Sticks and Stones Break Bones and Words Do Hurt

For some students, September is accompanied by the excitement of returning to campus, No. 2 pencils and binders in hand; nervous about college algebra and pre-World War II American History. For a certain percent of the population, however, there is another reason to be nervous: being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

“The climate for LGBT students varies from campus to campus,” said Ben Cartwright, coordinator of San Diego State University’s (SDSU) Pride Resource Office (PRO). “But I think, in general, there continues to be a kind of anti-gay undertones. Studies have shown that across the board hate crimes in all areas have risen, but I think the main problem is the undertones of hate, the ‘that’s so gay’ comments that go unaddressed by faculty, staff, or allies.”