Aries Dela Cruz

Queer youth are overrepresented among the homeless population. Young LGBT people face unique challenges and dangers, at risk and vulnerable to violence and exploitation.

The way in which Spectator sought to problematize the perceived lack of the military’s presence on this campus, through the article by Josh Hirschland erroneously categorized as “News” and the subsequent editorial, seems to function inconsistently with Spec’s intended role as an objective instrument of campus media, and instead implies a conservative, moralizing mission.

Many members of the queer community have worked closely with the support team and the hunger strikers since the strike began. This is because we support their commitment to disrupt business as usual and to challenge the general level of comfort on campus.

On Wednesday, queer leaders issued a statement regarding the hate crime at Teachers College, where we asked individuals to send e-mails to President Bollinger, as well as call the main University telephone. Our friends are still writing, calling, and asking the President to ensure that demands of students and faculty of Teachers College and Columbia University are met.

Nellie Bowles' Op-Ed piece in Monday's Spectator was an example of how groups and institutions that support diversity and facilitate dialogue at Columbia University are continuously called upon to justify their existence, while groups concerned with principles of cultural, spiritual, or even dietary dispositions rarely face such overwhelming hostility.