April 18, 1984 · Cavalier Daily

Public Displays Are Natural

A letter to the editor written by a gay student asserts that although displays of affection between gays evoke discomfort, this censure is discriminatory.

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Subject	College student newspapers and periodicals
Creator	Brent Harris
Source	Cavalier Daily
Publisher	Cavalier Daily
Date	1984-04-18
Rights	Cavalier Daily

Text	Public Displays Are Natural It sickens me to feel the compulsion to respond to such a basely ignorant letter as Terrell Bowers.' I would sooner leave such bigotry to wallow in its own self-righteousness, but mindful of the intellectual environment here at the University, the thought that Mr. Bowers might be an intelligent individual frightens me into defensiveness. I would like to point out to Mr. Bowers that he appears not to understand the difference between an expression of mutual affection and a purely sexual impulse. Public display of affection between man and animal is not censured in our society. The same cannot be said of public affection between two of the same sex. Were I to pet or hold a dog in public (as is done every day) no notice would be taken. Were I to touch my boyfriend's arm or hold his hand in the midst of a crowd (as I have done) I can assure you the waves of shock and embarrassment would be quite visible. The ultimate question, Mr. Bowers, is why are you and so many others unable to allow one human being to love another and express that love through the act of touching? In many European countries men, regardless of their sexual preference, often walk arm in arm down the street together. Your objection to physical contact reveals not only a cultural narrowness but a fear of human closeness that I would advise you to examine more closely. The fact is, the Gay Rights movement is the most humanitarian movement in existence. It argues not for the destruction of the family, not for perversion of our children, but the freedom of each human being to love whomever he or she wishes. I am sorry Mr. Bowers cannot feel the necessity for that freedom. Brent Harris GSAS

Text

Public Displays Are Natural
It sickens me to feel the compulsion to respond to such a basely ignorant letter as Terrell Bowers.' I would sooner leave such bigotry to wallow in its own self-righteousness, but mindful of the intellectual environment here at the University, the thought that Mr. Bowers might be an intelligent individual frightens me into defensiveness.
I would like to point out to Mr. Bowers that he appears not to understand the difference between an expression of mutual affection and a purely sexual impulse. Public display of affection between man and animal is not censured in our society. The same cannot be said of public affection between two of the same sex.
Were I to pet or hold a dog in public (as is done every day) no notice would be taken. Were I to touch my boyfriend's arm or hold his hand in the midst of a crowd (as I have done) I can assure you the waves of shock and embarrassment would be quite visible.
The ultimate question, Mr. Bowers, is why are you and so many others unable to allow one human being to love another and express that love through the act of touching? In many European countries men, regardless of their sexual preference, often walk arm in arm down the street together. Your objection to physical contact reveals not only a cultural narrowness but a fear of human closeness that I would advise you to examine more closely.
The fact is, the Gay Rights movement is the most humanitarian movement in existence. It argues not for the destruction of the family, not for perversion of our children, but the freedom of each human being to love whomever he or she wishes. I am sorry Mr. Bowers cannot feel the necessity for that freedom.
Brent Harris
GSAS

Tags	advocacy, LGBTQ Community, student publications
Date Added	April 30, 2018
Date Modifed	May 13, 2018
Collection	Cavalier Daily: articles about LGBTQ issues

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