I was saddened and outraged by the hateful behavior of SDSU students that Amy Poppinga described in her article “Students take aim at others on the Internet” (Nov. 19). In my three semesters teaching at SDSU I have taught several books by gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans authors, some of whom speak frankly about their sexual identities and experiences. To my knowledge, students in these classes have appreciated learning from these voices; happily, I have not seen evidence of prejudice. I am confident that the students in the Facebook group are in the minority at SDSU, but even so, when the kinds of harassment described in the article happen, it is essential for individuals to support members of the GLBTQ community – those in the closet and out. I encourage SDSU faculty, staff, and students to speak out against this type of hate. If you do not already identify as an ally or as GLBTQ, please consider becoming an ally. If you do not know how, www.pflag.org and http://www.advocatesforyouth.org have some resources to get you started. I am confident the Gay-Straight Alliance would be a valuable resource as well.
Christine Stewart-Nuñez, Ph.D. Assistant ProfessorDepartment of English
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