From: tfarrell@lynx.dac.neu.edu (Thomas Farrell)
Subject: Re: Tunnel Vision
Date: 18 Oct 1995 19:28:10 GMT

When I was first coming out, the college gay organization, NUBILAGA, was
having a dance. I volunteered to help put up posters, because I was the
only person at the planning meeting who was a dorm resident and
therefore had keys and access to the dorms to put up posters inside. I
got approval for the posters from the housing office and went about
putting them up.

I put up a poster outside the cafeteria when I went to dinner. When I
got out it was gone. I replaced it. It was gone when I came back for
breakfast. 

I put up posters in all the dorm lobbies. As I walked back to my dorm I
glanced in the doors and found most of the posters missing. I replaced
them. A few were ripped to shreds. I replaced them.

In my own dorm I put one in the lobby. It lasted about 15 minutes.
I put another in the elevator. It lasted less than 5. I replaced it.
That one lasted less than a minute. I stuck it on the wall in the
elevator, got off on my floor, walked to my room, dropped by bookbag,
grabbed my jacket, walked back to the elevator, and found "Die fags"
scrawled across my poster with a large black marker. Nobody was in
sight.

I hung another over a stairwell so high up that you had to use a ladder
and be over six feet tall to remove it. Half an hour later it was gone.

And I lived in the HONORS dorm.

I complained to my dorm manager. She just said "what do you expect me to
do about it?" and did nothing. 

I showed the poster with "die fags" on it to the university police. They
said they could file it if I liked but they couldn't do anything.

This is a horrible thing that has happened to you. However, your
community sounds more supportive than most. I'm sorry you had to have
this painful reminder of how most of the straight community views us. I
hope it will help you to find the energy to fight back with some truth
and reality.
				Tom