Editorial
I Nebraskan
r:~“_
Curt Wagner, Editor. 472 1766
Amy lidwards, Editorial rage Editor
Jane llirt. Managing Editor
Lee Rood, Associate News Editor
Diana Johnson, Wire Page Editor
Chuck Green, Copy Desk Chief
Lisa Donovan. Columnist
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Prejudice abounds
Cut of CO LAG E funding shows bigotry
If it wasn’t apparent before, it is now — homophobia and
bigotry exist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. And they
exist in the highest student governing body, the Association
of Students of the University of Nebraska.
ASUN Wednesday night removed student fee funding for the
Committee Offering Lesbian and C»ay Events. Earlier in the semester
the Committee for Fees Allocation had allocated $746 for the gay/
lesbian programming group.
ASUN needlessly removed that funding, while giving various rea -
sons that showed each senator’s personal prejudices, fears of what
they know little about and total disregard for the mission they were
elected or appointed to perform.
Countless times during the meeting senators brought up a 1987
ASUN ballot question asking students if they approved of funding
for a gay/lesbian group. Senators said the majority of the students
who voted in the election voted against the funding. ASUN senators
claim they are representative of the UNL student body. But that is
not a valid claim w hen only 15 percent of the student body voted.
Gay and lesbian students boycotted the 1987 elections, protesting
the NOFAG party that was on the ballot.
If senators want to be truly representative of the student body,
they should represent all of the student body -- including homosexu
als. That did not happen at Wednesday’s meeting. And that shows
ASUN senators are not doing the job they have been elected to do.
ASUN senators, like all citizens, are allowed to have their ow n
personal biases and prejudices. But, when acting as the representa
tives of all students on this campus, they should rise above those
prejudices.
They did not do that last night.
Case in point -- newly appointed Sen. Steve Thomlison, a
freshman in general studies, opposed COLAGE funding partially on
a morality basis. Since when do ASUN senators have the right to
judge the morality of students?
Thomlison moved to amend CFA’s proposal so that it would not
include money lor gay and lesbian programming.
He quoted the U.S Supreme Court case, Bowers vs. Hardwick.
Unit slated Unit "the federal Constitution does not confer fundamen
tal right upon homosexuals to engage in sodomy,”
Part of that decision was based on “die presumed belief of
majority of Georgia electorate that homosexual sodomy is immoral
and unacceptable ...”
ritomlison said alter the meeting that u> assume that homosexuals
have constitutional rights is to throw away years of teaching of
morality.
During the meeting, he urged ASUN senators to take the morality
of homosexuality into consideration before voting. Part of his speech
included an assumption “that wc are all Christians here.”
Well, UNL is a state-run university that docs not discriminate
because of race, sex or religion. Thomlison seems to be forgetting
that. He said that a “majority” of students on campus are Christians
and he feels he is representing that majority. But not all UNL
students are Christian.
And Thomlison’s arguments concerning sodomy have no business
in this debate. COLAGE funding does not go to organizing sodomic
orgies, or any other sexual act - be it hetereosexual or homosexual.
The University Program Council, which COLAGE is a committee
of, creates its committees to suit the educational, entertainment and
§ cultural diversity of student needs at UNL. COLAGE is a committee
that does this, but ASUN doesn’t seem to care.
COLAGE programming can benefit all students on campus by
just bringing homosexuality out into the open, by increasing the
understanding of homosexuality and by stopping homophobia. That
is something that ASUN senators would definitely benefit from.
The gay and lesbian population also can be considered a legiti
mate culture. Homosexuals have their own distinct history, litera
ture, music, vernacular and societal function to provide for progress
and change. Therefore, the gay and lesbian population is definitely a
minority: as Webster’s Dictionary says, "a part of a population
differing from others in some characteristics and often subjected to
differential treatment.’’
Last semester, ASUN senators talked openly about how a
weekend ’’Appreciating Cultural Diversity" retreat showed them
how minorities were treated unfairly. Other senators’ comments'
showed they wanted that treatment to change. What has happened to
their attitudes since then? They definitely reverted back to old
attitudes last night
Students cannot have representatives who go back on their words
and don’t rise above their biases when passing legislation. For this
reason, the Daily Nebraskan asks for the resignations of the 18
senators who voted against COLAGE funding.
The DN has urged funding for COLAGE since the semester
began, and continues to do so.
ASUN President JelT Petersen, Vice Chancellor for Student
Affairs James Griesen and Chancellor Martin Ma^Mle must look
beyond any prejudices they might have and put Ml for CO
ILAGE back into UFC’s student fee budget.
The funding will benefit all students
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Bigots are everywhere at UNL
Columnist dumbfounded by abundance of prejudice and hatred
Bigot: One obstinately and unrea
sonably wedded to a particular belief
or creed.
- Webster's Dictionary
ry this definition. Bigots are
everywhere at the IJmver
sily of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Over the Iasi lew weeks I have Ken
shocked and outraged by the close -
minded and prejudiced letters ap
pearing in this paper. Letters de
nouncing gays and their life sly les are
the worst.
I his is not a new problem. In my
live years here, I have gone through
many explosions of hale directed at
homosexuals. I lell it was time to get
a different opinion of them in these
pages. An opinion from a “straight"
white American male -- one just like
many of you.
“Gays arc people too" is a quote
we all hear often. There cannot be a
truer statement, yet gays are continu
ally treated as if they are not people.
They are treated as if they are evil,
sick, weird and not normal. They
become objects of ridicule and tar
gets for violence.
An acquaintance of mine from
some years back (I can’t call him a
friend) was a bigot. He look great
pleasure in hanging out by the capitol
and “gay bashing.” One night, he
and a friend picked up a gay man,
took him out in the country and beat
the hell out of him. This was “fun”
for them. It wasn’t fun for their vic
tim. This acquaintance of mine took
pleasure and pride in describing the
event. I was amazed that someone
could actually find anything so re
volting “fun."
Justice of a sort was served in this
case. The victim got the license plate
number and this acquaintance of
mine and his friend were both found
guilty of felony assault. But in an
other sense, justice was not served
because the victim now has to live
with that horrible memory.
I pose this example to show you to
what lengths people will go to for
their hate, and to show what people
arc capable of doing when they don't
understand someone different. Lack
ol understanding is the major prob
lem as I see it.
We had an opportunity to do
something about this lack of under
standing. The Association of Stu
dents of the University of Nebraska
last night cut all funding lor the
Committee Offering Lesbian And
Cia> Events. ASUN senators did not
have the foresight and intelligence to
make the right decision concerning
COLAGE funding. I only hope
ASUN President Jeff Petersen. Vice
Chancellor for Student Affairs James
Griescn and Chancellor Marlin Mas
sengale have the foresight to reverse
the decision.
Lalcr this spring, all of you will
have the chance to voice your opin ion
on the subject. The Question will be
placed on the ballot for AS UN elec
tions. This gives each of you the
chance to open yourself up to learn
ing about a group of people you may
disagree with. You may actually
learn something. I realize many of
you fall into the category of bigots,
but here is your chance to change
that.
Problems abound. First, is the
electoral turnout a true representation
of the student population? Over the
last three years, the percentage of
eligible voters who actually voted has
been between 13 and 15 percent.
That’s a very low turnout. The demo
graphics of the voters are subject to
question, also. During the last three
elections the greek system has had
more input than either the residence
halls or ol f-campus students. You can
argue that it is the non-grcck popula
tion’s fault for not voting or you can
argue that there is a Haw in the system
which allows this to happen (but
that's another story). I
Secondly, is it really lair to place a B
minority organization on the hailoi B
lor acceptance or rejection.’ (men B
the nature of man to reject those dil- I
ferent from himself, I feel it is \ery B
unfair. W hy should ('Ol A(ih ha\e B
their tale placed on ihc ballot when B
other minority organizations do not' fl
Why shouldn't the As un-Amcn- M
can. Chicano, Black and Native •
American student organizations jUo
be' placed on the ballot* Why
shouldn't the Women's Words and
Music group be placed there ’ All ol
these groups represent a minority
|K>sition. All of these groups are dis
criminated against. All ol these
groups are using their funds to lieht
this discrimination But I haven't
seen any letters complaining that
these groups will receive student
fees.
Why then has Utc lundmg lor
COL AGE created such a stir ? Ma> he
it has to do with fear. You can usually
identify a member of a racial minor
ity, but you can almost never identify
a homosexual by sight. Even alter
talking to one or being friends * uli a
homosexual you may have no idea.
Herein lies the fear - of not knovc mg
if your friend is gay. How would sou
react? Would you still be friends ’ I
know a few men who arc gay and I
don’t have a problem with them -
though I admit it has shocked me. I
don’t know of any close friends of
mine who arc gay. Does that scare
me? No, and it shouldn’t scare you
cither.
Even if it docs you should not turn
your fear into hate. Face the fear and
learn from it. Don’t deny other
people’s rights because they are dif
ferent. Learn from that difference.
You all will be given a choice.
Make the choice that shows intelli
gence and the willingness to grow.
Do not turn fear into natc.
Hate destroys a little bit of all ol
us.
Heckman is a senior International affairs
im^jor and a Daily Nebraskan editorial col
umnist.
11_ - ___ .
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