Bryant Pride event aims to raise awareness of hate crimes
On Monday, activist Erin Davies will speak about her experience as the victim of a hate crime.
Two years ago, Erin Davies, as a student at Sage College in New York, returned to her car parked on an Albany street to find homophobic epithets spraypainted on it. The hate crime, she believed, was triggered by a rainbow sticker she had placed on her Volkswagen Beetle in commemoration of National Coming Out Day, an internationally recognized event held each October that encourages open dialogue about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) issues.
In an effort to raise awareness to the pain of hate crimes, Davies embarked on a 58-day cross country trip in her vandalized car, which she dubbed the “fagbug.” She chronicled her travels, which included more hate messages and rocks thrown through her windows, as well as notes of support, as part of a documentary that she will screen at Bryant on Monday, March 30, at 2 p.m. in the Heritage Room of the Bryant Center. A discussion will follow. Davies car will also be displayed outside of the Unistructure throughout the day.
Opening minds
Brianna Mahan ’09 (Charlton, MA), Bryant Pride treasurer, encourages people to be non-judgmental on GLBT issues. “We hope to open the eyes of the Bryant community to the pain that hateful comments and homophobic slurs create,” she says.
MacKenzie Schroth ’11 (Townsend, MA), a member of Bryant Pride who was recently elected to serve as the organization’s vice president for 2009-2010 academic year, says programs sponsored by Bryant Pride help break down stereotypes.
“The community as a whole, not just GLBT students and faculty, should be involved in programs like “fagbug” because these issues affect everyone,” says Schroth.
In addition to Davies talk and commemorating National Coming Out Day, Bryant Pride sponsors events around the Day of Silence, an event each April in which the GLBT community and supporters don’t speak for a day to express their recognition of the silencing, harassment, and abuse of GLBT individuals. Bryant Pride will sell t-shirts in the Rotunda that say “Gay? Fine by Me” in advance of this year’s Day of Silence on April 17. For the second year in a row, the organization also recently sponsored a film festival.
The key messages of Bryant Pride are tolerance and acceptance, says Schroth. “We need to accept and appreciate everyone’s differences and work together to solve problems affecting all types of people,” she says.
In an effort to raise awareness to the pain of hate crimes, Davies embarked on a 58-day cross country trip in her vandalized car, which she dubbed the “fagbug.” She chronicled her travels, which included more hate messages and rocks thrown through her windows, as well as notes of support, as part of a documentary that she will screen at Bryant on Monday, March 30, at 2 p.m. in the Heritage Room of the Bryant Center. A discussion will follow. Davies car will also be displayed outside of the Unistructure throughout the day.
Opening minds
Brianna Mahan ’09 (Charlton, MA), Bryant Pride treasurer, encourages people to be non-judgmental on GLBT issues. “We hope to open the eyes of the Bryant community to the pain that hateful comments and homophobic slurs create,” she says.
MacKenzie Schroth ’11 (Townsend, MA), a member of Bryant Pride who was recently elected to serve as the organization’s vice president for 2009-2010 academic year, says programs sponsored by Bryant Pride help break down stereotypes.
“The community as a whole, not just GLBT students and faculty, should be involved in programs like “fagbug” because these issues affect everyone,” says Schroth.
In addition to Davies talk and commemorating National Coming Out Day, Bryant Pride sponsors events around the Day of Silence, an event each April in which the GLBT community and supporters don’t speak for a day to express their recognition of the silencing, harassment, and abuse of GLBT individuals. Bryant Pride will sell t-shirts in the Rotunda that say “Gay? Fine by Me” in advance of this year’s Day of Silence on April 17. For the second year in a row, the organization also recently sponsored a film festival.
The key messages of Bryant Pride are tolerance and acceptance, says Schroth. “We need to accept and appreciate everyone’s differences and work together to solve problems affecting all types of people,” she says.
