In my time at the University of Wisconsin, I've realized it can be hard for a lot of people to adjust to the UW culture shock. So here are a few helpful hints drawn from some observations around campus:
When someone says "hi" to you on campus — around Dayton Street and Bassett Street, for instance — it is inappropriate to stare at his scarf and yell "Fag!" until you get a walk sign. Further, despite what you hear from those liberal media hacks, following a suspected homosexual home and throwing beer cans while expressing your distaste for man-love is not exercising constitutional privilege. It's just being a moron.
As last week's headlines suggested, the incident in Ogg Hall in which an LGBT liaison was threatened and had property vandalized wasn't surprising. Tolerance and empathy for cultural differences seems low in this alleged progressive bastion in the middle of Wisconsin.
Don't worry, I do not intend to waste your time by giving a spirited repudiation of hate speech. After all, if you are the type to be so incensed with the idea of two men kissing in a photograph that destroying things seems the only option, you are probably incapable of understanding the following insult: troglodyte.
Instead, this incident and the pending prosecution should be held up as a sort of validation for the stiffer penalties allowed by hate-crime legislation.
UW's ability to offer students personal growth by exposing them to foreign ideas can only go as far as the student body itself. To be a truly diverse and welcoming school capable of providing students with unique life experiences and exposure to unfamiliar cultures, UW has to be able to retain — or acquire, depending on your outlook — a diverse student body.
How could we possibly offer this experience if LGBT students can't even feel safe within the confines of university housing? Are we to tell a minority population that any bigotry directed at them is merely an exercise of free speech? Or that the incident in question, while obstinate and wrong, is an example of impudent drunkenness and not a serious crime?
So what is the big deal anyways? No one was hurt and police resolved the situation. Why do the young men accused have to face anything more than a disorderly conduct ticket? LGBT students should get some thicker skin and refuse to be intimidated by the late night rantings of a group of imbeciles. The threat of a mandatory felony is just a backdoor for censoring speech.
Those who proliferate this argument are overlooking a crucial point. This student wasn't handing out fliers and he wasn't at a gay rights rally. He was sleeping in his room at 2:30 a.m. He didn't come to UW to make a political power play or advance some left-wing agenda. He came here to go to school.
Threatening violence against an individual is an indignant response to some perceived insolence. Threatening violence against a culture or sexual orientation is a declaration of hate and intent to commit heinous crimes against an entire community. Thus, this brand of fanatic intolerance is more dangerous than your average late night dorm scuffle. It is both a threat to an entire strata of individuals and a black eye for an institution seeking to attract students from all walks of life.
Watching the nationwide debate over gay rights unfold summons parallels to the civil-rights movements of the 1950s and '60s. Gay rights have been cast aside by those born with the societal privilege of being heterosexual with the same disdain and befuddlement of those who saw no redeeming value in integrating schools. Nowadays those who argue against legislation which simply bans discrimination based on sexual orientation, as recently proposed in Washington state, claim it could lead to waves of fraudulent lawsuits against employers who unwittingly fire or turn down gay applicants. The resulting lawsuits could erode the American judicial system and spawn a new culture of litigation in which Americans turn to the courts to resolve their frivolous disputes. And that would be just awful. (Besides, whose constituents want to talk to a gay guy at the water cooler?)
The LGBT community has a reasonable expectation they won't be targets for vandalism and bigotry while on campus. While the free speech of others should be ferociously defended, it is essential for the well-being of this institution that we are able to attract students from every background and display an unflinching desire to provide all students a safe learning environment.
In the effort to forge a society in which minority groups don't fear leaving a familiar neighborhood and LGBT students feel safe and comfortable in their schools, the hate crimes enhancer sends an important message about free speech: don't exercise it through another's property.
Bassey Etim ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism and political science.
