LGB1990_1.pdf

Media

Part of Year in Review: Anti-Discrimination

Text
Year In Review

Anti-Discrimination

Discrimination has been a topic
of great concern for some time at
UB. Activists banned together
during the '89 spring semester to
fight many forms of discrimination. These activists formed the
Anti-Discrimination Coalition
which consists of students from
the undergraduate and graduate
levels and law students.
The Law School issue was the
first barrier for the coalition to
tackle. The Law School decided
to have a policy which followed
Executive Order 28. This policy
would ban employers from using
the Law School's facilities to recruit if the employer discriminated on the basis sex, race, national
origin, handicap, age, or sexual
preference. President Sample did
not like the idea of the Law
School taking jurisdiction over
this matter. He decided that the
Law School's policy was null and
void. The coalition has been feverishly working on this issue for
some time.
LGBA, Lesbian Gay and Bisexual alliance) held an annual
"Coming Out" Day on the eleventh of October, the second anni-

versary of "The Gays March on
Washington". One of the signs
read, "Closets are for clothes,
not for people". This rally was
one that tried to bring a sense of
pride, and solidarity to gay, lesbian, and bisexual students.
During this day many students
did show their support but a few
outsiders did not. Reverend
Daren Dryzmala came with a
group of men to disperse a newspaper called The Lamp Post Gazette. This paper blatantly harassed gays and lesbians with its
anti-homosexual propaganda.
Lori Hartman, a member of
LGBA, said, "It promotes hatred and violence just by its very
existence."
Students called Public Safety
and asked if they would remove
Dryzmala from the campus.
Public Safety refused to do so.
Students then chased him off
campus because his presence was
offensive to the people involved
in the rally.
The fall of '89 the Coalition held
a "Stop and Hate" rally which
was originally intended to be a

solidarity rally for the eight black men from Suny
New Paltz who were harassed by Public Safety to
turn down their music. Reports say that these
students were not being louder than anyone else
and they received the harassment because of the ·
color · of their skin.
The rally turned into an al l encompassing one.
Students from many different ethnic backgrounds
came together at founders plaza to discuss the
violence, hatred and discrimination that goes on
at UB.
People from NAPA, Womyn's center, BSU ,
JSU, and many others participated in the rally .
SASU provided materials, food , pop, and music.
This organization has always been an instrumental force in organizing such motivating and educational rallies; thanks to Todd Hohler, the regional coordinator from SASU central.