GAY WEDNESDAY

To the Editors of The Crimson:

I am appalled and enraged by the flagrant abuse of civil freedom exhibited by individuals in the Harvard community during the Harvard-Radcliffe Gay Students Association publicity campaign for Gay Wednesday (December 11). Members of our organization, including myself, spent hours of their time putting up flyers announcing the event, as is customary for any organization to do. Within one day, I observed that more than half of these flyers had been ripped down, even from such places as the Freshman Union Bulletin board and the Pusey Library fence. The number of flyers intact continued to decrease from day to day. The incident finally inciting me to protest this harrassment was the complete defacement of the section of the fence we had painted--by two offensive mockeries of the event: "Necrophiliac Thursday" & "Child Molester Friday."

There seem to be three possible explanations of this incredible behavior:

1) Individuals at Harvard take it upon themselves to decide what information should be allowed to reach others in the university.

2) They believe that publicity of minority groups is not to be taken seriously.

3) They are so psychologically weak that they feel threatened by the mere reminder of the presence of Gay people at Harvard.

Our purpose in putting up these announcements was not to enrage people or threaten traditional straight male supremacy, but simply to communicate with Gay and interested straight members of the community here at Harvard about a significant event.

It is certain that if posters of the black, female or other minority groups began to be defaced there would be immediate and vocal outrage. Gay people, however, are faced with the unique disadvantage of the fear and consequences of being "found out" publicly. Because of the oppression of society and particularly of this university, we cannot easily go out and demonstrate for our rights as we might like to. We can only ask, most likely in vain, that the university authorities try to correct this bigoted, repressive behavior and deal with individuals taking part in it.

In conclusion, I hope that all minority groups on campus will understand the implications of these abuses, and along with all sensitive and freedom-loving members of the university, join me in the condemnation of these deplorable incidents. Name withheld by request, '78