Attackers deface MOQA posters in Ross, Proctor

The destruction of large posters promoting “Gaypril” in Ross and Proctor Dining Halls, in addition to an instance of homophobic vandalism on a white board in Ross Commons, has called into question the state of gay rights on campus.

The latest incidents have renewed discussion about the state of tolerance in the College community. They remind many of the string of incidents that occurred on campus in 2007. That year, incidents of vandalism containing gay slurs appeared in Ross Commons, Allen Hall and Starr Hall, prompting a series of campus-wide protests and open meetings.

Since then, there have been no publicly reported incidents of graffiti on campus — until now.

Dean of Students Gus Jordan said a student in Ross Commons last week found a homophobic message on her white board when she walked out of her room.

“The graffiti case appears to be isolated,” Jordan said.

“No incidents of this kind are acceptable. I think we attempt to be a welcoming and open community to gay and lesbian students, and we are generally successful. There are exceptions, and this is an example.”

Co-President of the Middlebury Open Queer Alliance (MOQA) Jean Lin ’10 said an unidentified person destroyed the sign advertising the “Gaypril” celebration in Proctor, Tuesday, April 13.

“I have filed a report with Public Safety,” she said.

“These incidents cannot be swept under the rug, but I refuse to let them faze me.  We have worked too hard and put in too many hours to let these acts of intolerance break our spirits.”

The other co-President of MOQA, Wayu Niederhauser ’12, described the College as “a fairly conservative place, for a variety of reasons.”

Niederhauser believes the white board vandalism and the incidents involving Gaypril posters may be connected.

Someone, said Niederhauser, had defaced the poster in Ross and removed it from the wall in spite of the 20 pins meant to hold it in place.

“The MOQA community is pondering whether this is related to incidents such as the message and would find it very sad if it were,” Niederhauser said.

“Fact remains, it was deliberately torn down and we find it very de-motivating where we’re trying to bring people together, rather than creating an awkwardly silent, painful gap.”

Lin believes the College should hold an open forum to discuss issues of closeted homophobia in the community.

“Many Midd-kids are probably unaware of the closeted homophobia that exists — even among members of the LGBTQ community,” she said.

“I think it’s necessary to hold an open forum in which those who are uncomfortable with homosexuality or queerness can voice their opinions. I would never condone discrimination and intolerance, but I still believe we need to acknowledge the varying opinions that are out there and be respectful.”

President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz strongly condemned all incidents of vandalism.

“Such displays of intolerance and hatred cannot be tolerated,” he said.

“Dean Jordan’s e-mail was appropriate, and I hope it resonated with many.”

Niederhauser echoed the concerns of Liebowitz and Jordan, expressing disappointment that such an incident would occur at Middlebury.

“The person who had the message written on her door has not actively offended anyone so as to possibly attract hate messages from others,” he said.

“The very fact that Middlebury advertises itself as one of the most international and generally diverse communities makes incidents like these a saddening presence. They need to be addressed. I don’t think they are too uncommon.”

Though he believes the College community is accepting of students from a variety of sexual orientations, Liebowitz said the word “tolerance” is not strong enough.

“To be ‘tolerated’ is not good enough,” he said.

“We should expect and demand mutual respect.  As college communities go, I believe we fare well in this regard, but we have a ways to go, for sure.”

Members of the College community should realize and embrace the diversity present, Niederhauser said.

“If you came to Middlebury as some rich kid from some rich community and expect to find the same here, wake up,” he said.

“Middlebury is a community with people from every state, a variety of countries, religions, financial backgrounds, hobbies and, needless to say, sexual backgrounds.”

Lin believes queer students share many facets of life in common with homophobic students and both groups should work to those similarities.

“I have a difficult time understanding why we’re being targeted,” she said.

“Chances are, the person behind these acts of discrimination share multiple identities or social circles with any given member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) community.”

In addition to the campus-wide e-mail message, the College offered the victim meetings with the Commons Dean and CRA, and held hall meetings of support and concern. Jordan said the incident allowed the community to grow and appreciate the differences within it.

“Of course, I cannot speak for individuals who may have had negative experiences on campus, but when these kinds of events happen, we investigate, seek to support those affected,” he said.

“We also seek to increase our knowledge, understanding and appreciation of those who come from backgrounds and lifestyles that differ from our own.”

Niederhauser believes the College continues to struggle with sexual orientation issues at all levels.

“Aside from incidents such as the recent hate message, faculty also find themselves being rather limited in terms of things that deal with sexuality, or so at least I’ve come to perceive,” he said.

“To say that Middlebury College is an unaccepting environment would be to exaggerate, at least to some extent; however, I do believe that what we as individuals and as a community can take away from these facts is how much room there is for improvement.”

As the College continues to investigate the incident, Jordan warns that the perpetrator will face a variety of consequences.

“Our response to a person who perpetrates this kind of action would be both educational and disciplinary,” he said.

“This kind of event creates a sense of fear and anxiety among the targeted students, and we as a community cannot tolerate such an attack.”

MOQA hopes to promote greater understanding through its Gaypril celebration, which will bring together a variety of diverse groups on campus.

“We at MOQA are happy that our Gaypril month this year can incorporate events that involve us all, the queer, the feminist, the religious, the international person,”

Niederhauser said.

“Many of our events are either in direct co-sponsorship or in fact organized by different student organizations and departments.”