor relations.
       "It can't just be that you're roommates who share expenses," Zeller
said.  "You have to be emotionally committed."
       Unlike married couples, people who get the partner benefits are taxed
for them because same-sex unions are not recognized by the state or federal
governments, Zeller said.
       LCC joined a growing number of employers offering health insurance
benefits to same-sex partners.  More than 4,500 companies offer such
benefits, up 60 percent from three years ago, according to the Washington,
D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay rights advocacy
group.
       Eight other Michigan colleges and universities offer same-sex
benefits, but no community colleges do, according to the group.
       The Ingham County Board of Commissioners voted last week to extend
the same-sex benefits to some county employees.
       . Contact Sharon Terlep at 377-1066 or sterlep@lsj.com.


#6
Daily Nebraskan, December 16, 2002
P.O. Box 88044, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0448
(Fax: 402-472-1761) (E-Mail: dn@unl.edu )
( http://www.dailynebraskan.com )
http://www.dailynebraskan.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/12/16/3dfd67babde36

REGENTS [AT UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN] REVISIT SAME-SEX BENEFITS IN MEETING
By Melissa Lee
       Saying the issue was "long overdue" for a visit, two University of
Nebraska-Lincoln faculty members urged the NU Board of Regents to add a
discussion on domestic partner benefits to its to-do list Saturday.
       "The time has come," said John Wunder, a UNL history professor and
president-elect of the Academic Senate.  "We should be able to untie the
hands of (NU employees) that are currently tied behind our backs."
       Wunder and others said the university should extend health care
coverage and other benefits to its employees in domestic partnerships for
three reasons:  to be fair, to stay competitive and because the practice has
become mainstream, particularly among UNL's peers.
       Top faculty across the nation have bypassed UNL, in part, because of
the university's lack of domestic partner benefits, Wunder said.
       He and UNL associate English professor George Wolf urged the board to
pursue the issue before the end of the current academic year.
       No action was taken Saturday during the board's December meeting.
       Critics argued the university would be acting against Nebraska
mentality if it were to approve domestic partner benefits.
       In 2000, Nebraskans passed Initiative 416, a state constitutional
amendment that banned same-sex marriages, civil unions and domestic
partnerships, by a 70 percent margin.
       "I urge you not to go against what the majority of Nebraskans have
said," Lincoln resident Gordon Opp told the regents.  Opp said he was gay
for four years, but then realized he had another option.
       He and Al Riskowski, executive director of the Nebraska Family
Council, said marriages between a man and a woman had always been most
conducive to a stable society.
       "Traditional marriage is unquestionably good.  It deserves respect
and protection," Riskowski said.
       In addition, he said, approving domestic partner benefits would imply
the university endorsed homosexual relationships.  Those are "not on par
with" heterosexual relationships, Riskowski said.
       UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman has repeatedly said he would support
moving to extend benefits to all employees.  It's crucial to do so, he said,
because it would keep NU in the national hunt for top faculty.
       "I believe the university system will need to address this issue to
remain competitive," he said.
       Perlman said he recognized the political and emotional issues
involved in the debate.  But NU competes far beyond state borders, he said.


#7
Bay Windows (glbt), December 19, 2002
631 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02118
(Fax: 617-266-5973 ) (E-Mail: letters@baywindows.com )
( http://www.baywindows.com )
http://www.baywindows.com/news/342350.html

LGBT YOUTH SINGLED OUT WITH CYBER BULLYING
NEW TREND TAKES INTIMIDATION TO THE MASSES
By Peter Cassels
       When Canadian high school student David Knight heard about an
Internet Web site that accused him of being a gay pedophile who used a
date-rape drug to seduce and molest young boys, he was shocked.
       When Knight checked it out, he found a Web site titled "Welcome to
the page that makes fun of Dave Knight," with his photo prominently
displayed.  The site was filled with hateful comments, not only about Knight
but also everyone in his family.
       The student also received nasty e-mail messages.  One read: "You're
gay.  Don't ever talk again.  No one likes you.  You're immature and dirty.
Go wash your face."
       Knight, who lives near Burlington, Ont., had been verbally and
physically harassed in school for years.  Now he had become the victim of an
insidious new form of bullying that uses the popular and pervasive Internet
to terrible effect.  His plight was the subject of a Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation (CBC) documentary that aired in October.  "Cyber-bullying: The
Internet is the latest weapon in a bully's arsenal" explored the emerging
trend, already popular in Europe and now becoming so in North America as
growing numbers of teenagers use computers for entertainment, education, and
socializing.
       Bullying is "a new and odious use of the Internet and, right now,
there's little anyone can do to stop it," the documentary reported.  The
Internet is such a new phenomenon that laws have not yet been written that
address abuses.
       Much of the abuse is directed at harassing school students by
accusing them of being gay, whether or not they really are (Knight says he
is not).
       Despite progress in gay rights and the work of organizations like the
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) to address school
harassment, GLBT people remain the last minority many, particularly
students, believe it's okay to attack.
       "Working on the story and talking to teenagers, it turns out that
among teenage boys the worst sort of slur you can cast on somebody is to
call them a faggot," Alison Hancock, co-producer of the CBC documentary,
told Bay Windows.
       Hancock added that using the Internet to target Knight "certainly
isn't unique.  People I talked to say that in Europe it's absolutely huge
and is only beginning to get noticed here.  A lot happens in [instant
messaging] and erecting a Web site which is interactive is not uncommon.  I
came across other kids [who have been targets].  None of it takes place in
isolation.  It's a fairly potent form of bullying because you live in fear
that it is there."
       In Knight's case, the Web site and other forms of Internet bullying
was the last straw.  "Rather than just some people, say 30 in a cafeteria,
hearing them all yell insults at you, it's up there for 6 billion people to
see," the student told the CBC.  "Anyone with a computer can see it.  And
you can't get away from it.  It doesn't go away when you come home from
school.  It made me feel even more trapped."  Knight felt so trapped he
decided to leave school and finish his senior year at home.
       School bullies are attracted to the Internet because, as one told the
CBC, "You don't really see their face or they don't see yours and you don't
have to look in their eyes and see they're hurt."
       "It's a cowardly form of bullying," Knight's mother, Nancy, said.
"It's like being stabbed in the back by somebody [and] you have no way of
ever finding out who they are or defending yourself against the words they
say.  So it's more damaging than a face-to-face confrontation with somebody
who is clearly willing to tell you what he or she thinks of you."
       The online bullying had an even more devastating impact on her son,
Mrs. Knight explained: "After this bullying started, he began withdrawing
completely, isolating himself from everyone.  I guess it's a matter of not
knowing who knows about you sort of makes you feel you don't want to know
anyone."
       Because school computers were not used to bully, there was nothing
administrators could do to stop it, according to the CBC.  Neither could law
enforcement authorities.  One detective interviewed for the documentary said
that unless Internet bullying crosses the line into death threats or other
criminal offenses their hands are tied.
       The Web site targeting Knight was hosted by Yahoo, one of the largest
Internet portals.  Yahoo and most of the thousands of other portals and ISPs
that allow subscribers to set up Web sites have policies prohibiting the
posting of offensive material.  However, users can say whatever they want
most of the time, according to the CBC.
       Eventually Yahoo removed the Web site about Knight, but not until
after his family spent seven months phoning and e-mailing its Sunnyvale,
Calif., headquarters.  The Knights theorize that it was threat of legal
action that finally prompted Yahoo to kill the site.  Contacted by Bay
Windows, a Yahoo spokesperson would not comment on the incident.
       So-called "cyber-bullying" largely escaped news media attention in
the U.S. until the New Yorker magazine ran an item in its "Talk of the Town"
column in 2001.  Headlined "The New Bathroom Wall," the piece described how
private school students in Manhattan used Freevote.com, a free Web site that
lets users create a virtual voting booth, to list alleged promiscuous female
students.
       The "Interschool Ho" voting booth listed and ranked 150 students
before parents and teachers found out and had it shut down.  When e-mailing
Freevote.com's webmaster proved fruitless, they used their influence to have
the Brooklyn district attorney phone the webmaster.  No charges were filed
and no students were suspended or expelled.  A spokesperson for the Brooklyn
D.A. told the New Yorker: "It's very clear: There's no accounting for taste,
but the site is protected by the First Amendment free speech clause."
       Under current law, students and others can safely bully online
without fear of reprisals.  According to a July 2001 article on Salon.com,
schools have no recourse unless the cyber-bullying is conducted on school
computers.  And most won't result in criminal charges.
       Even legal advocates who frequently come to the defense of gays and
lesbians stop short when it comes to the First Amendment.
       The closest legal comparison to the Internet, Salon.com reported, is
a sidewalk.  According to the 1996 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Reno v.
ACLU, the Internet, unlike the public airwaves, which the federal government
regulates, is relatively protected when it comes to free speech.  The
protection covers "high school kids saying vulgar, unproductive, socially
useless gossip on a Web site," Aaron Caplan, an attorney for the Washington
state ACLU, told Salon.com.  The attorney has successfully defended several
students whom school administrators sanctioned for publishing offensive
content on non-school Web sites.
       Bennett Hazelton, webmaster for Peacefire.org, a Seattle-based
organization that supports the rights of minors online, told Bay Windows: "I
do think [cyber-bullying] is protected by the First Amendment and should not
be illegal.  Evidence suggests that for gay teenagers, the benefits of
unrestricted Internet access far outweigh the negatives, so it would set a
bad precedent to create special laws about what students can post or say.
Of course, other laws may apply.  Someone calling or e-mailing you after
you've asked them to stop does constitute harassment."
       GLSEN reports that it routinely gets hateful e-mails directed to its
staff and to students and teachers who are involved with addressing
homophobia in the nation's schools.  "Additionally, we sometimes need to
evict people from the various listservs we operate when they turn out to be
harassers, posting hate material directed at the full membership to
individuals on the list," spokesperson Chadwick Bovee wrote in an e-mail to
Bay Windows.
       Bovee reported that one student recently received an online mock
MasterCard ad made by another student.  "Gun: $1,000. Bullets: $10. Killing
a faggot like you so I don't have to be around you at school: Priceless," is
how GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings remembers the message reading.
       "This was a situation where officials didn't initially understand the
legitimate nature of the threat," Jennings said in a statement to Bay
Windows.  "I had to underline the fact that this was a death threat and
something to be taken very seriously.  I think because this is a new
phenomenon, school administrators, parents and others aren't yet aware of
what they might have on their hands.  That's why it is so vitally important
to end this sort of bias before it starts and to deal with it immediately
when it does."
       The best way to address cyber-bullying is to contact the ISP or
Internet portal that hosts an offensive Web site.  Yahoo, for example, has a
detailed Terms of Service (TOS) - a sort of contract between the portal and
its users - available through a link at the bottom of its home page,
www.yahoo.com.
       The section on member conduct notes that Yahoo does not control
content users post and is not liable for "offensive, indecent or
objectionable" material.  However, the TOS also warns users not to "upload,
post, e-mail, transmit or otherwise make available any content that is
unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory,
vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or
racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable."  And the TOS warns users
not to "harm minors in any way."
       Yahoo spokesperson Scott Morris told Bay Windows: "We encourage our
users to report material through [the] customer care [department] that they
may find offensive.  We review it internally and take the appropriate
action."  Such action could include removal of the material, Morris added.
       To report complaints, e-mail customercare@yahoo-inc.com.
       . Peter Cassels is the Associate Editor at Bay Windows.  His e-mail
address is pcassels@baywindows.com


#8
Modesto Bee, December 21, 2002
P. O. Box 3928, Modesto, CA, 95352
(Fax: 209-441-6499 ) (E-Mail: letters@modbee.com )
( http://www.modbee.com )
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/5667571p-6642135c.html

YOSEMITE COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT CONSIDERS SAME-SEX BENEFITS
By Melanie Turner, Bee Staff Writer
       The Yosemite Community College District is looking into the idea of
giving health benefits to same-sex domestic partners.
       The push comes from faculty and staff who spoke before the board
Tuesday, saying it is time for the district to stop discriminating against
its gay and lesbian employees.
       "Please do not leave your gay and lesbian colleagues standing and
waiting at the table of equality," said Sandy Woodside, a Modesto Junior
College faculty member.
       She and a half-dozen others spoke in support of domestic partner
benefits, saying the board has a legal right to add the benefits.
       Two people disagreed, saying the matter should go through the
Yosemite Faculty Association and the California School Employees
Association, both negotiating bodies at the college.
       The board will hear a report on related legal opinions and be
presented with several options on how to proceed at a future meeting.
       A couple of trustees reacted favorably to the idea of extending
health benefits to domestic partners.
       "I am in favor of what you're talking about," Trustee Delsie Schrimp
said.
       Added Trustee Linda Flores: "I hope we will be able to solve
everything toward your benefit."
       Donna Jamison, a member of MJC's support staff, said if the district
approved benefits for domestic partners it would diminish the value of the
institution of marriage.  She also said benefits and wages are negotiated
through the CSEA and this should be, too.
       Lew Mayhew, president of the Yosemite Faculty Association, also said
the matter should be negotiated through the associations.
       Columbia College Academic Senate President Morgan McBride said the
YCCD has fallen behind other higher learning institutions in the state.
       The University of California Board of Regents voted in 1998 to extend
health and welfare benefits to domestic partners, said Paul Schwartz, a
spokesman for the UC.  Last spring, the Board of Regents voted to provide a
set of retirement benefits to domestic partners.
       As of Oct. 31, 2001, there were about 950 employees with same-sex
domestic partners participating in UC medical, vision and dental plans,
according to the UC president's office.
       By January 2000, California State University had provided medical
benefits to domestic partners as long as the partners are registered with
the state, CSU spokeswoman Clara Potes-Fellow said.  Initially, the CSU
board of trustees adopted the benefits for nonunion employees.  Eventually
the board extended the benefits to union employees, too.
       Some community college districts also offer such benefits, such as
the Los Rios district in Sacramento.
       In Modesto, teachers in Modesto City Schools are seeking health
benefits for domestic partners, but some conservative members of the board
have taken issue with the proposal in the past.
       The benefits are in the district's proposed teachers contract, which
was set aside last week after the governor said schools would have to make c
uts to help the state close its budget gap.
       Meanwhile, the Columbia College Academic Senate adopted a resolution
in November supporting benefits for domestic partners at the YCCD.  The
resolution states that doing so reflects the goals of the district's Beyond
Tolerance Initiative and hiring policy.
       The initiative's purpose is to ensure that the work environment at
the college is "characterized by inclusiveness, tolerance and respect for
all of our students, staff and community."  The hiring policy does not
discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, age or sexual
preference.
       "As long as YCCD fails to offer domestic partner benefits, the
district is not offering equal pay for equal work," said Mary Ann Greenwood,
a counselor at MJC.
       MJC English instructor Tim Hobert said his benefits extend to his son
and should extend to his partner, too.
       "I want to work for a forward-looking district, one that will not be
tied to the past," he said.
       Janell Glance, another MJC instructor, said: "We're told it's going
to cost a lot of money."  But she added, "freedom is not free."
       . Bee staff writer Melanie Turner can be reached at 578-2366 or
mturner@modbee.com.


#9
Denver Rocky Mountain News, December 19, 2002
400 W. ColFax Ave., Denver, CO, 80204
(Fax: 303-892-2568 ) (E-Mail:  letters@rockymountainnews.com )
( http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn  )
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_1619889,00.html

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO TAKES ON LAW RESTRICTING SAME-SEX PARTNERS' BENEFITS
By Associated Press
       BOULDER - The University of Colorado will seek to change a state law
that prohibits it from giving health-care benefits to the domestic partners
of classified employees.
       Colorado law does not include gay partners or their offspring among
the list of dependents covered by health plans administered through the
state's payroll system, said Jeffrey C. Schutt, the state's director of
human resources.
       CU's Board of Regents approved same-sex benefits last summer
following years of lobbying from proponents, who said the measure promotes
equality.  But state law prohibits CU from subsidizing the domestic partners
of classified staff members on the state's payroll.
       "Needless to say, that law needs to be changed," Regent Jim Martin
said.  "We need to be able to treat all of our employees the same."
       Faculty and exempt staff, such as administrative directors, aren't
affected, since their benefits are handled directly through the university.
       "We really believe we're obligated to follow the law," said Steve
McNally, CU's associate vice president of operations.  "It's unfortunate,
but it would require legislative action to change it."
       The policy change affects 11 of the 42 employees who signed up for
the new benefits, which begin Jan. 1.  Classified staff may enroll their gay
partners in CU's health plan, but their partners will not receive a state
contribution.

#10
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 22, 2002
72 Marietta Street NW, Atlanta, GA, 30303
(Fax: 404-526-5746 ) (E-Mail:  journal@ajc.com )
( http://www.accessatlanta.com )
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/metro/atlanta/1202/22morehouse.html

MOREHOUSE PLANS REQUIRED SESSIONS ON HOMOPHOBIA
By Paul Donsky, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
       Acknowledging they have not done enough to educate students about
homophobia, Morehouse College officials are planning a series of seminars
and training sessions starting next semester that will directly tackle the
topic.
       In the past, the all-male private school dealt with homophobia and
issues involving gay people as part of a broader effort to teach students
about diversity and tolerance, making attendance at meetings voluntary.
       But the November baseball bat beating of a student - allegedly by a
classmate who claimed the victim had leered at him in a dormitory shower -
caused Morehouse leaders to realize they must deal with homophobia head-on,
said Eddie Gaffney, dean of student affairs.
       "Lesson learned," Gaffney said.  "We hate that this happened.  But
it's an opportunity to do some things differently, to do some new and
innovative things, and take a leadership role in terms of how we begin to
deal with the whole issue of homophobia."
       Students will be required to attend the sessions, which will also
deal with sexual harassment.  The meetings will take place in residence
halls, an environment that officials hope will foster discussion.
       Students also will be required to attend training sessions on anger
management and diversity.  The college has appointed a dean who will live on
campus to supervise the training programs.
       Morehouse is also planning forums, meetings and discussion groups
next semester to tackle the issue of diversity awareness.  The theme:
"Expect respect."
       Some students and gay groups criticized Morehouse's handling of the
Nov. 3 beating, saying the school did not adequately address homophobia on
the 3,000-student campus.
       Khalid Kamau, one of the leaders of an Atlanta University Center gay
and lesbian group called African-Americans for Safe Space Everywhere For
All, said Morehouse's plan is a step in the right direction.
       "We would be happy to see that happen," he said.  But he added, "I'm
very sad to know that someone had to be beaten so badly for them to learn
that lesson."
       Lorri L. Jean, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force, also supports Morehouse's initiatives.  "We certainly commend
them," she said.  "We believe that it's the absolute responsible way to
respond to what happened on their campus."
       Saying education is key to changing attitudes, she said many people
are shocked to learn about violence toward gays and lesbians.
       "When people are educated about the issues, and when it's put in
factual perspective for them, it tends to dissipate some of the ignorance
and some of the bigotry.  It creates an environment of social unacceptably
for discriminatory behavior."
       Most colleges offer students some training about homophobia, Jean
said, but most handle the topic as part of a larger discussion of diversity.
More schools - usually, like Morehouse, responding to a specific incident -
are taking a more direct route and offering homophobia education, she added.
       Morehouse junior Gregory Love has recovered from the beating, school
officials say, and is expected back on campus next semester.
       The student accused in the attack, Aaron Price, was charged with
aggravated assault and aggravated battery and expelled from school.
Prosecutors plan to charge Price with a hate crime, which could add up to
five years to his sentence if he's convicted.
       Price has told police he was taking a shower when Love looked into
his stall.  Price left the bathroom, got a baseball bat from his room and
returned to the shower, where he hit Love in the head, shoulders and back,
fracturing his skull, a report said.
       Love told police he was not wearing his glasses and was trying to see
if Price was his roommate.
       Morehouse President Walter Massey announced formation of a panel of
national experts to look at how the campus deals with diversity, tolerance
and homophobia.  An internal task force of Morehouse students, faculty and
officials was formed.


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