The Racquette

Issue date: 5/8/09 Section: News

Media Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/-marlith- The rainbow flag is a classic symbol for members of the LGBT community.

Last week was an important time on the SUNY Potsdam campus: students of Louise Tyo's "Gay and Lesbian Communication" class collaborated and successfully worked to raise awareness of the daily struggles that LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) students are faced with.

The class, lead by Tyo on Wednesday April 29, held a candlelight vigil in honor of those affected by hate crimes. That Friday there was an outdoor a cappella concert which showcased Potsdam's student talent. Both events were well-received by the campus and served to address an important issue of basic equality.

Junior music business and sociology major and LGBTA President Sarah Hope believes that it is important for the campus to be educated on LGBT issues, especially since SUNY Potsdam has a large LGBT community. Hope also stated that she is fortunate that there are so many organizations and students on campus that support the cause.

According to the 2006 FBI hate crimes registry, lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals rank third when it comes to dealing with the motivation for committing hate crimes. In 2006 alone, over 15 percent of all (reported) hate crimes were based on sexual orientation, while the highest percentage was based on race. In just 2006, over 1,400 people who identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual, were victims of violent acts based on their orientation, most being against homosexual men.

These statistics have yet to incorporate hate crimes against people who identify as transgender. This past March, the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network featured an article that discussed the discrimination of transgender individuals in the United States. It is said that nine out of ten transgender students face discrimination and verbal harassment because of their gender expression and half of those students face physical assault.

These statistics are frightening and show that western culture has yet to embrace variation in gender and continue to enforce gender norms on individuals. The percentages of hate crimes against transgender youth is even higher than those of their non-trans GLB peers. Even New York State law does not protect people whose gender varies from that of the sex acknowledged at birth. The law however, luckily protects against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

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