Over the last year, 36 people were murdered because of their perceived sexuality or their gender identity. In a country that prides itself on its adherence to the principles of tolerance and human rights, that’s a pretty stark number.  

These heinous deaths are precisely what the exhibit “Relating to Silence,” put together by Coalition Against Homophobia, tries to address. The display is an attempt to render the victims of these heinous crimes human. The exhibit, in the Olin Breezeway, presents the viewer with the faces of those who died.  

Through the display, the club wanted to make hate crimes perpetrated against the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer (GLBTQ) community known. The victims are gay and straight, young and old, black and white, hailing from all parts of the country.  

Some, as in the case of 15-year-old Lawrence King, received much media coverage. Others, as in the case of Ruby Molina and Daniel Yakovleff received spotty media coverage at best. Many others also fall through the cracks.

Hate crimes are a grisly reality in this country that cannot be ignored. Most hate crimes committed against the GLBTQ community are perpetrated against transgendered individuals. Yet little to no attention is brought to their cases.  

Take the case of Duanna Johnson, a 41-year old African American woman who was beaten by a cop. The beating, captured on camera at the police station, led to the dismissal of the assailing cop and received a good amount of media coverage.  

But in the intervening months, as Johnson sued the police station, she was murdered by three individuals. The perpetrators have yet to be caught and the media coverage has dwindled. Why are some atrocities worthy of attention while others are not?  

Coalition Against Homophobia is attempting to encourage dialogue about why these senseless acts are perpetrated. The club held an open discussion on Thursday, Feb. 12 to address these issues, asking students if they could think of times they were singled out or felt as if they could not express themselves.  

The stories shared ranged from being one of the few white students in a majority Latino school to going to China and being singled out as a foreigner. An earnest discussion of difference, hate crimes and the comfort of the GLBTQ community at Whitman campus ensued.

During the discussion, there was virtually unanimous agreement that the campus is an excellent place for making the GLBTQ community feel welcome. Most notably this comfort is achieved through the “Voices of Whitman” program and “Safe Zone” posters.  

Much of the campus population is unaware that hate crimes against GLBTQ people still happen on a fairly regular basis. It is the hope of the club that these discussions will lead to further questions and a re-examination of one’s own actions.   In talking, acting and questioning, the club hopes that these crimes will eventually be a bygone memory of worse times.  

Please join Coalition for the second installation of its discussion of hate crimes on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 8pm in Reid GO2. Or check out the exhibit, “Relating to Silence” in Olin Breezeway through Friday, Feb. 20.