To the Editor:
While Garret Johnson '14 makes a valid point about Brown's lack of political diversity in his opinions piece ("A different kind of diversity," Sept. 13), when he describes the events of March 23 he makes the error of conflating the Brown student response with an "intolerance of conservative political views." The fact is that the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property did not just come to Brown to declare their views on gay marriage legislation — they also distributed pamphlets including moral descriptions of homosexuals as "sick individuals" who were going straight to hell. Johnson condemns Brown students for their "fierce reactions" to this group, calling them liberal hypocrites. It is true that some students exhibited "terrorizing" behavior that was highly inappropriate. Yet the entire counter protest he speaks of was not a matter of liberal versus conservative political views. Rather, it was an understandable reaction to persecution, from a campus that has made a point to be hospitable and welcoming toward LGBTQ students. To condemn these students for protesting against a group that sought to perpetuate injustice and inequality is not hypocritical, nor should it be attributed to political divisions. The equal treatment of all students, regardless of their sexualities, should be a societal goal rather than a liberal or conservative one.
Yvonne Yu '13
