The university community can easily lapse into believing we’re building a safe, diverse and equal educational environment for the future leaders who come out of this institution.
So many on the University of Idaho campus work every day to bring us closer to understanding, tolerance and acceptance.
That’s why it’s so shocking when the campus community is reminded of the blind hatred and uninformed messages with which some people choose to deteriorate this campus.

On Sept. 29, a gay UI Resident Adviser returned to his dorm room to find the words “Faggot. F---ing kill you” written on the message board on his door.
The blatant disregard for the student’s right to safely live a life that is congruent to his or her own beliefs is appalling and pathetic. Threats of violence and bigotry should not and will not be tolerated at UI.
The threatening statements appeared one week before National Coming Out Day events began, which were planned by the UI LGBTQA, Women’s Center and Gay-Straight Alliance.

The person or persons responsible for the message board incident, and anyone else who harbors true hatred for an individual because a person is different, can benefit from (if nothing else) just listening to someone else’s perspective.
The groups offer events throughout the next two weeks, including a free film and discussion in observance of Matthew Shepherd and an official observance of National Coming Out Day on Friday.

It is important to remember it is OK to disagree completely with someone else’s personal beliefs, moral standards or differences. It is not acceptable to threaten or incite violence at UI because of those differences.
As administrators consciously attempt to bring in more faculty, students and staff with diverse ethnic, religious and sexual orientation backgrounds, the UI community will be able to experience more perspectives than ever before.
Those people rightly deserve a setting with a sense of safety within that community. They deserve a community where hatred and misunderstanding have no place.

They deserve the right to openly discuss and agree or disagree with one another’s differences without the threat of violence.
People who threaten or encourage violence on campus should know there is a much stronger majority who may or may not agree with homosexuality who will not tolerate and stand up to the hatred and injustice of this or any other acts of violence.

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