The University of Wisconsin's "Safer Spaces" campaign gathered momentum and held its third event of five Monday.

The campaign, which has been going on for a few weeks, includes a series of events put on by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Campus Center designed to combat hate crimes and promote a welcoming climate for UW's LGBT community.

The UW campus's acceptance of the LGBT community fell under scrutiny after the alleged hate crime incident at Ogg Hall earlier this semester. Interim Dean of Students Lori Berquam said that event, coupled with other observations, opened her eyes.

"If it happens once, it definitely happens more," Berquam said. "Unfortunately, things aren't as good as we may like to think."

Nathan Figueroa, a member of the LGBT department in the Dean of Students Office, said incidents like the one that occurred in Ogg Hall are not always noticed or go unreported.

"A large part of the problem is that people are not always receptive to incidents involving LGBT students and people," Figueroa said.

Awareness and acceptance of the LGBT community, and making Madison a safer city, is the ultimate goal of the campaign, according to Figueroa.

"We are hoping this campaign will not only raise awareness now, but will carry on with discussion and similar events in the future," Figueroa said. "We want to develop a broader anti-hate movement next year and in the years to come."

Figueroa, while acknowledging the positive potential of the campaign, said the funding for its inception came as a result of coverage of the incident at Ogg Hall.

"Unfortunately, in a sense, we've received funding for the campaign based on recent events," Figueroa said, adding the monetary backing for the campaign probably would not have been available if the publicized Ogg Hall incident hadn't taken place.

As the program is only a few weeks old, Berquam said it is difficult to judge students' responses to the campaign — especially as it pertains to the long term — but added that people have noticed it, which is positive. If nothing else, the campaign may make the campus more aware of these issues, Berquam said.

"I think that the LGBT community has been an easy target for people," she said. "I hope that this campaign at least makes people stop and think about — [and] reflect on — certain things that pertain to the LGBT community."

Any movements which bring to light topics involving the LGBT community are a good thing for the campus, Berquam said.

"I really appreciate what the LGBT Campus Center has done on this campaign and in general on campus," she said. "Exposing people to the fact that these issues are real is so important."

Figueroa said a large part of the campaign is the sale of T-shirts that read "gay? fine by me," and has been encouraged by the sales thus far. He added that the LGBT Campus Center has sold more than 500 shirts, which indicates an active student response to the campaign.

Monday's event, the viewing of "Family Fundamentals" — a film about parents who actively oppose homosexuality despite having gay kids — was the third of five planned events for the campaign.