Letter to the Editor

Dear Tripod,

Admittedly, this is a delayed response. I guess it has taken me a couple of weeks to reflect on a recent development at Trinity.

As a straight student, I want to express my whole-hearted support for the gay and bisexual community's chalkings on Parent's Weekend. Trinity College is an excellent school in many respects; however, we are glaringly deficient in one crucial department: the student body's attitude toward alternative sexualities. Most of my close friends expressed some sort of offense or disdain for the chalkings. What they, and many others at Trinity, fail to understand is that the gay community has been made invisible at this school. As a student body, we have made gay and lesbian students feel abnormal, unwanted, and un-included. Looking at the situation through this perspective, the chalkings were more than justified.

Any responsible and self-respecting Trinity student ought to recognize the dignity of all their classmates, completely regardless of their sexual orientation. Straight students should challenge the status quo, and make this campus a welcoming place for gay and lesbian students. How? For starters, we need to clean up our language. The words faggot, gay, dyke, and other such epithets are uttered too freely on this campus. Using these words creates an environment of intolerance. Transforming Trinity into a safe haven for alternative sexual identities is one of the key challenges this school faces today.

Sincerely,
Daniel Rudolph