LGBT Books Vandalized With Urine in Lamont Library (The Harvard Crimson, 12/12/10)

[Duncan Grant]

Marco Chan '11, co-chair of the Harvard College Queer Students and Allies, called the incident "extremely frustrating" and "disconcerting," and said that it represents a concern not only for the LGBT community, but for the Harvard community at large.

"I am very outraged. It is hard to conceive this as a coincidence when there are 40 books on the same subject," Chan said. "The message that this incident sent to me is that we need more resources not only for the LGBT community but also targeted towards other people."

Chan suggested workshops on homosexual, bisexual, and transsexual issues—similar to the mandatory freshman orientation event Sex Signals—as one possible way to respond to the bias evidenced by the incident.

"Everyone in our community should know that they play an important role in adjusting homophobia," Chan said.

Link

[RZM]

1. Something similar happened in my hometown back in the 90s

He was dubbed 'the mad shitter' and defecated on some LGBT materials at various local libraries. One of my relatives worked at a library where he 'struck.' The Daily Show did a funny field piece on it back in the Kilborn era.

http://www.madshitter.com/2006/10/madshitter-in-dayton-ohio.html

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. He's right about this:

>>>>The message that this incident sent to me is that we need more resources not only for the LGBT community but also targeted towards other people.">>>>

It would be nice to bring an awareness to the larger community that homosexuality and other variant behaviors are a natural *part* of the broader human condition.

Often education/outreach stresses "tolerance" which by implication sets up a polarity which I don't think exists in reality. Outreach shouldn't be based on a them-not-us premise. We are ALL effected by homosexuality just as we are ALL effected by heterosexuality.

If the urinator weren't effected powerfully by homosexuality he wouldn't be urinating , seems to me. ( And no, I'm not saying that he must be secretly or subconsciously gay .) He's probably feeling besieged by something he doesn't understand.

If it were studied, if it were * taught* ... as the history and science that it is... there would be less , " oh it's that thing over *there*" -ism. "They want us to be *tolerant* of that."

It's not a "they" thing; its an "us" thing. Heterosexuals spend more time thinking --- and worrying--- about us ( and "it") then *we* do... seems to me.

It's an EVERYBODY thing.

This might be a good place and time to start. Harvard kids should be able to get that.

I'm rambling. Anyone see what I mean?