2008 Woodie Awards
Attacks against campus speaker unfounded
EDITORIALS
Issue date: 4/7/05 Section: Opinion/Editorial
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Dan Colombo didn't know what he was getting himself into. It was his first time making a speech in front of a non-church group, and after the experience, he may just decide to stick to Christian groups.
Colombo was speaking about how he turned away from his homosexuality in order to form a closer relationship with God. Although he was sincere, he was not met with love from the audience, many of whom were from the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community. Students had every right to question Colombo about his belief system, which is no doubt controversial.
Yet not everyone showed respect for Colombo's views and the atmosphere became hostile. The Baptist Student Union said that the conversation remained respectful, but some students clearly came to the lecture with the intention of becoming angry or confronting the speaker.
The Webster Pride Association even had to draft up a flier asking that students not "throw things" or disrespect the speaker, anticipating that Colombo's views would not be well-received. That request was blatantly violated at least once, when a female student stormed out, saying Colombo's speech was "a big fucking lie."
Some students applauded as she told the speaker that he was
never gay, and that hell was a figment of his imagination. If anyone expected Colombo to damn people to hell, they left disappointed. Or, like the student who walked out after shouting at Colombo, students who came in ready to pick a fight came off as less open-minded than the Christian speaker.
Colombo tried to keep the talk light-hearted. After all, he was speaking about his own personal experience and not making judgments. He was ashamed of the way that many in the Christian faith disrespect the gay community. In fact, he saw many similarities between Christians and gays, since they are both misunderstood by outsiders.
In the students' defense, Colombo did try to dance around some questions, in order to avoid making judgments. He is still ambivalent about his situation, still fighting with depression, still working on giving his whole heart to God.
Therefore, he did not feel qualified to answer larger questions on God's views on homosexuality. His perspective was similar to a drug addict speaking about a personal fight to overcome an addiction. His lecture deserved scrutiny, but also understanding.
Colombo was speaking about how he turned away from his homosexuality in order to form a closer relationship with God. Although he was sincere, he was not met with love from the audience, many of whom were from the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community. Students had every right to question Colombo about his belief system, which is no doubt controversial.
Yet not everyone showed respect for Colombo's views and the atmosphere became hostile. The Baptist Student Union said that the conversation remained respectful, but some students clearly came to the lecture with the intention of becoming angry or confronting the speaker.
The Webster Pride Association even had to draft up a flier asking that students not "throw things" or disrespect the speaker, anticipating that Colombo's views would not be well-received. That request was blatantly violated at least once, when a female student stormed out, saying Colombo's speech was "a big fucking lie."
Some students applauded as she told the speaker that he was
never gay, and that hell was a figment of his imagination. If anyone expected Colombo to damn people to hell, they left disappointed. Or, like the student who walked out after shouting at Colombo, students who came in ready to pick a fight came off as less open-minded than the Christian speaker.
Colombo tried to keep the talk light-hearted. After all, he was speaking about his own personal experience and not making judgments. He was ashamed of the way that many in the Christian faith disrespect the gay community. In fact, he saw many similarities between Christians and gays, since they are both misunderstood by outsiders.
In the students' defense, Colombo did try to dance around some questions, in order to avoid making judgments. He is still ambivalent about his situation, still fighting with depression, still working on giving his whole heart to God.
Therefore, he did not feel qualified to answer larger questions on God's views on homosexuality. His perspective was similar to a drug addict speaking about a personal fight to overcome an addiction. His lecture deserved scrutiny, but also understanding.