Graffiti Singled Out Gay Members of TEP

   In the ongoing flame circus over the vandalism of Tau Epsilon Phi's
   sidewalk, I feel I've been relegated to the status of a mere
   afterthought. Who am I? A gay TEP, of course.
   
   Everyone knows the story by now: the break-in, the vandalism in the
   house, the paint on the sidewalk. It seems everyone is arguing about
   it, too: What is more important, the break-in or the graffiti? Was the
   phrase on the sidewalk a homophobic slur or a witty rhyme? And why all
   the fuss, anyway?
   
   Here are my answers. On the morning of Nov. 12, it was all bad. I woke
   up to find my home violated and vandalized. Furthermore, I felt I was
   being personally singled out in big yellow letters, as I am the gay
   member of TEP who has been "out" the longest. No one aspect was worse
   than any other. The only difference now is that the material issues of
   the break-in and our graffiti on the Harvard Bridge have been settled
   between TEP and Lambda Chi Alpha.
   
   It seems the issue now being publicly argued the most is the content
   of the graffiti in front of our house. Let me again slip back to that
   morning. At the time, I didn't even notice what rhymed with what. It
   didn't matter what synonym had been chosen, be it "queer," "faggot,"
   "homosexual," or "gay." All I knew was that someone thought it
   appropriate to set me apart for ridicule and intimidation. I find it
   difficult to believe that people cannot imagine themselves in my
   position on that morning, all politics aside. No, I wasn't too damaged
   to get on with my life, but I was very angry and frustrated at how
   little respect someone seemed to have for me as a fellow human being.
   
   It seems no one yet knows what the actual intent behind the phrase was
   except for those directly responsible for it. Even if they saw it as
   merely a clever imitation of the Smoot marks, for me and for many
   others it holds a much more vicious connotation. Unlike your average
   nerd, your average queer still has to worry about being harassed or
   even bashed for being seen coming out of the "wrong" club, or for
   holding the hand of his or her significant other in public. With such
   fears in mind, how else can I be expected to interpret foot-high
   letters blazed in front of my home? 
   
   I trust that members of the MIT community can see that such concerns
   go far deeper than just "victimization politics." My only agenda is to
   change things so that I do not have to put up with intimidation that
   any reasonable person would find intolerable. This is the point Gays,
   Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Friends at MIT has been trying to make as
   well, although many have obviously either missed it or ignored it
   entirely. I hope that this letter from someone most directly involved
   in the whole mess can bring some clarity and perspective to the issues
   being argued.
   
   Thomas Lawrence '95
   

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Copyright 1993 by The Tech. All rights reserved.
This story was published on  Tuesday,  December 7, 1993.
Volume  113, Number 63
The story was printed on page  4.
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