Members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community at GW and their supporters celebrated National Coming Out Day Wednesday. GW is fortunate to be among the increasing number of institutions populated by people tolerant of diversity in society. While GW is much more open-minded than many other universities, students here still must make an effort to ensure that equality on campus is more than just lip service.
The ability of members of the advocacy group GW Pride to hang banners and hand out information to students on the H Street terrace of the Marvin Center without being harassed shows GW students are tolerant in public. But what happens behind closed doors?
Using slurs against a person’s race, religion or gender is widely held to be unacceptable behavior. Along these same lines, using insulting language about a person’s sexuality is despicable. Students cannot allow discriminatory language to creep into their everyday speech. Students should not profess their desire to make their gay peers feel included in one breath and disparage their sexual orientation with another. The University does and must continue to take a strong stance against this discriminatory behavior.
Students have the responsibility to question their beliefs and reevaluate their conduct. Professors should challenge students to discuss diversity, examine the history of discrimination in America and study the obstacles minority groups face in other countries. Organizations should make every effort to be inclusive in their programming and expand the horizons of fellow students. Individuals should share their experiences and get to know people different from themselves.
Students, faculty and administrators must guard against intolerance at GW. Failing that, the alternative can be gruesome. One need only look to the incident in Wyoming, where gay student Matthew Shepard was beaten and murdered because of his sexuality.
The college years are in many ways an opportunity for students to discover who they are. GW must continue to work to create an environment conducive to self-exploration. The University must offer support to those members of the University community struggling with their identity.
For any group to need a special month or week or day to feel recognized or included shows we still have a long way to go toward the goal of equality for all.
