Students offended by LGBT vandalism

A rainbow sticker, a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride, was found with the words "die" written across it on a wall of Mason Hall on Thursday, outraging members of the University community.

"Behavior like that is a violation of what we consider to be our values at a university," said Ken Blochowski, interim director of the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs. "It's also behavior that can't be prevented or censored. We're concerned about the widest possible expression of free speech, and hateful as that was, that was speech."

A report was filed in the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs on Thursday after a student discovered the vandalism.

The incident took place in the middle of Queer Visibility Week, during which many events celebrating LGBT pride and queer visibility took place.

"It's significant that it happened during Queer Visibility Week because it shows that the week was necessary," said Jeanette Trudell, a member of the Queer Visibility Week planning committee.

The act of hatred has outraged many students in the LGBT community. E-mail messages have been sent out to notify students of the incident.

Queer Unity Project members have set up a meeting for this morning with LSA Associate Dean Mildred Tirado to discuss the incident. Another meeting with Dean of Students E. Royster Harper is scheduled for March.

"I'm not sure what the typical line of action is, but whatever it is, I plan to pursue that," said LSA junior Emily Marker, who is organizing the meetings.

This recent defacement was the latest attack against the LGBT community. In the past year, there have been Diag boards vandalized during National Coming Out Week, residence hall doors defaced, cars vandalized and threats of assault made, Blochowski said.

"Any time that LGBT people become more visible, they also become more vulnerable to attacks by intolerable people," Blochowski said.

02-17-98