Letters to the Editor

Rec buildings need new equipment

To the Daily:

Picture the scene: 1982. Hundreds of students on any given day crowd their way into the weight room at the Central Campus Recreation Building to work out on the brand new equipment as a means of releasing some of their school-induced stress.

Now picture the same scene in 1999: Hundreds of students crowd into the CCRB to work out on the same equipment that's been there for nearly two decades.

In the four years that I've been at school here, I've seen hardly any changes made at either the CCRB or Intramural building weight rooms. The equipment is poorly maintained and out of date, and the space is severely overcrowded.

At a school of this size, which puts millions of dollars a year into making sure that varsity athletes have the best state of the art equipment, some effort should be put into taking care of the needs of the rest of the student body. After all, we are paying thousands and thousands of dollars to go to school here.

Adam Tobias

LSA senior

'Freedom of speech' excuse to bash others

To the Daily:

I truly enjoyed reading the satirical article, "Reader: Drag show was undeserving of coverage" by Nikhil Kumar (10/18/99). The irony in this letter was deep and penetrating, and raised a number of important questions about the relationship between the freedom of expression, and the rallying for ignorance and prejudice.

This letter finds its clearest expression in the bitingly ironic statement, "For those of you who believe this letter is an attack of the gay community - think otherwise. I am simply exercising my First Amendment rights." The obvious stupidity of this juxtaposition shocks the reader into facing an important issue: "Freedom of speech" is more and more frequently being used as an excuse to insult and bash on some group of people, rather than to express any thoughtful point of view.

If freedom of speech is meant to increase the diversity of ideas and prevent oppression by a majority viewpoint, what does it mean when that same freedom is used to claim we should not hear about the activities or interests of some minority group? As is made plain in this article, these are issues that need to be addressed.

The fact that this article is satirical and ironic is clear. With devices ranging from use of the term "anti-conservative" (obviously poking fun at the linguistic stunts used on both sides of the "anti-choice" versus "anti-life" debate), to self-consciously ignorant claims like, "I cannot fathom how the affairs of ... queers can take precedence over major international crises in other countries," we know that the tone of this article must be ironic. After all, no one would actually have written a letter like that seriously - would they?

Greg Stevens

Rackham student

Coverage of all student activities is the Daily's job

To the Daily:

If I am not mistaken, the Daily, a respectable newspaper, is a newspaper for University students and it covers campus events and things happening to students here. The Daily covers major international crises in other countries as well, but its main goal is to inform readers of things happening on campus, in any community, which includes the LGBT community. Nikhil Kumar, the writer of "Reader: Drag show was undeserving of coverage" (10/18/99) believes that the Daily had "wasted its time in doing another puff piece for the Gay and Lesbian community" and that "the Daily feels it's our business Joe Schmoe is shopping at Victoria's Secret for himself."

Two things; first, the Daily also feels it's our business to inform us of what's going on in California or Egypt or China or anywhere, and some people want to know this stuff and others don't. You can't please all of the people all of the time. If "anti-conservative" shows and articles are a waste of time, money and space then they are just as must as the conservative ones. Secondly, did the writer even attend the event? Obviously he didn't because his opinion is an example of what exactly the program was for, to challenge the stereotypes of what drag is.

Rebecca Yoo

LSA senior

Drag show was newsworthy event

To the Daily:

As two of "the University's self-proclaimed queers," please let us take a moment to respond to Monday's (10/18/99) letter to the editor "Reader: Drag Show was undeserving of coverage." What LSA senior Nikhil Kumar failed to realize is that "Conceptions of Drag," part of the National Coming Out Week celebration, was a newsworthy event, deserving of equal coverage in the Daily, just as other Coming Out Week events have in the past. By definition, it is the responsibility of the free press to cover issues of public interest - public, meaning the incredibly diverse population at the University. Thus, the Daily has the duty to write about all campus activities, conservative or liberal, some of which include Gandhi Day of Service, Dance Marathon, religious speakers in the Diag, as well as LGBT events.

The purpose of "Conceptions of Drag" was to challenge gender barriers and explain that gender roles should not be defined by what one chooses to wear or how one chooses to act. It was simply not a "show for cross-dressers, transvestites and others who belong on the Jerry Springer show." The LGBT community consists of contributing members of the University, "real people," many of which live outside "traditional" gender roles. Even though we, personally, are not cross-dressers or transvestites, we do value the customs and cultures of LGBT members, as well as the customs and cultures of all students. The LGBTA is a place, just like ISA, KSA or Hillel, where a student can find his or her home in this large academic institution.

To single out the LGBTA as the only organization undeserving of coverage in our school newspaper, and instead depicting us as a "freak show" is blatantly ignorant and narrow-minded. In addition, saying that University money should not be utilized to fund an event which attempts to instill positive attitudes towards the only minority group that is still socially acceptable to be prejudiced against is patently offensive and an "attack of the gay community."

Linda Mateos

LSA senior Stephanie Potter Engineering sophomore

Attack was contradictory

To the Daily:

We would like to respond to the Oct. 18 letter written to the Daily, "Reader: Drag show was undeserving of coverage." First of all, Kumar's comment concerning the exercise of his First Amendment rights is well taken however, his request to overlook his letter as an attack on the gay community is sadly contradicting. His last statement clearly shows his offensive attack on the gay community implying that cross dressers, among others who similarly deter from the "norms" of society, belong on the likes of the Jerry Springer show.

To assert that LGBT issues are even undeserving of coverage is indisputably undermining of the gay community by implying that their identity is irrelevant or secondary in the greater context of society. Understandably so, international issues are of great importance; however, he considers "these anti-conservative shows" a "complete waste of space and time." Furthermore, he states that "drag queen shows are not the typical front-page material of a respectable newspaper."

Well, what constitutes as typical, front-page material in your apparently conservative world? Is it the agenda of College Republicans bringing Dinesh D'Souza to campus in order to show us that racism no longer exists? If you are seeking this type of coverage, we suggest a subscription to the Michigan Review. The Daily covers what is happening on campus and if it happens to be something "anti-conservative" then it is, by no means, the fault of the Daily.

The University is a liberal campus and events such as the pageant will only expand as will the diversity and perspectives of its population.

Rupal Patel

Engineering junior Ami Patel Business senior

10-20-99