In his perspective published Oct. 18 in The Daily Free Press, Chancellor John Silber asserts the primary reason for shutting down the Boston University Academy Gay-Straight Alliance is the promotion of National Coming Out Day on the Academy calendar (‘BUA a unique academic environment,’ pg. 6).
As a parent of an Academy student, a technical consultant to the school and the former co-president of the BUA Parents’ Association, I have a great deal of contact with the school and other parents. I can state with a great deal of confidence that Dr. Silber has made a serious factual error.
The fundamental problem is that Dr. Silber jumped to an understandable, incorrect conclusion, namely that the GSA was responsible for the inclusion of this item on the calendar. The calendar was generated, reviewed and published over the summer by the Academy administration. The GSA had nothing to do with this.
Given the mistaken assumption that the GSA was in any way responsible for this, the conclusion that the GSA must be eliminated is certainly unwarranted.
Dr. Silber tries to bolster his argument against the GSA by reasoning that since the Academy had no GSA for seven years, it therefore needed no such organization. That argument would also apply to the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal, would it not? The absence of something does not imply that it is not needed or desirable.
Dr. Silber also implies that the Academy is free of the harassing language and behavior that would require a GSA. As one who has spent a good deal of time in the school, I can assert that this, too, is a factual error. While the Academy is indeed overall a supportive place, such language does still occur. Dr. Silber has, to my knowledge, spent very little time in the school and I would ask on what he bases the claim that there is no such behavior.
As has been pointed out in many previous letters, Dr. Silber clearly has no true understanding of the purpose and meaning of the GSA. It would set a far better example for our children if he would research the facts of an issue before making serious, controversial decisions.
I hope that Dr. Silber will recognize and admit his errors and will reinstate the GSA.