Higher_Education_LGBT_Articles_Digest

#1
Sacramento Bee, April 7, 2003
P. O. Box 15779, Sacramento, CA, 95813
(Fax: 916-321-1109 ) (E-Mail: opinion@sacbee.com )
( http://www.sacbee.com )
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/6413995p-7366246c.html

VOICES RAISED AGAINST DAY OF SILENCE
A planned student protest of gay bashing draws parental opposition.
By Sandy Louey, Bee Staff Writer
       For a day of silence, there's a lot of commotion surrounding it. But
not the kind some local organizers want.
       On Wednesday, some students around the nation will observe a daylong
vow of quiet protest against what organizers say is the silence forced on
gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender students by discrimination and
harassment in schools.
       But the student-led Day of Silence, as it is officially called, has
sparked opposition in the Sacramento area from a group that says schools
shouldn't hold a political activity focusing on a lifestyle that some
consider immoral.
       "What does sexuality have to do with academics in our schools?" asked
Georgiana Pierce, director of the Eagle Forum of Sacramento, which objects
to the students participating. "Schools offer reading, writing, and
mathematics. It's not for sexual issues."
       Two weeks ago, members of Pierce's group stood outside two Elk Grove
high schools passing out fliers complaining about the event. On its Web
site, the group also posted a message titled "Real Americans Do Not Push
Homosexuality on Children!" The message said the Day of Silence allowed
"gay activist teens to push the gay agenda" and "promote gay rights through
silent children."
       The Day of Silence is an 8-year-old national event organized by the
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, a New York-based group. More
than 150,000 students in almost 2,000 middle and high schools and colleges
participated last year, organizers said.
       "This day is not focused on sexual preferences. This day is focused
on tolerance and a safe environment for all students," said Pam Benedetti,an
adviser for Elk Grove High School's Gay Straight Alliance student group.
       At Elk Grove High, about 125 students have signed up to participate
in Wednesday's event.
       "The silence is very empowering," Benedetti said. "It's ironic a
group would like to silence the silence."
       Elk Grove High is one of four high schools in the Elk Grove Unified
School District participating in the Day of Silence; the others are Laguna
Creek, Florin and Valley high schools. Other area campuses participating
include C.K. McClatchy High in the Sacramento City Unified School District
and Mira Loma High in the San Juan Unified School District.
       During the Day of Silence, students stay quiet for the entire school
day, handing out cards explaining their actions. At Laguna Creek and Elk
Grove High, participants are being required to get signed permission from
their teachers to remain silent during class. Organizers at other schools
are placing letters in teachers' mailboxes letting them know about the
event.
       The Eagle Forum focused on Elk Grove because many of its members have
children or grandchildren attending schools in the district, said Pierce, an
Elk Grove resident. The Sacramento group belongs to the national Eagle
Forum organization founded by conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly.
       Pierce said the Eagle Forum of Sacramento asked principals to cancel
the Day of Silence but were told the students had a right to hold the event.
That's when members decided to pass out fliers at Elk Grove and Laguna Creek
high schools.
       "We're concerned about the protection of the families and the
children that may be led to these lifestyles by these types of promotions in
the schools," Pierce said.
       Kevin Jennings, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight
Education Network, said the Elk Grove protest is the first one he has heard
of.
       "The students are the experts of what's happening in their schools,"
Jennings said. "We need to listen to them and not outside groups like the
Eagle Forum."
       Elk Grove Unified officials said they do not endorse or sponsor the
Day of Silence. They say the event is a club activity treated with the same
guidelines and First Amendment protections given to other student clubs.
       Benedetti said that during lunchtime, students can pick up materials
on tolerance and anti-gay bashing. Participating students can write about
their experiences or share them at a Breaking the Silence party after
school.
       Critics of the Day of Silence say it is inappropriate for schools to
focus attention on gay rights in the classroom.
       "If one child doesn't have to participate, that's not as disruptive
as shouting, but it singles out kids for preferential treatment," said
Kristin Westphal, the parent of an Elk Grove High School student.
       Students who plan to stay silent Wednesday say it does no such thing.
       "To those who claim silent protest disrupts the learning process, I
would respond that the hostility and the threats that gay students endure
when they come to school unfairly deprives them of the opportunity to learn
in class," said Katie Loncke, president of McClatchy High's Lesbian Gay
Straight Alliance.
       Kitty Laubacher, a social science teacher at Elk Grove High, said
students who took part in last year's Day of Silence did not interfere with
class lessons.
       "It poses no problem at all," she said. "They participate in every
way except speaking."
       Eight states, including California and the District of Columbia, have
laws specifically protecting students from harassment and discrimination
based on sexual orientation. No federal law expressly protects the rights
of gay students, according to officials at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight
Education Network.
       Eagle Forum member Teri Crump said issues such as homosexuality
should be dealt with by parents at home and not by schools. But Crump said
gay students do open themselves to comments if they talk about their sexual
preferences at school.
       "They need to be quiet about it," said Crump, who is the parent of a
seventh-grader at Toby Johnson Middle School in Elk Grove.
       A 2001 national survey by the gay education network found that 84
percent of gay students questioned heard anti-gay remarks at school, 31
percent had skipped at least one day of school because they felt unsafe, and
21 percent had been assaulted.
       Homophobic comments and slurs are heard every day in schools,
students say.
       "It's so commonplace that people don't notice it anymore, but it's
the thing that affects me the most," said Laura Rosen, a senior and vice
president of Elk Grove High's Gay Straight Alliance.
       She said comments were directed at her last year when she
participated in the Day of Silence. When that happened, she said, other
students stepped forward to protest.
       "I've never faced the sort of hatred that gay students have, but on a
day when I was putting myself out there and singling myself out, I sort of
learned what it's like to be a target," said Rosen, 17.
       Westphal, the Elk Grove High parent, said she sees no purpose for the
event.
       "It feels like it's being shoved down our throats," she said.
       Rosen said the goal isn't to change anyone's beliefs, but to work
toward a safe environment for all students.
       "It doesn't promote anything. It just discourages hate," she said.
       . About the Writer: The Bee's Sandy Louey can be reached at (916)
478-2654 or slouey@sacbee.com.

#2
Harvard Crimson, April 7, 2003
14 Plympton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
(E-Mail: letters@thecrimson.com )
( http://www.thecrimson.com )
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=347401

STUDENTS RAISE RAINBOW FLAGS TO KICK OFF 'GAYPRIL' [AT HARVARD]
By Eden B. McDowell, Contributing Writer
       About 25 students gathered in Sever Hall Friday to kick off
"Gaypril," a month of events slated to include celebrations of gay pride, a
queer sex toy party and a day of silence to promote awareness of homophobia.
       Associate Dean of the College David P. Illingworth '71 opened the
festivities Friday and praised the groups involved in planning the events.
       "Maybe someday we can fly one of these in front of University Hall,"
Illingworth said, referring to the two gay pride flags that adorned the
corners of the room.
       The Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters Alliance
(BGLTSA) is organizing Gaypril along with BOND and Girlspot.
       According to BGLTSA Political Chair Oussama Zahr '03, events include
a night of clubbing, an anti-homophobia speak-out on April 10 and a
discussion about whether to hold a "kiss-in" where same-sex couples would
kiss outside the Science Center.
       Illingworth said his 18 years of work in the College's admissions
office had made him particularly aware of the importance of creating a
community that fosters diversity, and that the BGLTSA is "in a position to
tell others that everyone is welcome here."
       Illingworth acknowledged the presence of homophobia on campus, and he
said that he would not stand for "official homophobia."
       BGLTSA Public Relations chair Mike B. Murphy '03, said he hopes the
month's events will challenge students to be tolerant, create a better sense
of community and work against the perception that the gay community is "an
accepted anomaly."
       Mather House BGLT Liaison Janson Wu won the raffle for a new BGLTSA
T-shirt that reads "Come play for our team."
       "I want to tell you what an amazing time it is to be an activist," Wu
said.

#3
Associated Press, April 7, 2003
http://newsobserver.com/nc24hour/ncnews/story/2416405p-2249249c.html

DUKE DIVINITY SCHOOL STUDENTS WANTED MORE SAY IN ETHICS CODES
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Some students of the Duke Divinity School wanted
more of an opportunity to consider an ethics policy that, among other
things, requires students and faculty members to live in "chastity."
       The code, called a "conduct covenant," governs the behavior of
faculty and students at the school and will go into effect in the fall
semester.
       The code calls on students to show respect, honor friendships and be
welcoming, hospitable and chaste.
       Among Christians, chastity has traditionally meant being faithful if
married and celibate if single.
       Gay and lesbian students, who cannot legally marry, are particularly
concerned because they fear they might violate the code if they have sexual
relations.
       Ethics professor Amy Laura Hall said the faculty unanimously agreed
that chastity could include responsible and faithful sexual relations among
gays and lesbians, though the code does not explain that.
       Chastity, Hall said, means "conducting one's intimate life in a way
that's not demeaning to oneself and to others."
       Duke Divinity School is affiliated with the United Methodist Church,
which does not ordain gays and lesbians and does not permit gay or lesbian
union ceremonies. The church's rule book describes homosexuals as people of
"sacred worth," but calls homosexual acts "incompatible with Christian
teaching."
       Not all the 488 students and 35 faculty members in the divinity
school are United Methodists, however. The school accepts students of other
denominations, including the United Church of Christ, the Metropolitan
Community Churches, and the Episcopal Church, where attitudes about same-sex
relationships are more accepting.
       "As it stands, it (the ethics code) comes from the administration to
us," said Chase Bannister, co-coordinator of the Student Life Ministry, the
school's student council. "I would have liked to have had more student
input and maybe even a vote."
       Students said copies of the code landed in their mailboxes March 12,
while they were away on spring break. At a regularly scheduled meeting of
the student body Wednesday, students grilled Academic Dean Willie Jennings
for an hour about the code.
       Several students said they didn't believe their views had been
solicited. But Jennings said the code has been in the making for at least
six years and has come up repeatedly at student meetings.
       "It's highly unlikely that anything close to a majority of students
didn't know about it," Jennings said.
       The covenant also forbids stealing, cheating or plagiarizing and
calls on students to live in Christian community, be accountable to one
another and open to judgment.
       Students said they were not opposed to the code in principle and said
it was probably well-intentioned.
       Some said they felt uncomfortable mandating such behaviors as prayer,
fasting, worship, study and chastity.
       "Most students are already trying to live their lives according to
the Gospel," said Jeremy Ayers, a student and a member of "Sacred Worth," a
gay and lesbian student group. "But they oppose it being legislated. They
want to be able to freely and voluntarily assent."

#4
Out In The Mountains (glbt), April 4, 2003
PO Box 1078, 39 Bridge Street, Richmond, Vermont 05477-1078
(Fax: 802-434-7046) (E-Mail: editor@mountainpridemedia.org )
( http://www.mountainpridemedia.org/oitm )
http://www.mountainpridemedia.org/oitm/issues/2003/04apr2003/news05_usual.htm

"USUAL SUSPECTS" LAUNCH CIVIL UNION REPEAL EFFORT [IN VERMONT]
by Paul Olsen
       A bill repealing Vermont's landmark civil union law and a
constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage in the state have
been introduced in the Vermont legislature.
       H.274, dubbed by its authors "The Marriage Restoration Act," would
repeal the civil unions law and void the 5000 civil unions performed in
Vermont since it went into effect in July 2000. The repeal bill has been
introduced in the House of Representatives with 16 cosponsors, including
Nancy Sheltra (R-Derby), Duncan Kilmartin (R-Newport), David Bolduc
(R-Barton), John Hall (R-Newport) and Loren Shaw (R-Newport).
       The 11 other representatives who signed on as co-sponsors are John
Winters (R-St. Swanton), Alan Parent (R-St. Albans), Norman McAllister
(R-Highgate), Harvey Otterman (R-Topsham), three of the four Rutland City
representatives (Thomas Depoy, Virginia Duffy, and Carl Haas, all
Republicans), Henry Gray (R-Barre Town), Stephen Webster (R-Randolph),
Philip Winters (R-Williamstown), and Sylvia Kennedy (R-Chelsea).
       The proposed constitutional amendment would leave civil unions intact
but would outlaw same-sex marriages in Vermont. The amendment, sponsored by
Sens. Julius Canns (R-Caledonia), Hull Maynard (R-Rutland), and Kevin Mullin
(R-Rutland), says, "that marriage between two people of the same sex is
invalid in Vermont and shall not be recognized for any purpose."
       Sen. Canns told Out in the Mountains that he introduced the
constitutional amendment because he wants to provide Vermonters with an
opportunity to vote on the issue. "This constitutional amendment was asked
for by a lot of people because it is the only way that the people of Vermont
can get it on the state ballot and decide the issue," he said. "I've had
many people tell me we need to vote on this issue up or down. It's
presently locked in the Judiciary Committee and unless and until the
chairman of that committee chooses to bring it up it will probably die."
       Senator Richard Sears (D-Bennington) chairs the Senate Judiciary
Committee.
       Co-sponsors of H.274 also concede that their initiative will likely
fail. "It won't go anywhere... it is largely symbolic," state Rep. John
Winters (R-Swanton) lamented. "We've got civil unions in Vermont and I'm
sure that we will always have it. I just never could agree with the civil
unions law. I ran in my two towns against that law."
       Canns' and Winters' pessimism reflects the makeup of the legislature.
Civil union supporters narrowly control the House of Representatives while
the Senate remains overwhelmingly controlled by pro-civil union Senators.
       In a February interview with Out in the Mountains, Republican Gov.
James Douglas also admitted that civil union is unlikely to be revisited
this legislative session. "I don't see much interest in reviving it," he
concluded. "I sense a clear focus on job creation and economic growth and
not as much interest in civil unions or other social issues. I think most
Vermonters don't want to revisit that issue in any form at this point."
       Civil union supporters agree with Douglas and conclude that
Vermonters want to move on. "We need to, of course, remain vigilant, but
most senators and representatives are working hard for all Vermonters and
have no desire to reopen old wounds, pitting neighbor against neighbor,"
said Beth Robinson, an attorney in the historic Baker v. State gay marriage
lawsuit.
       In a related civil union story, a judge in Texas recently issued a
divorce to two gay men who entered into a civil union in Vermont. Russell
Smith, 26, and John Anthony, 34, of Beaumont, Texas were joined in civil
union early last year. The Associated Press reported that Smith filed for
divorce for "financial reasons." Citing the U.S. Constitution's full faith
and credit clause, Judge Tom Mulvaney dissolved the civil union.
       The decision disappointed repeal co-sponsor Rep. John Winters. "I
was very surprised that a Texas judge abolished a civil union that was only
here in Vermont," he said. "It probably opens the door to something but I'm
not sure quite what."
       To track the status of any legislative bill online, go to
www.leg.state.vt.us and click on the Legislative Bill Tracking System. Paul
Olsen lives in Colchester and also writes for In Newsweekly.

#5
Collegiate Times, April 8, 2003
Virginia Tech, 362 Squires Student Center, Blacksburg, VA 24061
(Fax: 540-231-2481) (E-Mail: opinions@collegiatetimes.com )
( http://www.collegiatetimes.com )
http://www.collegiatetimes.com/index.php?ID=1267

BOARD OF VISITORS REVERSES CONTROVERSIAL DECISIONS
Virginia Tech's Highest Governing Body Has Voted To Rescind Its Earlier Actions That Eliminated Affirmative Action And Removed Sexual Orientation From Its Anti-discrimination Policy
by William Copsey and Brian McNeill, News Staff
       Virginia Tech's Board of Visitors narrowly voted 8-5 Sunday to
reinstate affirmative action at the university and to include sexual
orientation in the non-discrimination policy.
       Last month, the board voted to eliminate all racial and gender
preferences at the legal advice of Attorney General Jerry Kilgore. A memo
from Kilgore's office to the board said individual board members would be
legally liable if the university was sued for excluding students because of
affirmative action.
       The board removed sexual orientation from the non-discrimination
policy because sexual orientation is not considered a protected class in
federal and state laws.
       Those decisions, passed March 10, polarized the campus and sparked
several vociferous protests by students and faculty members.
       The board held a special meeting Sunday that was attended by several
hundred community members, many holding signs decrying the board's perceived
racism and homophobia.
       "I think this is a very positive sign," said Tech President Charles
Steger. "It's a good step forward for getting the university back
together."
       Steger, in an address to the board as they considered rescinding the
earlier actions, had harsh words for board members, saying removing
affirmative action and sexual orientation from the non-discrimination policy
has a severely negative effect on campus diversity and the reputation of the
school.
       "These actions cast a shadow over Virginia Tech in the eyes of other
universities across the country," he said.
       Steger also hinted that the motivation of removing affirmative action
and sexual orientation from the non-discrimination policy was based more on
political agendas than legal fact.
       "We must strike a balance between our personal beliefs and what is
best for the university," he said.
       Because of the changing legal landscape regarding the issue of
affirmative action, the board appointed a committee to amend the admissions
process.
       The committee will investigate how Tech can bring itself in line with
a "narrowly tailored" admissions process, meaning the university can
consider race and gender, but may not use a quota system.
       BOV Rector John Rocovich voted against rescinding the board's March
10 decisions and said the university is leaving itself open to lawsuits
alleging discrimination in admissions.
       Specifically, Rocovich said anti-affirmative action organizations
such as the Center for Equal Opportunity have threatened schools with
lawsuits for their admissions policies that take race and gender into
account.
       There is no impending legal threat against Tech's admissions
policies, and many have questioned the argument that affirmative action is
unconstitutional in the first place.
       Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments about the
constitutionality of affirmative action at the University of Michigan. The
court's decision on the case is not expected until this summer.
       It is premature for Tech to overhaul its admissions policies before
the court announces its decision, said several board members.
       The board's action taken March 10 was widely criticized because they
did not solicit public input and there was no public discussion of the board
regarding affirmative action or discrimination against people for their
sexual orientation.
       Consequently, the board voted Sunday to implement a new policy
requiring three days prior notice before a new resolution can be passed by
the board, giving the public time to give input on the policy's
ramifications.
       Rocovich has become a target for criticism because of his key role in
the board's original elimination of affirmative action and the removal of
sexual orientation from the non-discrimination policy.
       Rocovich said he was trying to work in the best interests of the
university and also protect himself legally.
       Including sexual orientation in the non-discrimination policy goes
against laws passed by the General Assembly, he said.
       Despite hundreds of universities and private-sector companies across
the country including sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policy,
Tech should not, Rocovich said.
       "Just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean that it's
right," he said.
       Also, sexual orientation should not be included in the
non-discrimination policy because it "makes Virginia Tech a billboard for
special interest groups," Rocovich said.
       In this case, that special interest group was a broad coalition of
students and administrators who fought for several years in the early 1990's
to get sexual orientation on the books.
       Rocovich likened the situation to a hypothetical case of having
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals approach the board and ask for a
resolution seeking a ban on unethical treatment of animals.
       "Just because we don't endorse the ethical treatment of animals
doesn't mean we support the unethical treatment of animals," he said.
       However, the board and Rocovich in particular have come under fire
for allegedly working against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights
since last summer when a lesbian professor's appointment to a tenure track
professorship was rescinded.
       In that case, an anonymous "poison pen e-mail" was circulated among
the board, lambasting the professor for her sexual orientation. The
professor, Shelli Fowler, is nationally recognized and has won awards in her
field.
       The denial of her hiring drew national attention, sparking charges of
bias and homophobia from across the country.
       Gov. Mark Warner supported the board's decision to reverse its
earlier actions in a statement Sunday.
       "I am pleased that the Virginia Tech board has voted to rescind its
March 10 resolution and establish a subcommittee to seek ways to strike a
reasonable balance in promoting diversity in university programs," Warner
said.
       Warner also said the board should wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to
make its decision on affirmative action before this issue is revisited at
Tech.
       The board members who reversed their decision on the March 10 actions
said they had not originally thought through the ramifications of
eliminating affirmative action and removing sexual orientation from the
non-discrimination policy. Others said they changed their minds after
realizing Kilgore's interpretation of the law is only one of many regarding
affirmative action.
       "We may have been naïve," said board member Ben Davenport, who voted
to rescind the March 10 decisions.
       Before board members voted, a number of students and faculty members
spoke, asking the board to overturn its earlier decisions.
       "Virginia Tech must step forward and address this issue, setting the
standards for others to follow," said Bevlee Watford, associate dean of
academic affairs in the department of engineering.
       Many large corporations, including Honeywell, IBM, General Electric
and Lockheed Martin, have expressed concern about diversity at Tech, Watford
said.
       The board had in its grasp the ability to begin repairing the damage
done at its March meeting, said Sterling Daniel, president of the Student
Government Association.
       "Our university has been cast into the national spotlight as one that
does not welcome freedom of speech," Daniel said, "nor does it welcome
minorities, gays or lesbians."
       Daniel then asked the board to prove Tech's critics wrong and rescind
its previous actions.
       "On behalf of the student body, I urge you to reinstate the previous
non-discrimination policy, pending a ruling in the Supreme Court on the
Michigan case, and to forever strike down the proposed first-amendment
limitations," Daniel said.
       In a statement yesterday, the Center for Equal Opportunity criticized
the board's decision to reverse its decisions.
       "They got it right the first time," said Linda Chavez, president of
the Center for Equal Opportunity.
       Chavez warned that the decisions might lead to lawsuits against the
university.
       "The Center for Equal Opportunity, among others, will be keeping a
close eye on Virginia Tech," Chavez said.
       The board members who voted to rescind the earlier action were: Bruce
Smith of Virginia Beach, Thomas Robertson of Roanoke, John Lawson of Newport
News, Ben Davenport of Chatham, Philip Thompson of Richfield, Conn.,
T.Rodman Layman of Pulaski, Jacob Lutz of Richmond, and Beverly Sgro of
Asheville, N.C.
       Those who voted against rescinding the March 10 action were: Rector
John Rocovich of Roanoke, Vice Rector William Latham of Manassas, Donald
Johnson of Salem, Ronald Petera of Toano, and Mitchell Carr of Waynesboro.

#6
Chronicle of Higher Education, April 8, 2003
1255 23rd Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037
(Fax: 202-452-1033) (E-Mail: editor@chronicle.com )
( http://chronicle.com )

VIRGINIA TECH BOARD REVERSES DECISION TO ELIMINATE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND
PROTECTION FOR GAY STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS
By Thomas Bartlett
       After weeks of angry protests, Virginia Tech's governing board on
Sunday restored an affirmative-action policy and official protection for gay
students and faculty members, reversing a move that had "cast a shadow over
Virginia Tech in the eyes of many universities across the country,"
according to its president.
       During the special session, the board also struck down a resolution
it had passed barring anyone who had "participated in illegal acts of
domestic violence and/or terrorism" from meeting on the campus unless they
obtained permission from the president. The board had already announced
that it was not following that policy.
       A crowd of about 300 cheered when the decision was announced to
reinstate affirmative action in hiring and admissions and to restore
official protection for gay and lesbian students and employees. "The voice
of the people was so loud and so constant that it had to be heard," said Edd
Sewell, an associate professor of communication studies and president of the
University Council, Virginia Tech's faculty senate. "The coalition of
students, faculty, and alumni came together and let their opinion be known
to the board, and it made a difference."
       The board voted 8 to 5 to rescind the resolution on affirmative
action, which it had passed at its March 10 meeting. The earlier decision
was made at the urging of Jerry Kilgore, Virginia's attorney general, who
had advised the board to eliminate affirmative action or risk being held
personally liable for damages in any potential lawsuits brought by
disgruntled applicants for admission or staff positions.
       Ben Davenport, a board member, now says that March decision was a
mistake. "We messed up. We just messed up," said Mr. Davenport. "We
didn't realize the magnitude of what we had done, and so once we did, we
called a meeting and we fixed it."
       Mr. Davenport, along with several other board members, encouraged
John G. Rocovich, the board's rector, or chairman, to call the special
session. Mr. Rocovich was one of five members who voted against reversing
the decision, along with William C. Latham, Mitchell O. Carr, Donald R.
Johnson, and A. Ronald Petera. While he stopped short of calling Sunday's
reversal a mistake, Mr. Rocovich said that eliminating affirmative action at
the university was "the right thing to do" and denied that the decision had
been made hastily. "I accept the judgment of the board, and we will move
forward in a unified manner," Mr. Rocovich said. He added that "to the
extent that it satisfies some constituencies, I'm pleased that they are
satisfied."
       The resolution banning participants "in illegal acts of domestic
violence" had been unanimously approved at the March 10 meeting, but it was
never put into practice and had already been declared illegal by the state's
attorney general's office. The board officially rescinded the measure on
Sunday.
       In addition, the board passed a resolution requiring that all changes
to board-meeting agendas be made at least three days in advance. The
controversial resolutions passed at the March 10 meeting did not appear on
the agenda, and board members complained that they had not had time to
properly consider them.
       Mark R. Warner, Virginia's governor, issued a statement praising the
board's actions. "My administration worked with the board and the Virginia
Tech administration to help produce this positive result," the governor's
statement said, "and I thank those board members who supported our efforts
to ensure campus diversity while we await more definitive legal guidance
from the U.S. Supreme Court this summer."
       Mr. Davenport said the reversal came after the board heard "almost
daily" from people who were unhappy with the decision to eliminate
affirmative action and delete protection for gay and lesbian students and
employees. He also said that board members had been "genuinely naive" about
the ramifications of the decision. "I thought we were dealing with the
tweaking of a legal issue," he said.
       Mr. Davenport said he also came to realize that what the board had
done was "extremely disruptive" to admissions, faculty recruitment, and fund
raising, and had damaged the reputation of Virginia Tech among other
universities.
       "I've eaten crow before and it doesn't taste very good," Mr.
Davenport said. "But I believe in eating crow and then getting on with it."

#7
Roanoke Times, April 8, 2003
P. O. Box 2491, Roanoke, VA, 24010
(Fax: 703-981-3204 ) (E-Mail: karent@roanoke.com )
(http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes )
http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/news/story147762.html

EDITORIAL: KUDOS TO VIRGINIA TECH'S BOARD OF RE-VISITORS
The board did Sunday what it should have done initially: listened to many
views, and decided thoughtfully.
       Virginia Tech's Board of Visitors was right Sunday to reverse
precipitous decisions that barred any consideration of race or gender in
university admissions and hiring, and removed policies to protect
homosexuals from discrimination.
       The board returned to the university's administration the discretion
it needs to fulfill one of Tech's missions as a state institution: to
educate as diverse as possible a population of qualified students for the
benefit of the entire commonwealth.
       When it removed that discretion, the visitors sent a chill through
academia that, uncorrected, would have hurt the university's reputation as
it struggled to raise its national standing as a research powerhouse.
       As encouraging as the reversal itself was the board's willingness to
hold a special, open meeting to reconsider broad policy decisions it made
last month in private, without notice and without comment even from
university officials.
       Board member John Lawson put it well in saying, "We needed to listen
to all of the people involved, and we did." Transparency before the fact,
rather than after, might have been no less controversial. But it would have
produced a more thoughtful result. The visitors should keep that in mind.
       Of course, the board acted initially on the advice of Attorney
General Jerry Kilgore's office, which continues to warn that Sunday's
reversal could revive policies that conflict with an appellate court ruling
that sharply restricted race-conscious affirmative action. The board set up
a committee to help draft policies to meet current legal requirements.
       Those requirements, of course, well might change with a U.S. Supreme
Court decision on affirmative action expected this summer. Ideally, Tech
would have awaited that definitive ruling before deciding what, if any,
changes to make in a policy that rests on unsettled constitutional ground.
       Now, at least, it clings to a commitment to opening its doors wide.

#8
Columbia Missourian, April 3, 2003
Box 917, Columbia, MO, 65205
(E-Mail: editor@digmo.org ) ( http://digmo.org )

SEX AND THE PROFESSOR
University of Missouri-Kansas City professor Harris Mirkin's essay on pedophilia set off a nationwide
controversy; one year later, he's still talking
Jeff Oliver
       "I'm not God," says Harris Mirkin, political science professor at the
University of Missouri-Kansas City. "I really am not. I don't pretend to
be God. I don't believe I'm God. I'm not particularly wise as a judge."
       He's smiling at the ceiling of his office. It's the type of thing
you can say without appearing pretentious only if someone has told you the
world would be a better place if you were dead. And Mirkin knows that, so
when he says it he lays his hands out to the side and surrenders.
       Now, a full six years after he wrote the essay that made him famous,
Mirkin sits in his office shrugging helplessly while he smiles his likeable
smile and repeats the inflated phrase that floats, at one time or another,
through the self-effacing fantasies of every author, academic and maker of
ideas. "I really do not believe myself to be a judge or a god."
       Mirkin's essay, "The Pattern of Sexual Politics: Feminism,
Homosexuality and Pedophilia," was accepted by the Journal of Homosexuality
after Mirkin submitted it in 1997. It was published in 1999. The paper
pulls on a thread that Mirkin says runs through the respective political and
public reactions to feminism, homosexuality and pedophilia. It is an
academic essay that not only describes how things are but also discusses how
things could be.
       The article didn't receive much public attention until last March.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune, in an article about the pedophile cases in the
Roman Catholic Church, identified Mirkin as a "trailblazer" among an
unofficial but coordinated cadre of academics seeking to normalize
pedophilia. According to the article, evidence of Mirkin's membership in
this pro-pedophile group existed in the professor's essay.
       The pro-pedophile group, not to mention his position at the front of
it, was news to Mirkin, and it was news to his colleagues. It was also news
to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Kansas City Star, The New York Times,
The Wall Street Journal, The O'Reilly Factor, The Independent in London, the
British Broadcasting Company, NPR, several newspapers in Japan and hundreds
of talk-radio shows across the United States.
       It sounded like bad news to Missouri Rep. Mark Wright, R-Springfield.
In April 2002 he told the Missouri House of Representatives that Mirkin's
ideas were "illegal." The House scrubbed $100,000 from UMKC's budget (an
amount equivalent to Mirkin's salary plus benefits) last April 3. With
minor adjustments, the legislation cleared the state Senate April 25.
       By then, Mirkin could have filled a scrapbook with the press coverage
he had received. If the goal was to punish Mirkin and UMKC, the legislation
achieved the opposite. Although the censure and resulting media attention
caused a small crisis at UMKC, the school came out "looking pretty damn
good," as Mirkin says.
       Mirkin says he was worried, but only at the beginning. The worry
subsided when he realized he would not lose his job. The worry disappeared
when he received the university's support. "The course of action was pretty
clear," says Steve Ballard, head of academic affairs at UMKC.
       At the time, few at the school had actually read Mirkin's essay
though the campus's copy of the Journal of Homosexuality volume 37 now
cracks open to it at Miller Nichols Library. The faculty senate quickly
issued a statement that Mirkin's opinions were his own but defended his
right to express them. In the midst of the mania, Mirkin emptied his voice
mail - which holds 20 messages - four times a day. He says most of the
calls were from people thanking him for discussing a sensitive topic.
       Mirkin held on to his position as chair of the political science
department, and, with a renewed sense of possibility, he continued work on a
book about child pornography. He will call the book Forbidden Images,
Forbidden Thoughts: Child Pornography in American Politics.
       After 30 years in Kansas City, Mirkin has no trouble letting you know
he's originally from New York. He simply opens his mouth. The sound seems
to arrive via a detour along Manhattan streets. It resonates from his
entire head, particularly from his hair, which is curly, disobedient and
almost yellow. The image is Albert Einstein watered down with a bit of Mark
Twain; it's a decent pedigree for a political science professor who likes to
write about politics and sex.
       There are at least 50 Web sites that explain why Harris Mirkin must
be ignored, shunned or even investigated. Only a handful of Web sites
praise Mirkin. Those sites, however, are run by groups most people probably
wouldn't want to know exist, such as the North American Man/Boy Love
Association, which advocates mutually consensual relationships between men
and boys.
       One Web site belongs to Mirkin's neighbor Jacques Tucker. A retired
Marine, Tucker is, in appearance as well as ideology, the orthodox answer to
Mirkin's liberality. The Mirkin-related part of Tucker's site opens: "The
April 2002 hubbub. My neighbor on the left side of the street (if you're
headed south). As Sgt. Friday said, 'Just the facts, M'am (sic).'"
       "The facts," it turns out, are a collection of links to articles
about Mirkin, a short history of his career and (self-contradictory though
it might seem) some flattering quotes from a former student. Tucker says he
created the site because "no one benefits from pedophilia." He says he'll
likely keep it up as long as he lives.
       This response typifies many readers' reactions to Mirkin's essay. It
has little to do with the essay's main ideas: The political majority
decides what is sexually acceptable; the majority will fight for the right
to decide; and sexuality is a social construction. Critics have instead
focused on the essay's claim that moral objections to pedophilia are either
politically strategic or overly impassioned.
       Mirkin frames his explanations of the article in terms of what it is
not. "It was not an endorsement," he says. "This was not an article about
pedophilia."
       It can be a frustrating process to find out whether Harris Mirkin, a
career academic and Princeton graduate, believes that sex between an adult
and a child is acceptable.
       Ask Mirkin, for example, if he believes Americans ought to open their
minds regarding adult-child sex, and he'll cite studies that say children
are less affected by such relationships than the general public thinks they
are. He'll talk about how intergenerational sex was common in Greece and
Japan. He'll say most of the phone calls and e-mails he's received since
April 2002 are from people thanking him for allowing them to talk about the
relationships they had as teenagers.
       Ask him if his article gives aid and comfort to pedophiles, and he'll
agree that it probably does, "if you want." Then he'll remind you that he
has two grandchildren and that he isn't a pedophile.
       Mirkin expresses his doubts about the allegations against Catholic
priests. He'll explain that many of the alleged victims were older than 14
at the time of abuse. This means they were post-pubescent, which means even
if they were involved sexually with priests, it can't technically be called
pedophilia. He thinks some of the relationships could have been consensual
though he admits he doesn't know what actually happened. He does not
condone sexual relationships involving minors and authority figures though
this, more or less, defines any relationship between a child and an adult.
He says only a monster can defend the raping and injuring of a child. "It's
a terrible thing."
       Ask him enough questions, and he'll spread his arms and proclaim his
mortality. Sooner or later, you realize Mirkin has no idea whether adults
ought to be having sex with children. What Mirkin does believe,
undoubtedly, is that people should be discussing the matter. "I'm a John
Stuart Mill-type liberal," he'll say. "If you question and then decide,
it's better."
       There is a simple genius to Mirkin's essay. You could say Mirkin
never said adult-child sex is acceptable - he said adult-child sex might not
be unacceptable. It's a genius that wouldn't be considered genius at all if
the goal were not simple discussion. With a topic like pedophilia, however,
you have a conversation that is irresistible for someone who has staked a
professional claim on the moral high ground. Someone like cable
television's most popular conservative talk show host.
       Someone like Bill O'Reilly. Representatives of Fox News' The
O'Reilly Factor had told the university that they would cover Mirkin's essay
with or without his participation. "They told me that if I didn't go
[O'Reilly] would, in effect, crucify me in absentia," Mirkin says.
       On the show that aired April 30, 2002, it doesn't take long for
O'Reilly to get down to business. "Look," O'Reilly says. "Let me ask you
flat out: Don't you believe, doctor, that sexual contact between an adult
and a child is wrong? Do you believe that?"
       O'Reilly talks very calmly before his audience of 2 million viewers.
He seems to hold a pin between the thumb and pointer finger of his left
hand. He pricks each word as he says it, so there can be no confusion.
       The distinction between what is pedophilia and what isn't pedophilia
is important to Mirkin because he believes many have used the term
incorrectly to make sex between adults and children sound more heinous.
       According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders, the manual used by the American Psychiatric Association to
diagnose mental illness, a pedophile must be five years older than the
victim, and the victim must be prepubescent.
       Most of Mirkin's opinions about adult-child sex have to do with the
type of relationship that involves post-pubescent minors and adults. "All
right. So pedophilia across the board is wrong, correct?" O'Reilly
continues.
       "What I . " Mirkin says.
       "Correct?"
       "No, what - no, because you're not making ... "
       "So pedophilia is defined as sexual contact with a child
prepubescent."
       "If you're . If you're going to use a dictionary definition of
pedophilia, but that's not the definition that is being used in the United
States today."
       "Sure it is. That is exactly what's being used."
       It's hard not to see O'Reilly using Mirkin. Mirkin's stutter is so
unsuited for this sort of exchange that, as he says later, "the only hope is
that O'Reilly comes off looking like such a bully."
       By the end of the interview, O'Reilly has made his opposition to
pedophilia clear, in case there was any doubt. Then O'Reilly says, "But I
read your article, and your article calls for quote 'discussions about this'
and delineates rape and fondling and all. That is a bunch of bunk, and you
should be ashamed for trying to promote that kind of discussion."
       Now Mirkin has been chastised. But his appearance on the show is
promoting the discussion in which 2 million people are participating. And
so, smiling, he replies: "My article does call for discussion of the
issues."
       Mirkin says he will submit a new article for publication some time
after the end of this semester. He isn't finished writing it, and he's not
sure to which publications to send it. Mirkin knows few publications will
touch the subject matter. This essay is about the "eclipse of an art form,"
Mirkin says; in this case, it is the art of depicting children naked.
       "There is a long, long art tradition of depicting nude kids,
especially nude boys," he says. "Now, almost any picture of a nude kid is
likely to be considered child pornography."
       Using examples from famous artwork before the 1900s, Mirkin's essay
will explain why naked children are now considered taboo in art. "I imagine
it will be controversial, but I can't imagine how reprints of famous
pictures can get you in trouble," he says. "But then again, I could
underestimate Missouri."
       The last time Mirkin published, it took more than two years for the
controversy to build and about a month for it to break. He says he doesn't
know what to expect this time, but he's not worried. Indeed Mirkin, who
admits he never had a burning desire to be a political science professor,
seems to have recently discovered his passion. He has taken notes
throughout the past year and is developing new theories about how "those who
scream" dominate the public space.
       He smiles at the thought of what might happen when he publishes his
book on child pornography. He admits there's a possibility the spotlight
has made him cockier. However, he says: "The truth is I'm 66. I know who I
am."
       He harbors two regrets: One, The New Yorker called him silly (in an
article by Louis Menand); and two, he accepted the invitation to appear on
The O'Reilly Factor (something he wouldn't do again if given the chance).
       "One of the things that interests me about me is that I do tend to
believe in a fairly benign universe," he says. "I really think good will
come out on top. Whatever the hell you define good as."

       Mirkin's media odyssey
       1997: Harris Mirkin, a professor of political science at the
University of Missouri-Kansas City, finishes his essay "The Pattern of
Sexual Politics: Feminism, Homosexuality and Pedophilia" and submits it to
the Journal of Homosexuality. The journal accepts the article.
       1999: The Journal of Homosexuality publishes Mirkin's essay.
       MARCH 25, 2002: Citing Mirkin's essay, the Minneapolis Star Tribune
describes Mirkin as a "trailblazer" among a group of scholars working to
normalize pedophilia.
       APRIL 3, 2002: In an attempt to "send a message" to Mirkin, the
Missouri House of Representatives passes legislation docking $100,000
(Mirkin's salary and benefits) from UMKC. The legislation passes the Senate
on April 25.
       APRIL 30, 2002: Mirkin appears on The O'Reilly Factor.
       APRIL and MAY 2002: Reporters from publications such as The New York
Times, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Kansas City Star, the British
Broadcasting Company and several Japanese newspapers contact Mirkin asking
for interviews.
       AUGUST 2002: UMKC Chancellor Martha Gilliland is awarded the Hubert
H. Humphrey Medal, which is given annually to the most outstanding public
policy practitioner by the Policy Studies Organization. Gilliland won the
medal "because of strong stands she has taken over the last year in defense
of academic freedom and her fight opposing state cuts to funding for higher
education," according to the organization.
       SUMMER 2003: Mirkin will submit an essay for publication on the
"eclipsed art" of depicting children naked.

An excerpt from Mirkin's controversial essay:
       "This article will develop a model of sexual politics by discussing
the struggles over feminism and homosexuality, and then use the model to
clarify the current political situation of pedophiles. Though the issues
have shifted from the new woman, sodomy and masturbation in the early part
of the century to current concerns with promiscuity, homosexuality and
pedophilia, the general patterns of sexual politics have remained remarkably
stable ...
       In the sexual arena some groups are more privileged than others ...
Sexual power positions are fiercely held and outcast groups, like those
defined as political subversives, have little political protection ... What
is bourgeois becomes 'natural,' all else 'unnatural' ...
       This article will argue that, like homosexuality, the concept of
child molestation is a culture and class specific modern creation. Though
Americans consider intergenerational sex to be evil, it has been permissible
or obligatory in many cultures and periods of history ...
       Ironically, in trying to protect children from sexual exploitation we
have so eroticized them that almost any picture of a naked child is likely
to be considered sexual and pornographic ...
       There was little public discussion of gays and lesbians prior to the
Stonewall riot in 1969 (though there was ferment within the gay community
itself), just as in the 1990s there has not been a debate about the threat
of child molesters. It was simply assumed that homosexuals were sick.
Indeed a debate was precluded by the terms 'queer,' 'pansy' and 'fag' in the
same way as any current discussion of intergenerational sex is stopped by
the terms 'molester' and 'abuser' ...
       Real discussions of pedophilia, as opposed to ritualistic
condemnations, are almost non-existent.   There are no commonly used neutral
labels, and words like 'child molestation,' and 'child abuse' are used in
the same way as 'fag' and 'queer' were: to preclude discussion ...
       Six and thirteen year olds are grouped in the same category ('child')
and images of intergenerational sex acts that take place with pubescents and
post-puberty teens are routinely projected back onto very young children.
In the same way as adolescents are merged with little children, all sexual
activity is equated with violent or coerced sexual activity ...
       [Pubescents and adolescents] are never considered partners or
initiators or willing participants even if they are hustlers. If this area
is to be discussed, distinctions need to be made. Rape and other
non-consensual sexual activities need to be separated out in this as in all
other sexual categories, and acts involving young children need to be
separated from those involving youths. Distinctions need to be made between
incestuous relationships with parents and other types of relationships ...
       It is possible that being against child abuse has functioned as a way
for Americans, who are often accused of ignoring their children in their
quest for success and money, to feel virtuous - especially since it is often
the caretakers of children that are accused of abuse ...
       Much more attention needs to be paid to the patterns of sexual
politics, and to the pressure groups that are active in the area ...
       [D]espite the popularity of the phrase 'sexual politics' the dominant
political concepts still reflect a time when sex and politics existed in
separate spheres. Those outdated concepts distort our vision and need to be
replaced."
- from "The Pattern of Sexual Politics: Feminism, Homosexuality and
Pedophilia" by Harris Mirkin, Journal of Homosexuality, Volume 37, No. 2
(1999)

#9
Cavalier Daily, April 8, 2003
University of Virginia, Newcomb Hall, Charlottesville, VA, 22901
(E-Mail: cavdaily@cavalierdaily.com )
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=15770&pid=1001

PROUD TO BE OUT [AT UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA]
Elizabeth Katz, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
       Sex, drag queens, dinner in a Garden and a trip to Washington, D.C.
all come together this week during "Proud to be Out" week sponsored by the
Queer Student Union.
       Last night featured Justin Lee addressing "Christians, Gays and God:
finding truth in a biased world." The Queer Christian Fellowship and the
Serpentine Society cosponsored the event.
       Sex columnist Eric Garrison is speaking about "The G-Spot" at 7 p.m.
Tuesday in Newcomb Ballroom, cosponsored by the Health Unity Council, a
group comprised of 11 different health organizations on Grounds as a part of
Health and Wellness Week.
       The speaker will be followed at 8:30 by Drag Bingo.
       Fourth-year College student and outgoing QSU webmaster Brian Dunkel
said Drag Bingo is usually very successful.
       It is the major fundraiser of each semester, and there is usually
over 100 participants, Dunkel said.
       Last semester, Dunkel said he was one of nine students dressed in
drag for the event.
       "We just try to entertain students as well as possible," he said.
"It's a lot of fun. It's an interesting experience - it's fun in the way
that Halloween can be fun."
       Wednesday is the National Day of Silence from 9 a.m until 5 p.m.
       Incoming QSU co-president Kevin Wu, a first-year College student,
said the event is intended "to protest the silence imposed on those who
remain closeted."
       The event was started by a member of the University's Gay Student
Union in 1996, said outgoing QSU president Mike Maszaros, afourth-year
College student.
       The event has spread to 1,900 other universities in the country,
Maszaros said.
       Wu said students who wish to participate can pick up a packet on the
Lawn containing cards explaining the purpose of their silence.
       Also on Wednesday, Hector Vargas's program, "Speak Out," has
attracted the support of ASU, LGBTRC, UPC, NOW, The Women's Center, LSU and
OYFA in addition to the QSU in conjunction with Asian-Pacific American
Heritage Month. Vargas is an extremely famous civil rights activist who is
both Asian American and homosexual, Maszaros said.
       Thursday will feature Queer Jeopardy at the Wesley Foundation.
Topics will include trivia about queer pop culture and a gift certificate to
Banana Republic given to the winning team, Wu said.
       Jeopardy will be followed later that night by college night at Club
216.
       The 30th Anniversary Celebration will take place Friday at Lawn V at
5 p.m.
       Maszaros said the officers have invited all alumni, staff, faculty,
graduate students, law students, business students and undergraduates who
have been involved in the QSU or its predecessors over the past 30 years.
       The week will conclude with Youth Pride Day in Washington, D.C.
Saturday.
       Wu said the QSU's participation is similar to tabling on the Lawn.
The purpose is to attract gay and lesbian high school students to the
University.
       "We try to reach out to high school students and get them to look at
Virginia schools because they usually don't look at them as queer friendly,"
he said.

#10
Cavalier Daily, April 8, 2003
University of Virginia, Newcomb Hall, Charlottesville, VA, 22901
(E-Mail: cavdaily@cavalierdaily.com )
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=15788&pid=1001

EDITORIAL: A DAY THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES [AT UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA]
       Today marks the second day in "Proud to Be Out Week," where groups
around Grounds sponsor activites to foster queer pride. These activities
range from events like Drag Bingo and Queer Jeopardy to the Day of Silence,
scheduled to take place tomorrow, where participants stay silent from 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. in a demonstration of support for gay rights. We welcome its
return to Grounds, and hopefully the coming years will see a substantial
increase in support for this initiative.
       The Day of Silence originated here at the University in 1996 by Maria
Pulzetti, then a first-year student. Since then, the Day of Silence has
transformed into a national movement, which was observed at over 1,900
colleges, high schools and middle schools last year. Gov. Gray Davis of
California last year declared April 10 a "Day of Silence," and the past two
years a bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to
support the National Day of Silence effort.
       However, as the Day of Silence movement has spread nationally, it
continuously lost momentum here at the University. By 2000, there was a
significant lack of enthusiasm in the project. And last year, the Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Union (the precursor to the QSU) decided not
to participate in the Day of Silence.
       This was an extremely unfortunate decision, but fortunately the QSU
decided to revive the Day of Silence this year. This means of activism is
novel and effective, in that it profoundly illustrates the silence into
which many queer students are forced. In a society where heterosexuality is
assumed, gay and lesbian students are often alienated and forced to declare
their sexual orientation, or be automatically assured to be heterosexual.
Students coming to terms with their sexual orientation are forced into
silence about their sexual orientation by a culture of heterosexism.
       Participants in the Day of Silence initiative express that which
cannot be expressed: the unspoken oppression and prejudice toward queer
students. Strides have been taken toward acceptance in the past few years.
A Student Council initiative, for example, educated students on the negative
effects of the "not gay" chant with two years of tireless effort, which led
to a sizeable decrease in the volume of the chant. Likewise, in years past,
the University has been supportive of initiatives like the LGBT Resource
Center.
       However, the University is still far from a bastion of tolerance. As
long as homophobia exists, and students are afraid to affirm their sexual
orientation, there will be a need for this type of activism. Hopefully, in
addressing these issues, the Day of Silence will remain a University
tradition in the years to come.

#11
365Gay.com, April 8, 2003
http://365gay.com/NewsContent/040803akSuit.htm

14 YEAR OLD GAY STUDENT SUES ARKANSAS SCHOOL BOARD
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
       Little Rock, Arkansas - The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit
in federal court today against the Pulaski County Special School District
for its treatment of an openly gay 14-year-old student.
       The lawsuit contends that school officials violated Thomas
McLaughlin's rights to free speech, equal protection, and privacy, and that
they violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment by preaching
to him and forcing him read the Bible as punishment.
       "We tried to work with the district to reach a settlement that would
protect Thomas McLaughlin's Constitutional rights and allow him to be open
about his sexual orientation," said James Esseks, litigation director for
the ACLU's Lesbian and Gay Rights Project.
       "They were offered ample opportunity to do the right thing here, but
the district refused to meet our demands so we're taking them to court to
ensure that other lesbian and gay students in the district wouldn't face
similar discrimination."
       In papers filed today with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern
District of Arkansas, the ACLU is seeking an injunction to prevent
Jacksonville Junior High School from further restricting McLaughlin's speech
with regard to his sexual orientation or past discipline he's been subjected
to by school officials.
       "All I want out of this is for me and other gay students to be able
to go to school without being preached to and without being expected to lie
about who we are," said Thomas McLaughlin.
       The ACLU sent a letter to the district on March 13 describing how
Jacksonville Junior High School faculty and administrators had "outed" the
teen to his parents without his permission, preached to him, made him read
the Bible, and disciplined him for talking about his sexuality and later for
talking about that punishment.
       McLaughlin's disciplinary record confirms these allegations, said the
ACLU.
       "Our demands are fairly simple. The district needs to acknowledge
students' First Amendment right to talk about their sexual orientation
during non-instructional time," said ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project
staff attorney Leslie Cooper, adding, "We want the district to expunge
Thomas's disciplinary record, and we want them to say in their district
policies that they won't violate the Constitutional rights of lesbian and
gay students."

#12
365Gay.com, April 8, 2003
http://365gay.com/NewsContent/040803Pulitzer.htm

QUEER BOOK WINS PULITZER
by Robb Michaels, 365Gay.com Book Editor
       New York City - A novel which describes eight decades in the life of
a Greek-American family as seen through the eyes of its intersexed narrator
has won the Pulitzer Prize for literature.
       Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides has been called "brilliant" and
"astonishing" by reviewers.
       In the most general of definitions someone who is intersexed
possesses the sexual organs of both male and female.
       Raised as a girl by her second-generation Greek-American family,
Calliope (now Cal) Stephanides is physiologically a hermaphrodite and is
more male than female.
       Eugenides describes how as a teenager Calliope begins to grow a
moustache and comes to terms with "her" changing body, ultimately changing
"her" name to Cal.
       The story shares the thoughts, feelings, and intimate details of the
lives of Cal's grandparents, parents, and other family members.
       In this omniscient first-person mode, the reader get an epic family
saga, a journey from 1920s Greece to 1960s Detroit to contemporary Europe.
       Eugenides says he got the idea for Middlesex after reading a book by
French philosopher Michel Foucault that contained a memoir by a 19th-century
hermaphrodite.
       Middlesex was nominated for a 2002 Lambda Literary Award in the
Transgender category and was also nominated for a National Book Critics
Circle Award for fiction.

#13
Western Herald, April 8, 2003
1523 Faunce Student Services Building
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008
(E-Mail: Herald-Opinion@groupwise.wmich.edu )
( http://www.westernherald.com )
http://www.westernherald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/08/3e921b9084b0

OUTSPOKEN PROTESTS LGBT DISCRIMINATION [AT WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY]
by Crystal Apilado and Aubrey Moody, News Staff
       OUTspoken will hold a silent protest and rally Wednesday as part of
the National Day of Silence to bring awareness to the silencing and
harassment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students because of
their sexuality.
       "LGBT youth and their allies take a nine-hour vow of silence to bring
light to the silencing, violence and harassment that LGBT youth are
experiencing daily in their high schools," said Alison Alpert, graduate
student in creative writing and southwest coordinator of the National Day of
Silence.
       Those taking part in the National Day of Silence events are groups
from high schools and colleges throughout southwest Michigan, including
OUTspoken, the Western Michigan University group for lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender students, according Alpert.
       Sandra Pfannes, president-elect of OUTspoken and junior majoring in
English, said the silent protest at Miller Plaza will begin at 8 a.m. and
last until 4:30 p.m. During this time, people from the university
community, some faculty and everyone who supports the cause on campus, will
be silently protesting the fact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
students are continually silenced.
       "We're doing it to recognize how students on campus are silenced
everyday," Pfannes said. "A lot of us can't speak out about who we are and
about being gay, lesbian, bisexual and transvestite."
       Carrie Barber, junior majoring in sociology and vice president-elect
of OUTspoken, said the protest will address issues in regards to hate crimes
and violence toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.
       According to Alpert, WMU's OUTspoken has been meeting with
surrounding schools to plan for the National Day of Silence project. Alpert
said participating high schools include Gull Lake, Kalamazoo Central, Loy
Norrix, Portage Central and Portage Northern. Members of OUTspoken have
also been working with members of P-Flag, individuals from Kalamazoo College
and various community organizations.
       Alpert said the purpose of the event is to bring light to the
harassment experienced daily by LGBT students.
       According to Pfannes, the silent protesters will be protesting how
some students at WMU feel that they are silenced, are afraid of coming out
about their sexuality and other situations LGBT students put up with in high
schools across the country.
       "Some people might be carrying signs that say that they were victims
of a sex crime at Western or somewhere else," Pfannes said. "We'll have a
big sign letting people know how they can change things at Western and some
of the problems, along with ways people can help."
       Aside from all of the planning within the OUTspoken members at WMU,
the group has been meeting with other schools from the area as well,
according to Barber.
       WMU's silent protest project varies from that of the National Day of
Silence, however, in that the program was designed for a high school
setting.
       "Most of the other schools are high schools," Barber said. "The
program was designed for a high school atmosphere."
       According to Barber, OUTspoken's variation to the vow of silence is a
result of the fact that a vow of silence in class has little impact in a
college setting.
       "Because we're college students, if you don't talk all day in class,
not everyone is necessarily going to notice," Barber said. "It doesn't have
the impact that it does in high school, so our idea was to do a silent
protest."
       According to Alpert, the vow of silence will end with a "Breaking the
Silence" rally and speak-out at 6 p.m. in rooms 208-210 of the Bernhard
Center.
       Alpert said Rep. Alexander Lipsey, D-60th District; John C. Austin,
Michigan State Board of Education member; and school representatives from
local high schools and colleges; will be speaking out about the growing
numbers of LGBT groups and organizations on campuses.
       "What's happening is really exciting," Alpert said. "People are
starting to organize."
       Alpert said there will also be informational tables set up from about
20 organizations.
       Following the speak-out and rally is a candlelit march around WMU's
campus. The march is scheduled to start at about 7:35 p.m.
       On Saturday, a day-long conference and strategizing session will be
held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Bernhard Center. The "Day of Dialogue"
is a national conference open to the public.
       Alpert said the conference is a space where LGBT and their allies can
get skills and learn strategies in dealing with LGBT issues.
       "It's a space for people to gain skills and build strategies to make
our schools safer and more supportive of LBGT," Alpert said.
       Alpert said that according to statistics from the Gay, Lesbian and
Straight Education Network (GLSEN) 2001 national school climate survey, 83
percent LGBT report being harassed, 64 percent of LGBT report being sexually
harassed, 74 percent of transgender report being sexually harassed and 69
percent of LGBT say that they feel unsafe on their campus because of their
sexual orientation.
       Alpert said that check in for the conference will be in room 212 of
the Bernhard Center.
       To register for the conference or to take part in the silent protest
those interested may call Alpert at 387-2999.

#14
Northern Star, April 8, 2003
Northern Illinois University
Campus Life Building, Suite 130, DeKalb, IL 60115
(Fax: 815-753-0708) (E-Mail: editor@northernstar.info )
( http://www.star.niu.edu )
http://www.star.niu.edu/campus/articles/040803-lgbt.asp

CELEBRATING LGBT AWARENESS [AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY]
Today's spring reception is not just for LGBT students
By Linda Luk, Cultural Affairs Reporter
       Today, members of the faculty and staff of the university, as well as
students, will gather and celebrate in honor of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Awareness Month.
       The Presidential Commission on Sexual Orientation is hosting its
annual spring reception.
       "It is just a time for people in the LGBT community and friends to
get together and socialize," said Margie Cook, program coordinator for LGBT
programs. "This is a good chance to get together and connect with people
they don't see on a regular basis."
       The reception also will provide an opportunity for students to meet
other students.
       "The receptions are a great way for students to meet other LGBT
students, faculty and staff from all over campus," said Louise Steeves,
secretary of the Presidential Commission on Sexual Orientation. "Imagine
the feeling a student gets when he/ she meets up with a professor in his or
her department who is also LGBT."
       Cook added that this reception is not just for LGBT students.
       "The receptions are, by no means, only for the LGBT community,"
Steeves said. "All are encouraged to attend. Whether you're gay or not
isn't the issue; the issue is if you are an ally to the community."
       At the reception, food will be available, as well as a live musical
backdrop.
       In the past, between 50 to 75 people have attended the event.

#15
Northern Star, April 8, 2003
Northern Illinois University
Campus Life Building, Suite 130, DeKalb, IL 60115
(Fax: 815-753-0708) (E-Mail: editor@northernstar.info )
( http://www.star.niu.edu )
http://www.star.niu.edu/campus/articles/040803-history.asp

NOT ALL HISTORY IS IN BOOKS [AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY]
Historian will speak to NIU about history of gays
By Sarah Rejnert, Staff Reporter
       There are a plethora of activities celebrated during April, including
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Month events.
       Renowned author and scholar John D'Emilio will speak about gay
history during today's lecture.
       What makes D'Emilio's presentation different than other presentations
held this month is that he will examine the history of the gay community
during the past decade and what has changed in people's perceptions
regarding gays.
       "Our main goal for the evening," said Margie Cook, coordinator of the
LGBT Resource Center, "is to provide an expert critique of shifting
attitudes and opinions in society today about the gay community."
       D'Emilio will read from "The World Turned: Essays on Gay History,
Politics and Culture," his new book. D'Emilio is a history professor at the
University of Illinois at Chicago.
       Cook said the presentation will not be limited to D'Emilio reading,
as it will be a very interactive evening. D'Emilio will read two essays
from his book and then will open the floor to questions. He also will lead a
group discussion.
       "He will be reading one essay about Bayard Rustin and another about
AIDS and the gay community," Cook said.
       Rustin, Cook said, was an important civil rights leader in the 1960s,
serving as the key adviser to Martin Luther King Jr., and organizing the
Civil Rights March. He was an extremely important figure in the '60s, and
many people didn't know he was gay.
       "I hope, specifically the gay community, but also anyone interested
in history, politics and culture will benefit from this event," Cook said.
       This is D'Emilio's first time speaking at NIU, and Cook encourages
all to come because it is a fabulous opportunity to hear a famous historian
speak on key issues.
       "I hope his visit here will help us know our history better," Cook
said. "Especially since the gay community tends to be left out of our
history books and overlooked."

#16
Louisville Courier-Journal, April 8, 2003
525 W. Broadway, Louisville, KY, 40202
(Fax: 502-582-4075 ) (E-Mail: cjletter@louisv02.gannett.com )
( http://www.courier-journal.com/ )
http://www.courier-journal.com/business/news2003/04/08/biz-2-paper08-2738.html

[UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE] STUDENT BUYS PAPER FOR GAY COMMUNITY
By Wayne Tompkins, The Courier-Journal, wtompkins@courier-journal.com
       A 23-year-old University of Louisville student has purchased a
monthly Louisville newspaper serving the gay community.
       Jason Smith will oversee The Letter beginning with its May issue.
Improving the paper's regional content is one of his first goals.
       "There's a lot of national and international news, and I'm trying to
bring it down to a regional scope," said Smith, who also is the paper's
editor. "We're starting with getting more news out of the Lexington market
... so that I can hopefully get more advertisers out of Lexington. Then
we're going to do the same thing in Cincinnati."
       Smith has been a free-lance writer for The Letter and other
publications for five years. He is majoring in business administration at U
of L.
       Writing has "been a passion, and when I started free-lance writing
for The Letter, it became even more of a passion, because I got to do things
I'd never done before. I got to do theater reviews and news reporting and a
very versatile scope of things," he said.
       The Letter has a print run of 7,000 copies and a readership of
perhaps 20,000. The paper is distributed north to Indianapolis, west to St.
Louis, south to Nashville, Tenn., and east to Lexington and Cincinnati.
       Former owner and editor David Williams and his company, Phoenix Hill
Enterprises Inc., sold the company for an undisclosed amount. In his column
in The Letter's April edition, Williams, 56, said he was burned out.
       "I'm tired. It's no longer fun," wrote Williams, the paper's editor
since 1994 and its owner since 1997. "Stories I should have been reporting
on weren't being written."
       Williams said he will continue with The Letter as a consultant and
writer.
       "In Jason Smith I've found a rare combination of writing talent and
business savvy that will keep The Letter humming along, I'm sure, for years
to come," Williams wrote.
       The Letter was founded in June 1990.

#17
Daily Trojan, April 9, 2003
University of Southern California
USC Student Union 421, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0895
(Fax: 213-740-5666) (E-Mail: dtrojan@usc.edu )
( http://www.dailytrojan.com )
http://www.dailytrojan.com/article.do?issue=/V148/N51&id=01-bigot.51v.html

BIGOTS INSULTING PRIDE [AT UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA]
Dara Purvis
       This week is the Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Transgender Assembly's annual
PrideFest - a week set aside once a year to raise awareness about queer
issues and make the entire campus feel, if only for one week, welcoming and
safe for all students.
       Sadly, this year continues the tradition of bigoted students
vandalizing the rainbow flags hanging on Trousdale Parkway, presumably
because any sight of gay pride incenses them so much that they are driven to
criminal behavior.
       This year, a flag was ripped down within a few days of being hung,
even before Pride Week officially started. At least one was taken; two
years ago, almost all of the Trousdale flags were stolen, only to be found a
few days later in a dumpster on campus, torn into shreds and covered in
homophobic slurs. No culprits were ever identified, and the university did
not designate the incident as a hate crime, although Student Senate did. A
few years before that, a giant rainbow flag was hung on the front of Bovard
Auditorium. That, too, was stolen. (Interestingly, according to the
Department of Public Safety Web site, there have not been any hate crimes in
any of the years on record, dating back as far as 1999.)
       I believe that the average USC student is not as close-minded as
these vandals are. The fact remains, however, that there is a significant
portion of USC's community that wants to intimidate gay students back into
the closet.
       A letter to the Daily Trojan in October 2000 in response to chalking
Hahn Plaza best illustrates this attitude. Among the many statements
written on the ground were "Your mother could be gay," "Your brother could
be gay" and "We're everywhere - accept us!" The letter describes such
statements as "patently offensive," and defends the students who stole the
rainbow flags from Trousdale, saying they "were most likely just tired of
having sexual politics forced on them. We all are."
       This kind of reaction is precisely what gay students face in a
worst-case scenario. Nobody blinks if a heterosexual couple holds hands
walking around campus, but a gay couple doing such a thing is accused of
throwing their "lifestyle" in the face of whomever sees them.
       The sentiment expressed by the chalker is true in real life. Will
the truth set you free? Many gay parents are open with their children about
the parents' sexual orientation. But there are students on this campus that
are either not open about their sexuality at all, or maybe just not to you.
As is evident from the constant vandalism whenever the GLBTA has a public
event, some students prefer it that way.
       This is not acceptable. Students of all sexual orientations must
feel safe and part of the USC community, whether they proclaim their
sexuality loudly or keep it private. It may be impossible to change the
mind of a bigoted student - but the USC community should be able to keep
that bigotry from turning into criminal acts targeting gays.
       The hate-crimes bill passed by Student Senate last week was an
excellent start, and an especially timely one. There are organizations on
campus that provide support to gay students, notably the Rainbow Floor and
the Center for Women and Men. But students at USC must also make it clear
that acts targeting gay students at USC will not be tolerated.
       Today is the National Day of Silence, protesting such attempts to
silence gays, not allowing them to express their loves and lives in peace.
Go up to a protester, take one of their cards and thank them for
demonstrating. If enough of us make just that step, perhaps one day such
protests, and the continual re-purchasing of flags, will no longer be
necessary.
       . Editorial columnist Dara Purvis is a senior majoring in political
science. To comment on this article, call (213) 740-5665 or e-mail
dtrojan@usc.edu.

#18
Yale Daily News, April 9, 2003
Yale University, New Haven, CT
(E-Mail: yale@yaledailynews.com )
( http://www.yaledailynews.com )
http://www.yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=22479

OPINION: WHERE DO GAYS BELONG ON THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM? PLEASE DON'T SAY THE LEFT.
James Kirchick
       How should being gay compel me to oppose war in Iraq, or, even worse,
support GESO? Because according to the left-wing attitudes that predominate
the campus and national gay political discourse, that is how I should feel.
       For example, on more than one occasion, the LGBT Co-op e-mail list
has included numerous items regarding anti-war and pro-GESO activities on
campus. The latest Co-op e-mail included information for a lecture titled
"The Media and Iraq: Beyond the Propaganda Frame" given by a correspondent
for the Berkeley-based Pacifica Radio network, which is to the extreme left
of National Public Radio. The Oct. 20 e-mail invited recipients to a
"teach-in" titled "Why to Oppose the War and What We Can Do to Stop it."
Among the speakers was a representative of the International Socialist
Organization. The March 3 Co-op e-mail, sent the Monday that locals 34 and
35 and GESO were on strike, called upon "every student to walk out of class
and come to a massive event on College Street next Thursday the day of the
strike."
       What, in the name of all that is homosexual, do these events have to
do with gay issues? I was told by a Co-op leader that such announcements
are made on the list because political activism is of interest to gay
students on campus. Yet never has a lecture by a conservative speaker or
event that would appeal to a right-of-center audience been advertised. Why
is it assumed that gay people are inherently sympathetic to all liberal
causes?
       The LGBT Co-op, as a gay organization, is not alone in advocating
political positions that are at best irrelevant and at worst detrimental to
gay concerns. One of the nation's oldest gay lobbies, the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force, recently decided to join the "Win Without War"
coalition, despite the Iraqi regime's despicable treatment of gay people.
       But this is not a column about questionable usage of a list-serve or
organizational sponsorship for particular causes. The problem at hand
represents a far greater conflict not just within the gay community, but
other minority communities as well; that is, the enforcement of political
conformity. In many circles, whether they be civic, political or even
personal, it is expected that if you are gay (or a person of color), you
must be liberal. The tired and inappropriate victimization language used by
gay and black political movements has excluded many people over the past few
decades. For example, the charter of Yale's LGBT Cooperative states,
"Because we believe that all systems of oppression are interdependent, we
understand ourselves as a part of greater social justice movements."
       Which "greater social justice movements" is the Co-op referring to?
Using such vague language allows the Co-op to engage in causes that have
nothing to do with the fight for gay equality.
       If sexuality could even be construed as a locus from which to
determine a stance on war in Iraq, then it would seem more likely that gays
would support this current military action. Homosexuals especially know the
burdens that the state can inflict through various forms of discrimination.
Thankfully, gay people living in democracies do not have to worry about
facing state repression. We cannot share in the institution of marriage and
may not have all the same pecuniary rights as straight people, but the
government lets us live in relative peace and we are in no way at threat of
torture or decapitation for being gay, as many gay people are around the
globe. Simply put, the developed Western world affords all of its citizens
individual liberty regardless of sexual orientation. Therefore, if
homosexuals want to effectively fight for the rights of their fellow gays
abroad, like in Iraq, one would assume that they would support efforts to
change those regimes in order to make them more democratic. With democracy,
civil order and respect for minorities gradually follows, which can only
mean good things for gay people.
       The response of the Co-op to two recent speakers on campus epitomizes
the problems that the gay left faces. The way that the gay community (and
the campus at large) has reacted to the upcoming visit of the Rev. Fred
Phelps, of "GOD HATES FAGS" fame, has been markedly different than the way
in which it treated the anti-Semitic, racist, misogynistic and homophobic
poet Amiri Baraka last month. Whereas a flurry of activity followed the
announcement of Phelps' visit and protestations of various sorts will be
held, the Co-op decided to do absolutely nothing about Baraka. Perhaps
Baraka's homophobia is less brazen than Phelps', but if "all systems of
oppression are interdependent," why did the Co-op not formally protest
Baraka's welcome by the Afro-American Cultural Center on the basis of his
anti-Semitism and racism? Surely if Phelps had been invited for a speaking
engagement by a student group, and if they labeled him a "brilliant man,"
(as the Afro-American Cultural Center tagged Baraka) the Co-op would have
had a fit, and rightfully so.
       When I asked a Co-op leader why there was such a conspicuous double
standard in the organization's responses to Baraka and Phelps, I was told
that there is a "distinction between art and politics." Since Baraka is an
"artist" who was "instrumental in the black arts movement" it would have
been censorious for the Co-op to protest his visit.
       Yet the line between politics and art is hardly distinct, if it even
exists at all. Whereas I choose to express my political opinions in
newspaper columns and Phelps through his mischief on street corners, Baraka
chooses to do so via poetry. Just because Baraka chooses an avenue of
expression that is called "art" does not make him immune from criticism for
the views he expresses therein. For the left in general and the gay left in
particular, it is far easier to scorn a redneck preacher from Topeka than a
black extremist from Newark. This is hypocrisy, and paternalistic racism,
at its worst.
       The Co-op, and all gay organizations for that matter, must speak out
against all forms of homophobia. It is also of equal importance for gay
groups to refocus their advocacy on domestic partnerships, AIDS funding and
other issues of direct concern for the gay community. The LGBT Co-op, NGLTF
and other such organizations should actually represent the community they
claim to represent, and stop meddling in issues which divide us.
       . James Kirchick is a freshman in Pierson College. His column appears
regularly on alternate Wednesdays.

#19
The Daily Collegian, April 9, 2003
Penn State University, 123 S. Burrowes St., University Park, Pa. 16801-3882.
(E-Mail: letters@psu.edu ) ( http://www.collegian.psu.edu/ )
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2003/04/04-09-03tdc/04-09-03dnews-11.asp

STUDENT LEADER SPENDS DAYS ADVOCATING FOR SEXUALLY OPPRESSED MINORITIES AT
PENN STATE
By Caralyn Green, Collegian Staff Writer
       Sara Ryan is not gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. She is not
silenced, marginalized or oppressed on the basis of whom she loves.
       Sara Ryan is an ally.
       "Often it is helpful to have a strong voice of someone who is not a
member of a marginalized community, to advocate along with those who are
silenced by oppression," said Ryan (sophomore-political science and African
and African American studies). "Sadly, sometimes, it needs that outside
voice to gain validity."
       As an advocate for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
community, Ryan spends more than 30 hours each week challenging homophobia
and heterosexism at Penn State, both as Undergraduate Student Government
(USG) director of LGBTA affairs and as multicultural director of Lambda
Student Alliance.
       Ryan's days start early and end late, with classes, meetings,
paperwork and passion falling somewhere in between her 9 a.m. wake-up buzz
and 11 p.m. homework kickoff.
       "I was taught from a young age that LGBT people, people of color,
everyone should be treated equally," Ryan said. "But that isn't always the
reality."
       While helping blow up balloons and sort T-shirts before last Friday's
Pride Week rally, Ryan explained the importance of "safe space" training for
Penn State community members: "We need to proactively create safe spaces,
[which are] areas and environments where LGBT people feel it's OK to be
themselves, and aren't in any physical or emotional harm. It's not just the
absence of homophobia. Silence is complicity, and we're trying to combat
that."
       Ryan spoke of this rebellion against silence at a rally, challenging
straight allies to "come out" as advocates and thanking those who have.
More than 50 students and community members gathered at noon on the steps of
Old Main and listened to Ryan thank the record-breaking 70 campus
organizations co-sponsoring Pride Week, which continues until Friday.
       "All I can say today is rock on and thank you," Ryan said from the
podium, as tears flowed from her eyes. "For members of Penn State's LGBT
community, it was getting awfully lonely standing up here, for decades,
alone."
       USG President Rubina Javeri, who attended Friday's rally, said she is
constantly amazed by Ryan's passion, energy and knowledge as an advocate of
LGBT issues. Many of Ryan's peers, including Kelly Ross, Allies director,
appreciate Ryan's efforts at making Penn State LGBT-friendly as well as
opening students' eyes to innumerable social injustices. "After interacting
with Sara, you come away with a better understanding of the movement,"
Ryan's boyfriend Matt Thomas (senior-philosophy and psychology) said. "Sara
goes beyond going to programs and speakers and speaking herself."
       Ryan, who recently ran for USG vice-president, said she is just as
busy now as she was during campaigning if not busier. Because she believes
there is "no hierarchy of oppression," Ryan dedicates herself to various
realms of activism, including Allies, the Interfraternity
Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon and Gye' Nyame, a committee within Black
Caucus.
       Amid answering USG-related e-mails and coordinating her schedule of
10 to 15 meetings each week, Ryan explained that social justice pervades
every facet of her life, from the classes she takes to the friends she
makes.
       "It makes me excited to wake up in the morning," Ryan said.

#20
The Daily Vidette, April 9, 2003
Illinois State University, University & Locust, Normal, IL
( http://www.dailyvidette.com )
http://www.dailyvidette.com/news/412089.html

STUDENTS EXPRESS SUPPORT SILENTLY [AT ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY]
By Hannah Landis
       Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender people and their supporters
will make a statement today by saying nothing as part of the National Day of
Silence.
       At college campuses across the country and around the world, a day of
quiet reflection will observe the abuse some GLBT people suffer.
       From 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., students that are either GLBT or an ally
will take a vow of silence in recognition of all the people who have been
silenced because of their sexual orientation and identity, PRIDE Vice
President Val Laymon said.
       Students can learn more and take the pledge of silence outside
Schroeder Hall.
       PRIDE will have literature and other resources available, and will
distribute cards for silent participants to carry, so if anyone asks
participants why they are not talking, they can show them the card, Laymon
said.
       The card states, "Please understand my reasons for not speaking
today," with an explanation of the rights they are supporting and the kind
of hatred that has caused silence.
       "People who are silent today believe that laws and actions should be
inclusive of people of all sexual orientations," Laymon said.
       She said GLBT people have often been silenced in extreme manners, to
the extent of being physically hurt or sometimes even killed.
       She added it also includes people silenced in social situations or in
their jobs.
       Laymon said some of the participants would be wearing tape across
their mouths as a more visual kind of statement.
       She said she hopes people will be more understanding this year, and
will display more respect for the movement.
       "Unfortunately, we have found opposition in the past," she said,
recalling how last year the event met active opposition from several
individuals.
       Several Registered Student Organizations have pledged support by
collaborating with PRIDE to purchase a full page blank advertisement to
symbolize silence. At the bottom of the ad, the names of the sponsors are
listed, along with the pledge of silence.
       At 5 p.m. on the Quad, the silence will be broken with a cry of
celebration. Laymon said weather permitting there would be a break the
silence picnic in the People's Park (behind the ISU tennis courts), where
participants can gather to talk and reflect on the day.
       She explained that the event is part of the GLBT weeks, a celebration
in recognition of GLBT culture, which commenced Monday evening with a
performance by bisexual singer Skott Freeman in the Normal Theater.
       The two weeks are full of programs and performances. Comedian Vicki
Shaw will perform Friday, and slam poet Alix Olsen will perform April 17.
       The two weeks will conclude with a planned bus trip to the "Boystown"