Speaks Out

Members of the Undergraduate Student Association Council
disagreed over the necessity of conducting an LGBT/Queer Campus
Life conference rather than an event that may have been applicable
to a wider margin of students. How do you feel about this
issue? Peter De Guzman Third-year
Anthropology, World Arts and Cultures "I think that these students
should be free to do whatever they want to do. If they want to have
more of those types of meetings, then that’s fine for them. It’s up
to the LGBT community to promote awareness about their own meetings
and services. I don’t think the university has to do some big,
special program because specific organizations do that. If they
really want to make these issues known, they should advertise it
themselves." Creed Poulson Fourth-year
Communication studies "The event promotes awareness. It’s necessary
especially at UCLA because we pride ourselves in being a liberal
campus. We need to celebrate the diversity of people in one way or
another. With those hate crimes that we had here last year, it’s
obvious that the problem hasn’t stopped. If some of the members of
USAC oppose such events, then they’re just ignoring a problem that
exists on campus. It would be really naive to not acknowledge that
fact." Allan Benitez Fourth-year Psychobiology
"More students need to be aware of gay and lesbian issues. A lot of
people don’t believe that homophobia exists. These programs and
committees help people become aware of the homophobia problem. If
some members of the Council don’t agree with that type of event,
how are other people supposed to know? Those Council members
shouldn’t be opposed to such events just because they focus on a
minority. Elizabeth Houston needs to keep her mind open. She’s got
a closed mind thinking that everybody is living in a happy,
integrated world." Esther Choi Second-year
Undeclared "I don’t think that just because they’re a smaller group
of people they should not be funded. It’s not as if all the other
groups or causes people belong to are going to include everybody. I
think a bigger event would be better, one that is campus-wide. But
I don’t think that it’s wrong to help a smaller cause either."
Trihscha Burke Fourth-year Psychology "If they’re
funding these types of events with our money, then those events
shouldn’t be so specific. It shouldn’t be something that only a
certain amount of people are interested in; it should be broader.
If not, then they should give funding to all the different groups
that ask for it. Funding should be neutral and all groups and
causes should get equal money or nothing at all." Stevonne
Ratliff First-year Undeclared "I think that its good that
the gay and lesbian community has the opportunity to get their
issues out through USAC, but I think that it wasn’t appropriate for
them to have done it during Welcome Week. Maybe they should have
done it some other time during the year. In order for it to be
Welcome Week for everybody, it’s just not appropriate. Maybe every
year they should have something different if that’s the way they
want to start running things." Speaks Out compiled by Cuauhtemoc
Ortega, Daily Bruin Senior Staff. Photos by Catherine Jun. Web
Adaptation by Hernane Tabay, Daily Bruin Senior Staff