To the Campus Community,
On the night of February 26th the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center experienced acts of vandalism. The entrance to the LGBTRC was defaced with derogatory and hateful words that target the Queer community.
This vicious hate crime demonstrates the need for community centers like ours to exist in order to offer a safe space on campus and combat the homophobia, discrimination, and hate that is still prevalent within our society.
As a center we wanted not to immediately remove the vandalism in order to ensure that this hate crime does not go unnoticed by the campus community. Facilities and administration offered to clean it up immediately but we wanted to take this opportunity to educate the campus about struggles that our community continues to face. We feel it is easier to erase physical representations of violence than to heal from the ongoing impacts of this hatred. Erasing it makes it possible to avoid believing these things happen on our campus. We want to work towards a healing resolution.
The center will resume regular hours on Monday March 1st, from 9am -5pm. We will also be offering a town hall for the community to come together and express any concerns to collectively decide what actions should take place in the future.
The town hall will take place Monday, March 1st, at 5:30 pm at Regan Main (in the Segundo Dorm area).
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center is here to provide a large range of services for the campus community. In times like these, our presence on campus continues to be of the utmost importance. We have staff available to provide support, including a community counselor, who students can speak to. We know that homophobia is still common in our society and our role is to continue to provide the necessary support and education on campus and in the community. Check our website for a full listing our resources: lgbtrc.ucdavis.edu
We will take what was intended to hurt us and turn it into something that will empower us. We ask that you stay strong and to remind everyone that this act will not hinder, but will re-affirm the mission of this Center as it has always existed.
Sincerely,
The LGBT Resource Center Staff
Comments (11)
@RealityCheck: does it matter??? it was hate vandalism targeted at the queer population on campus... so you can assume they wrote hateful words ... one word would be too much, don't you think?
Obviously it's an issue either way, but I think we need to know what exactly they did so we can judge just how serious it really is. One word scribbled in small writing on a door would certainly be different than if the windows were covered in huge spray-painted epithets. Now that I re-read the letter, they said it was "words" on the door, so that gives us a decent clue as to how extensive it was.
They wrote "F*GS" across the top of the door, along with "Gay go 2 hell" along the side frame of the door. Along with a couple of other things. This other recent hatecrime took place in Davis as well. "http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=76212" Hate is rampant across campus as we can see. We gotta do something about it.
I had some pictures reposted onto my blog since they're all on Facebook and not everyone can see them there (sorry, didn't know who/if to credit) http://jeffersaurusrex.blogspot.com/2010/02/hate-crimes-at-uc-davis.html
So wait, what's that CAL BEARS bit at the bottom? I'm more intrigued by that.
I dont understand why it says FU Cal Bears? Im from Berkeley and noticing the things going throughout the UC campuses Thursday's riot one block away from our campus at berkeley and anti-immigrant attacks on op/eds UCSD experiencing the cookout and noose incidents...idk what to say...........
I personally feel like this could be some kind of task for frat pledges. During the same time of last year, the rainbow flag was also stolen from the LGBTRC while there were staff and students inside of the center. I was there that night.
I don't feel like the greeks are involved at all, don't put unnecessary blame on a random group. Personally, i feel (and hope) it was someone not part of our community that did these acts. It does not good to blame others randomly with no evidence though. I hope they catch those involved and they get prosecuted for a hate crime!
This was obviously some idiot teenager(s) from Woodland... a lot of them come to hang out in Davis and leave a trail of garbage and slime behind them.
I wouldn't place the blame on "idiot teenagers from Woodland" either- what does it mean to say that? I also hope that this was someone acting alone, but it doesn't matter either way, because one person acting out against a community in a hateful way is a good representation of the many people who are ignorant and could potentially grow if they are reached. I am happy with what the center staff said- that this can be an opportunity to make something ugly into something good, by educating and reaching out. Good response.
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So what did the vandals actually write? And how big/extensive was it?