Abuse of Gay & Lesbian College Students

confrontations have escalated from verbal to physical abuse.

Because of the limited statistical tracking of such incidents, it has been left largely to individuals and organizations that have sought to implement awareness of the special situation faced by gay and lesbian college students to compile anecdotal evidence of harassment. The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force regularly updates its records of violence on campus and the problems confronting gay and lesbian students and organizations. Although figures are reported in the popular press, gay and lesbian advocacy groups cite both the figures and the difficulties of tracking them:

More than 7,000 acts of hate, ranging from verbal harassment

to physical violence, were committed against homosexuals and

lesbians last year, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

reported Thursday. Of those acts, nearly 1 in 5 occurred on

college campuses. Kevin Berrill, director of the task

force's AntiViolence Project and author of the group's

annual report, told a Capitol Hill news conference that

2,322 of the acts consisted of vandalism, intimidation or

physical violence and 4,709 were acts of verbal harassment.

The figures were compiled by 119 organizations and

individuals in 40 states and the District of Columbia. North

Carolina led the nation in antigay violence with 1,204,

followed by Texas with 997, California (563), Illinois (529)

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niversity and the University of South Carolina shortly thereafter, a fourpart workshop aimed chiefly at administrative personnel achieved some influence. A program of desensitization (of heterosexuals toward homosexual culture), reeducation, films, and discussion panels was instituted in residence halls, and was aimed at increasing awareness of the impact of campus homosexuality, developing an understanding of what it means to be gay or lesbian, and helping administrators increase their tolerance levels for alternative ways of life. An information package, including bibliography, sought to shift the consciousness of administrative counselors where the needs of gay [and lesbian] students are concerned (Smart and Sutehall 1985). The University of North Dakota's Memorial Union provides a guide for working with special constituencies that seeks to transform the campus "environment into one that appreciates, values, and celebrates individual differences. . . . The direction of this change is to focus on the understanding of individual differences [between mainstream culture and such cultures as Native Americans, women, homosexuals] as well as known commonalities" (Leppo and Lustgraaf 1987, p. 3). The guide, which is designed for stu

Category: Government - A