Students face hate speech on UC campus

Some people wonder why we need an LGBTQ Center on campus. Like racism and sexism, homophobia and transphobia are often overlooked or brushed aside. For many students, facing heterosexism is a daily reality.

Niki Dorset was walking to a class in Edwards from the LGBTQ Center one evening. In the area by the ticket stands and the tennis courts, a group of three or four white males made fake coughing noises and saying "fag" and "faggot" under their breaths. As they passed one another, Niki heard one of the boys say, "I'm tired of all these faggots around here." Niki kept walking without any further confrontation.


"I'm tired of this happening to me," Niki said. "More specifically, it’s frustrating to have this kind of thing continue to occur at UC, a place where I’m supposed to feel valued, a place where I’m supposed to learn. I feel angry that this is happening, and quite frankly I’m scared when it does happen because I don’t know when it will stop or what the result may be."


Not only do incidents like this deeply affect students' emotions and personal lives, but it can also affect their learning. "When I got to class, I was still feeling the emotions from what I had just experienced. Unfortunately, it influenced my experience inside the classroom. My thoughts were focused on getting called faggot rather than the purpose of the professor."


"Knowing that people on campus hate me, it doesn’t really allow room for trusting that this behavior of hate will not happen by the students in the class," Niki said. "Furthermore, I realized that after class I knew that I had to walk back across campus, which for very good reason I didn’t want to do."


"I truly hope that something can be done about hate speech at UC and other campuses. It doesn’t matter if it happens one time or 20 times, it still hurts. I know that if it is happening to me then it is happening to others."