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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 2003)
^ tt) B «n«i S. Rep, Skeen Roswell s P-Joe$ta s of 195{ ' ' atata ! dDec.?a! i repress, afromlii' /ed ioi)ie[! J’S. Aif fjj vasthehs vationenia Aggielife The Battalion Page 3A • Friday, December 12, 2003 Singled out Homosexual couples face challenges in conservative allege Station By Kim Katopodis THE BATTALION I on the ticj'] Mexico Ca ation andt Vool Grot /as preside: /Farm8® When Debbie Ridgeway met her girlfriend’s parents for the first in the |{ ime, she was only introduced as a friend. Ridgeway, a senior psy- latefronr;* :hology major, is in a committed relationship with her girlfriend as diamiMnd her girlfriend’s parents still aren't aware that they are a couple, pubiican Meeting the parents is a big deal in any relationship. Add in the 35. Skeeni«act that a couple is homosexual and that meeting becomes even ate to the ignore intense. This is only one of the challenges facing homosexu- lalConrj be made i’s Di: ) West til Y100M :ur chora couples in College Station. But Ridgeway is not pressuring her girlfriend to come out with ler sexual orientation. realize how hard it was for me to come out, so I’m going to ether do it on her own time,” Ridgeway said. “I’m just hoping that /hen she is ready, her parents will know that I love her and she oves me and that is what is important.” Finding places to meet other homosexuals is also a big issue in Allege Station, said Katie Treadwell, a senior biomedical engi- eering major. “I would say most people meet through organizations they are fn,not the typical bar scene,” Treadwell said. “I would say my girl- PRC Hc : iF en d ar, d I met through (Aggie) Allies.” Wade In Treadwell’s girlfriend helped start a gay interest organization on running t® am P us called Gay and Gender Representation in Politics, GGRIP both aE-Jp short. ith disofc? Treadwell said that while some people give dirty looks when she asarreste: nd her girlfriend hold hands, no one ever says anything derogato- [elly, whcr y to them. Ridgeway said she and her girlfriend often get hoots and ing, was; oilers from guys who see them together, ding arrest. : B u t this is not the case for all homosexual couples. >d toaci c aro | Binzer, associate director of Student Life, said the com- BetaTfe |[ a j nts Gender Issues Education Services receives through forums hereKej'v in j ts s j te describe .p e0 pi e tearing down fliers advertising Mixed feelings arise in the midst of protests against homosexuality at A&M By Nishat Fatima THE BATTALION d swirff :er of a ( <elly W an the d to flee refusing^ nd offe 0 fine ante t as he< $2.5CC pcoming events or taking down Allies placards. Traditional family Values Week, marked at around the same time as Coming Out Week, also gained attention from some students, she said. I “What’s reported is not physical violence,” Binzer said. “We know from personal stories that people outed in residence halls are lometimes uncomfortable.” Michael Moore, a computer science graduate student, has strug- Randal Ford • THE BATTALION Homosexual couples face daily battles due to their lifestyle choices, gled with his sexual identity for years. Moore attended Texas A&M as an undergraduate, and only when he returned to start his graduate degree in computer science did he reveal his sexual preferences. Moore said he felt pressure from the belief that homosexuality is a confused mistake that can be corrected, and tried to change his sexuality for a time. But he said he came to realize that his homo sexuality was a part of his identity that wouldn’t change. “I wasn’t trying to do anything. It is just what I am,” Moore said. “I didn’t ask to be this way.” Moore has been involved in Aggie Allies and the Rainbow Graduate Student Association, which recently gained voting rights from the Graduate Student Council. See Dating on page 4A During the peak of the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt told a stricken country, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” These words hold a startling significance in American society, past and present, but for different reasons. When they were first spoken, Roosevelt was aiming to spark hopes of a better economic future in a distraught society. In stark contrast, today the quote can represent a population whose daily lives are affected by the fear others have of their certain lifestyle choices — the homosexual community. As homosexuals threaten traditional cultural and sexual bound aries, the fear and hatred that their lifestyle provokes has resulted in protests, hate crimes and bigotry all over the world. The Aggie community is no exception. Texas A&M has traditionally been seen as a breeding ground for conservative young adults. Anyone who contested this idea was put in check after the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) held a Traditional Family Values Week in early October, equipped with a parade of banner-draped trucks bearing messages including “Satan is a flamer.” The YCT protested the use of student fees for organi zations that advocate homosexual activities, such as the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered Aggies and Gender Issues Services. Since these recent events, the issue of homosexuality on the A&M campus and surrounding areas has been brought to the fore front of the campus. Stephen Weir, a senior math major, said attitudes toward homo sexual people should be of understanding and acceptance. “From a Christian perspective, people should welcome homosex uals without necessarily condoning the act,” Weir said. “We need to love them unconditionally, but at the same time, tell them the truth and hope for a change.” Weir said with the issue of homosexuality, people tend to get frustrated easily and succumb to one extreme view or the other. “Its really easy to go either way. We need to follow a balance,” he said. “It’s very easy to get frustrated with both sides. When you do that, it’s not a real viewpoint, its just getting angry.” See Opinions on page 4A 19 SurveilW; cessG^ Whether You've Been Naughty or Nice, You Deserve the BEST ml ■ ■ if laugWji jtherj kll J $0 ? e P° s it if You Lease U by 12/15/03 ! • G^aduatThln College Station I '^ual Leases • St ^ Unities Student Programs TheSnnn in9 J or Fal12 004! 601 Luther Street West (1 block south of Olsen Field) College Station, TX • (979) 680-3680 • www.melrose.com
