To the Editor:
I am writing in regard to the recent homophobic incident that has taken place on campus. As a first-year student, it's distressing to see this kind of blatant hatred for fellow humans at an institution that prides itself with tolerance, intelligence and humanity. Although I tried to shove aside those negative stereotypes of Dartmouth as an unaccepting place before I got here, they all seem to be ringing true with every racist, sexist and homophobic comment that gets hurled on a daily basis. And what's worse is that some people don't even care. Indeed, if someone had written "KILL JEWS" or "KILL NIGGERS" instead of homophobic statements, I'm sure the campus would have been in a great uproar trying to find the perpetrators. But somehow we'll let this one slide because homosexuality just doesn't seem to merit the same attention. That isn't right. As an African-American female, I'm fearful of all hate crimes, and something needs to be done about them. I urge all students to show support for gays and not let a few reactionary fools define our identity.
