Dear Members,
We wanted to provide you with an update on the
recent situation surrounding the publication of a cartoon in the Notre
Dame Observer. As you may know, the January 13 issue of the Observer
included a a cartoon which was at best, a very poor and misguided
attempt at satire and shock, and at worst, hate speech that made light
of violence against LGBT people. Regardless, the cartoon had no place
in the Notre Dame newspaper. It simply does not meet community
standards. The Associate Managing Editor responsible for approving
materials on January 13 has resigned. The cartoon strip itself has been
canceled.
We have spoken with the Editor-in-Chief of the
Observer and believe that the publication was the result of a gross
failure on the part of the editorial review process. The cartoon was
not checked before publication. While inexcusable, we do not believe
this represented active malice on the part of the editorial staff and
have been assured that the Observer is modifying its procedures so that
there is no chance of this occurring again. The cartoonists have also
issued an apology. This apology, and a
letter to GALA from the
Observer, can be found at
www.galandsmc.org along with GALA's
original response submitted to the newspaper.
The
response to the cartoon's publication has been swift and we are pleased
that denunciation has come from so many on campus and off campus as
well. We remain concerned however that the underlying issues that make
it possible to believe that Notre Dame would condone anti-gay hate
speech remains. The fact that the university's non-discrimination
clause does not include sexual orientation and that the student group,
OutreachND, is not formally recognized frame every debate surrounding
LGBT issues on campus. We have requested a meeting with ND President
Fr. Jenkins to address these issues and commit ourselves to doing what
we can do as an alumni group to bring about real change. Our letter to
Fr. Jenkins can also be found on the
GALA website.
We
recognize that there have been positive changes on campus, including
the efforts of the Core Council to provide students with a safer and
more welcoming campus environment. There are now outreach programs to
raise awareness of LGBT issues with incoming freshmen, RAs and the
athletic department. The Core Council has also sponsored a Day of
Silence to protest the silence faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgendered persons. Formally recognized groups like the Progressive
Student Alliance are real allies in the effort to amend the
non-discrimination clause. And before all of this occurred, GALA was
invited to take part in the Business School's Diveristy weekend in
early February, an invitation which we have accepted. This past year we
also hosted a webinar for students in conjunction with the Career
Center on being out on the job market. These invitations would not
likely have come a few years ago.
But Notre Dame's position as
the nation's most prominent Catholic university requires that we engage
in an honest and open airing of the issues surrounding the publication
of the cartoon. Law school students sponsored a series of speakers on
LGBT issues this past fall. There is a tremendous opportunity here to
do the same thing on a university-wide level addressing issues like the
editorial review process and hate speech, the real meaning of Notre
Dame's Spirit of Inclusion, the threat of violence against students on
campus, what it means to be gay at a Catholic college, and balancing
faith and sexuality. Students -- including Observer staff -- and
faculty seem willing to risk the spotlight this will shine on ND. We
hope the administration also realizes it has more to gain through
strong leadership.
Other efforts are underway. A petition is
once again being circulated to amend the non-discrimination clause to
include sexual orientation. An editorial in support of this can be
found in the January 22 issue of the Observer at
www.ndsmcobserver.com.
You will also find a report of the Student Senate's 25-0 vote on a
resolution to support amending the non-discrimination clause. We
encourage you as GALA members to add your voice by sharing your
comments and concerns with Fr. Jenkins and the administration (
http://president.nd.edu/). Letters may be submitted to the Observer at
www.ndsmcobserver.com/letter-to-editor. And please let us know your thoughts and concerns as we continue to advocate for change on campus.
Tom O'Brien '86
Chair, GALA-ND/SMC
chair@galandsmc.org