As the president of the UB Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Alliance, I feel that I must respond to the letter written by David Berman, published Nov. 9. While I appreciate Berman's clear analysis on the common criticisms, I do think that it is important to point out the most obvious fault in his argument that a "Coming In Day" celebrating straight pride would unfairly be considered homophobic by many.
The argument presented is much the same as that which supporters of white supremacist David Duke use when they ask, "Why is it racist for us to support the 'National Association for the Advancement of White People' while the NAACP is generally viewed as positive and non-racist?" Please keep in mind that I am not comparing Berman to a white supremacist; I am merely saying that the reason that I and many others disagree with the arguments is strikingly similar. As a whole, "white people" and heterosexuals are not oppressed by the system under which we all live and are not confronted daily by various forms of discrimination by mainstream society, as straight people and Caucasians, particularly males have long been the powerful majority.
Finally, of the chalkings I just wanted to point out that of what I saw, they were meant to be very inclusive. I saw slogans and symbols that affirmed gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, and straight pride. For one example, the phrase "All love is valid" was scrawled repeatedly.
