R. Wayne Edwards ("A&M for science, not sexuality," The Eagle, August 15, 1996) condemns Larry Hickman and others who are disappointed with the Texas A&M University administration's failure to comply fully with the 1984 Supreme Court decision requiring that A&M recognize gay and lesbian student groups. Edwards' polemic against homosexuals is based on a host of inconsistent arguments.
The truth is that, statistically, the sexual abuse of children is disproportionately perpetuated by heterosexuals, not by the gay community. Thus, Edwards, by his own logic, condemns heterosexuality. In focussing exclusively on the actions of some selected people in gay parades, Edwards, again to be consistent, would have to condemn the entire Republican party as sympathetic to the Ku Klux Klan because David Duke is a Republican. As for A&M improperly sanctioning events that celebrate "sexual preferences," Edwards must know that the university has sanctioned such events for generations under the auspices of dances (i.e., Howdy, Ring, Boot, etc.). As for the argument that gays and lesbians should forego "advisory services" to help them adjust to the often hostile environment at A&M, the same argument ought to apply to the specialized counseling currently existing for disabled students or minority groups who have at times found adjustment to the campus environment difficult.
Underlying Edwards' entire argument is precisely what many fair-minded Aggies find so disturbing about the climate the university's current leadership appears to foster: "We are provincial and proud of it--so do not bother telling us what others do elsewhere or suggest that we can learn from the experience of others (or even from our own experience), because we already have all the answers." This kind of "Citadel" mentality belongs to the past, not to a great university preparing itself for the diversity the 21st century will bring.
Dale Baum
College Station
Telephone: o: 845-7151
h: 693-0307
FAX: 764-9386
E-mail: d-baum@tamu.edu
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