Offensive messages defeat purpose

Messages chalked on the sidewalks and posted on street signs Monday signaled the start of Coming Out Week.

But instead of educating students about the importance of coming out to friends and finding comfort through inner strength, the phrases did more to perpetuate stereotypes about gay, lesbian, transgender and intersex people.

The choice of words definitely is aimed to make people stop and look twice. But the phrasing does not make them think long and hard about a subject they might never have faced.

The strong language alienated some students who otherwise might have listened to the message.

A more productive way of encouraging people to think about common misperceptions is to engage them with thought-provoking questions, not offensive catch phrases.

Coming Out Week is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate gender differences and to inform others about one's sexual and affectional orientation. But several of the messages posted around campus offended both gay and straight students.

Alienation is never a good way to garner support. And enforcing the stereotype that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists are militant does not help.

Although the phrases' authors are not affiliated with any single group on campus, these people detracted from the message of Open Doors, the group that extended National Coming Out Day to an entire week at Ohio University.

Encouraging students to open their minds is difficult enough without giving them the excuse to plug their ears from the start.

Host should stay on air

Bill Maher, who plays devil's advocate on his nightly talk show, "Politically Incorrect," angered viewers, advertisers and ABC executives when he called U.S. policy cowardly for opting to make war from the air.

Although the opinion is unpopular, especially in this wave of patriotism since Sept. 11, Maher has the right to speak his mind, especially on a show where he regularly offers different philosophies on any given topic.

Maher's on-air comments might have sparked controversy. But that's what the show is all about Ñ allowing guests to speak their minds and then giving Maher a chance to get on his soap box and present a sometimes out-there view.

Some sponsors went so far as to pull advertising from the show. Again, they have that right. But ABC made the right decision by not bowing to corporate money and by sticking to the premise of the show.

Knowing the show could lose money and viewers, Maher went ahead and said what he believed. He should not be punished for having controversial views and voicing them in an open forum.

The First Amendment still should be valued as highly as all our other Constitutional rights. People could criticize U.S. policy a month ago and have thousands of supporters, but now the same ideas might be frowned upon. Even in this time of tragedy, unpopular political viewpoints like Maher's should be voiced.