I am personally amazed at all of the bad publicity one little article in the paper can cause. I just found out today that the university is on the news in Great Britain because of our “segregated” housing for lesbians and gays.

I would just like to point out how stupid this is.

Does anybody else realize that those communities, just like the Living Learning Community for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning students, are optional? Nobody was being forced to live there. Such communities created by students were designed so students could live with people who have a similar interests or hobbies. Students can get to know one another better than they may have before when they live together. I, for example, was supposed to live in one of these communities dedicated to the arts.

How did such a small event trigger such huge publicity? For one thing, too many people in the world are still homophobic. I won’t be able to say anything to change any of their minds, but let’s keep this in mind. In the 1800s blacks couldn’t marry whites. In 1940s Germany Jews couldn’t marry Christians. We’ve gotten rid of most racism and anti-Semitism these days, and we’ll get over homophobia some day, too.

Another part of the reason this small event has gotten so much bad publicity is due to reporters not doing their jobs and breaking stories based on incomplete information. Frankly, these people should do their jobs.

But most of the reason this is getting so blown out of proportion is because the university does not support the LGBTQ community. I have a good friend who has been putting up signs for the Day of Silence on Friday. He told me that people have crumpled them up before his eyes. Not only is this disrespectful, but it proves that the university community is not as accepting as it should be.

Gay people are people, too. They have feelings, and a few of them just wanted to live together.

Due to these recent events, I think it is appropriate that the Tunnel of Oppression and the Day of Silence are this week. I encourage every person who has bought in to this media craze, who has even read one silly article about the LGBTQ Living Learning Community, should go to these events. We need to learn to be more accepting and supportive of human beings, no matter what age, gender, color or sexual orientation.

Katie Croll is a sophomore music major from Grapevine.