LGBTQ+ alum reacts to hate speech found in Niebuhr Hall

Dear Editor,

As an LGBTQ+ alumni of Elmhurst College, what these people did is beyond disrespectful. I never express my feelings towards the LGBTQ+ students at EC because we celebrated ourselves in such a safe environment where people could be what they want to be. The sadness of it all is that these criminals knew what they did, and they will never stand down until the community is belittled to hiding again or until the proper consequences are performed. 

 What is more frightening about this act is that Niebuhr is an all-freshman dorm. These freshmen are still at the stage of discovering their true religion, sexuality, future, and so on. To know that there is a group who hates other people for who they are physically, mentally, and sexually is making EC feel less safe and enforcing these freshmen to go back to the way they used to be: unable to express differences and dismiss the ideas of learning new cultures.

 I hope this does not affect the freshmen's way of living in the dorms, and I wish no ill will towards these bigots because no one can teach them if they desire not to learn. I hope these freshmen still know that regardless of that unwanted happening in Elmhurst at this moment that they still keep fighting to stay who they are and be what they were born to be.

Sincerely,

Anthony Barone 

Class of 2019