(It has come to the attention of the Chronicle that facts previously unknown affect the integrity of this opinion piece. According to several sources, there was a series of events that turn the incident wholly away from a hate crime. The Chronicle apologizes for any inconvenience, and is currently investigating the incident)
Here is the piece as it ran in the print edition on Nov. 3:
__________
Last Thursday night, my friend was punched in the face after kissing his boyfriend on the shuttle.He was escorted to Health Services by Security, and then to the security office for questioning. After coming out of the security office, a group of the assailant’s friends were waiting outside. They called my friend a “faggot,” among other offensive things.
The next day, my friend was harassed and threatened again on his way to Residential Life by one of the students from the night before.
Hate crimes are a serious issue, and this is no exception. I am outraged that something like this has happened at Quinnipiac University. The fact that these people felt so inclined to be violent and malicious toward someone because of their sexual orientation baffles me. I understand that people are entitled to their own opinions and beliefs, but acting upon it in this way is completely unacceptable.
The United States is slowly making progress when it comes to gay rights. Prior to hearing about Thursday night’s events, I thought that Quinnipiac was ahead of the game, for I have rarely heard of students degrading other students based on insignificant things such as sexual orientation. Unfortunately, I was proven wrong.
The Student Handbook states, “Quinnipiac prohibits and does not tolerate: personal harassment, verbal abuse or the threat of action in a manner that inflicts physical harm, physical abuse, mental distress or injury to any person.”
This principle was clearly violated last Thursday, and I hope the university takes appropriate action.
Quinnipiac has told us all over and over again that diversity and acceptance are important values of this university. Maybe it hasn’t been made clear enough to students just how serious the consequences are.
concerned student • Nov 5, 2010 at 7:30 pm
It’s hard to let an issue like this go, when an openly gay person is stirring up trouble to save his own skin it detracts from a perfectly legitimate cause. Also I believe that every single man, whether he is gay, straight, bi-sexual, has been taught from a young age that the two types of people you never raise your hand to are a woman or a child. Being drunk is no excuse for it, this poor example of a human being is trying to just get away with assault by twisting a situation that was about a perfectly legitimate example of a man defending a girl from harm. I’ll say again that I saw the gay couple that night, and they were completely belligerent and trying to entice a group of people to start a scene with them. And to the comment made by Just Stop, I hope that they are reading these responses so they can see that just because your gay doesn’t mean the world is going to give you a free pass. Personally I wish them no physical harm past what has been done to them, but I hope that the message being sent by the majority of readers cuts deep enough to leave a mark they will remember.
Just Stop • Nov 5, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Everyone should stop leaving comments about this it has nothing to do with anyone but the two involved. If they are reading these comments it might be negatively affecting them more than the situation. What happened already happened and they are probably dealing with enough criticism they don’t need more. They are two students that go to this school and they walk among us everyday so for them to be reading comments about themselves that their fellow peers are saying about them hurts. Hopefully they both will never hit anyone again no matter what race, gender, or sexual orientation the come into contact with in the future.
i called this one • Nov 5, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I was not surprised to see this story updated with some truth to it. I was not on the shuttle nor do I know any facts as to what happened. I do however know the males involved, and was not surprised to hear there were some holes in the story. I don’t think it is right that anyone got hit in this situation, nor did anyone deserve to be hit, and if the gay slurs etc were said to the two males that is wrong and disgusting as well. I think the situation as a whole is just bad, and I hope some people will not use their sexuality to make a situation a bigger deal than it was. What goes around comes around. I also am gay, so please don’t jump on the anti-gay train against me. I just don’t appreciate when others make a bad name for the rest of us 🙂
I was there so shut up. • Nov 5, 2010 at 1:33 am
P.S: He was documented a second time for taking a piss on the side of Irma. Classy guy all around. Good point about her not having a mark on her face though, really. I forgot that punching girls is okay as long as you hit like a girl.
I was there so shut up. • Nov 4, 2010 at 9:33 pm
The girl did file a report with campus security. The gay kid who made this shit up was not brought to security to file a report about being punched in the face, he was brought there as an OFFENDER for punching her in the face. I know this because my friend and I were sitting about 3 rows behind them when the incident happened on the shuttle and we were both interviewed as witnesses by security. I sent an e-mail to the chronicle about this and they told me that security cannot talk to them about this because of some law. “Another concerned student,” sorry to burst your bubble but you clearly don’t know your friend. I was there, and he punched a girl for no reason. So get off your high horse of political correctness and stop trying to justify it. Like someone else said, this asshole trying to use his sexual orientation to avoid punishment for what he did is an insult to all the legitimate acts of discrimination that take place in this country every year and he should be utterly ashamed of himself.
let the wind blow • Nov 4, 2010 at 3:08 pm
lets not get our panties in a bunch
another concerned student • Nov 4, 2010 at 1:05 pm
I agree, if the girl did get punched then did she file a police report right away? Why was the male the first one to file a police report? Also, was the girl taken by security to health services because she had a broken and bloody nose? Because the male certainly was. And if the male did indeed punch her, she would have had more than a bloody nose and there would have been a marking left on her face.
Telly • Nov 4, 2010 at 4:29 pm
maybe because she was afraid of social reprisal, especially if the kid who punched her is going to hide behind being gay and call it a hate crime and then direct people to lie for him too. Why wouldn’t she be afraid they’d lie about her to smear her for revenge? Also, not all punches leave a bloody nose (they stop bleeding) and not all punches leave marks. Again, no logic. Maybe the guy didn’t punch the girl very hard, but he still hit her.
Kelli Busey • Nov 4, 2010 at 10:27 am
Seems the Campus police report should be published. If a girl did get punched did she file a police report?
You're not even a students • Nov 4, 2010 at 6:30 pm
get out of here!
G-Unit • Nov 4, 2010 at 9:04 pm
well the fact this Kelli Busey person or avatar has to post on this shows how only those who know nothing about this whole thing are the ones defending a guy who punched a girl in the face.
another concerned student • Nov 3, 2010 at 9:43 pm
I have two issues with the comments on this article. Number 1 I understand that both sides of the story should be represented, however, the people spewing lies that the male punched a girl in the face need to stop. I am a very close friend with the male and know for a fact that he would never under any circumstances punch a girl in the face for no reason especially when he did not know her. If he had punched her, she would have some sort of marking from that incident and she does not. My friend, however has suffered an injury from this altercation. I would also like to point out that this is an opinion piece and the author is entitled to her opinion. To use derogatory words towards her is immature and childish. If you have something to say about this article or this incident please convey yourself in a mature way. We are all adults and do not need to speak that way towards each other. This article was written about rights and respecting others and you’ve clearly shown thats you do not, so please do not disrespect the author like that.
Wolf Without Tears • Nov 3, 2010 at 11:52 pm
ok, tell me then why the Chronicle itself has added the disclaimer “According to several sources, there was a series of events that turn the incident wholly away from a hate crime.” Also, just because a punch wasn’t strong enough to leave a mark doesn’t mean it wasn’t a punch. Her nose could have bled and stopped.
concerned student • Nov 4, 2010 at 9:14 pm
First of all the reason your friend punched the girl is completely unknown to everyone, he was drunk as hell when he did though ( know this because I witnessed him getting written up for a second time that night for pissing on the side of Irma). Also the statement “After coming out of the security office, a group of the assailant’s friends were waiting outside.” is not entirely true, the only reason people were there when the couple came out of security was because they live in one of the dorms near Irma, they weren’t trying to hunt down the two men, and the men started the second altercation by taunting the people that were just minding their own business. Last of all, the one who was punched in the face is well known for not just for blowing situations completely out of proportion but also creating conflicts and then hiding behind his sexuality when there is a negative response. He is well known by security because he frequently claims discrimination by other students as well as security.
Wolf Without Tears • Nov 3, 2010 at 9:38 pm
Honestly, how was this ever allowed to be published in the first place? The sheer moral turpitude displayed by whoever lied to whomever to write this should be punished. This ruins the entire anti-homophobia campaign too, as this wolf-cry will render true incidents of homophobic hate false in the eyes of the community.
Also, who punches girls? Why didn’t his boyfriend retrain him? Doesn’t QU have other campaigns to protect women from male violence against them?
Yvonne • Nov 4, 2010 at 11:11 pm
Alpha Chi Omega, where are you????!
concerned student • Nov 3, 2010 at 4:21 pm
As someone who was a witness to this event I know for a fact that there is only one side of the story being told here. The only reason this started was because one of the men in the couple punched a girl in the face first. I am not someone who is against gay rights but I am someone who believes in reporting the entire story. You should check the personal biases of your reporters before you have them write a story. The author happens to be a friend of one of the boys in the couple and she has done a awful job reporting the truth.
W.B. Jones • Nov 3, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
If said victim DID punch a girl on the bus then that should have been reported to security ASAP. There was no reason for the victim in this story to have been punched afterward. And the taunting outside of health services / security was unnecessary. Had this student not been punched back, proper justice could have been served in an appropriate manner once the incident was reported.
Christopher D. • Nov 7, 2010 at 12:11 am
sorry, but if you hit a girl in the face, you’re going to get what is coming to you. Also, no one taunted him outside health services and security, thats mere folklore.
No. • Nov 3, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Actually he got punched in the face for punching a girl in the face on the shuttle for no reason. Way to print a complete fucking lie dumbass.