As students walk around campus in the late afternoon, the daylight gives them a false sense of security. Most students let their guard down during the day, which created a dangerous situation last week for a DePaul University student.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 27, the student was attacked while walking alone on campus. This attack was the most recent in a sequence of hate-related incidents regarding the victim's sexual orientation and race.
"The attacker allegedly referred to the victim using derogatory slang terms for lesbians and allegedly told her, 'Tell your queer friends to get off my campus,'" according to an article written by Kelsey Snell in the Oct. 29 issue of DePaul's student newspaper, The DePaulia.
"No official report has been filed with public safety regarding Wednesday's incident," DePaul public safety director Bob Wachowski said to The DePaulia. "There has been an appointment made to file an incident report."
The attack came two days after a male student screamed derogatory comments at the same student on campus, according to The DePaulia.
An unrelated incident involving a different student occurred in a DePaul residence hall on Sunday, Oct. 24.
"The perpetrator said that he did not want to be associated with gays," Randy Ward, diversity outreach specialist for Spectrum, DePaul's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Allies said, according to the DePaulia.
This hate incident is currently under investigation by the Chicago Police Department.
Even though there have been seven incidents in the past 14 days, only the two most recent have been formally reported to public safety. The others were reported to Spectrum, according to The DePaulia.
"A lot of the students are reporting the incidents to friends and Spectrum, but there is still a silence around talking about sexuality, even in our community," Ward said in The DePaulia. "There is often a sense of shame associated with it."
The administration has responded to the incidents and is prepared to take an active role in preventing future hate crimes.
"The president [of DePaul University] has reiterated we do want an atmosphere of dignity and respect on campus," Robin Florzak, a spokesperson from the DePaul media relations department, said. "The issue has come up recently and the university is responding by coming together and working with the students and faculty members to come up with educational programs."
Nicole Perez, a graduate assistant in the office of DePaul's LGBTQA Student Service has responded to these incidents by inviting all organizations, universities, etc. in the Chicagoland area via an e-mail sent on Friday, Oct. 29 to attend a day of resistance that took place on Monday, Nov. 1.
The day's events included a sit-in demonstration that urged participants to bring signs and posters promoting the idea that hate will not be tolerated.
A rally followed later in the day in the center of DePaul's Lincoln Park campus. Students marched in the hope of delivering a message to the entire community.
"[We want] to take a stand in saying that homophobia, hate crimes and discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated," Perez said.
Despite the efforts made by members of the university, DePaul students realize that they must take action as well.
"[The incidents] do make me feel unsafe, but there is nothing that I can do but to be aware of my surroundings," DePaul junior Mary Krosnjar said.
Mayor Daley unintentionally signs petition
On the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 27, the annual Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame took place at the Chicago Cultural Center. Amid the celebration, an activist from the Chicago Anti-Bashing Network and the Equal Marriage NOW! Coalition thrust a petition into the hands of Mayor Richard Daley.
"Mayor Daley, would you like to sign a petition for equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians?" the activist said, according to the Oct. 28 press release posted by CABN on its Web site.
The petition called for "immediately repealing the discriminatory ban on same sex marriage" and "demand[ing] that Cook County immediately issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples," according to CABN.
Even though the mayor signed the petition with several witnesses present (including Bill Greaves, the mayor's liaison to Chicago's gay and lesbian community) according to CABN, some are skeptical over the validity of the Mayor's signature.
"I walked out and said, 'I'll sign anything,'" Daley said in an Oct. 29 article in the Chicago Sun-Times. "I just put my name down ... They asked me to sign it. I'm for gay marriage, so I have no problem with that."
Despite scrutiny, members of CABN held Daley to his signature. Andy Thayer, a spokesman for the Chicago Anti-Bashing Network, ridiculed the mayor in the Chicago Sun-Times article.
"He's an attorney and he doesn't read what he signs?" Thayer said. "That's amusing. Sail on, oh ship of state. It's like a three- or four-sentence petition. I would hope that, in this day and age, politicians read what they sign."
GLBTQ Week aims to increase awareness, acceptance
This year, instead of Loyola's Rainbow Connection holding Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer Awareness Week and Unity in Diversity Week at different times, they will happen simultaneously.
Both weeks of awareness are aimed toward celebrating diversity within each sponsoring organization's community (the GLBTQ and Loyola's law school communities) and among society as a whole.
"Lots of the events are designed such that everyone is together, the queer community with the straight community," junior Al Derus, vice president of Rainbow Connection, said. "All [events are] designed to bring people together and that is what we hope to accomplish."
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