Activist damages movement's message

The College of New Jersey near Trenton has someone who's damaged all protest movements there and nationally.

Police say that Ed Drago, founder of Haven, a campus support group for gay and lesbian students, and treasurer of the Gay Union of Trenton State, sent anti-homosexual hate mail and death threats to himself.

Drago has been charged with giving false reports to the police and with harassment.

Whether or not he did in fact fake the letters, Drago has permanently damaged his own reputation and that of the gay rights movement. Allegations of Drago's deception reinforce a dangerous stereotype of homosexuals as deceptive and manipulative.

Where his intentions might have been good, as the actions raised campus awareness of homophobia and hate crimes, or they might have been entirely selfish by drawing attention from fellow students, faculty and law enforcement, the result is still the same — a national disgrace.

Now gay rights movements on College of New Jersey's campus will be associated with Drago's hoax and not the efforts of others. This may also spread to any other movement, as the backlash against protesters on campus will be heavy.

What effect will it have on Purdue? Probably not much directly. But any step back for the gay rights movement just after some minor victories is a massive step back.

It erases the hard work of dedicated (and honest) homosexuals everywhere to erase the "stigma" of homosexuality, and it trivializes the suffering of those who really are victims of vicious hate crimes.

As the hate crime debate continues nationwide, to see a very real, very terrible thing turned into a hoax is depressing to say the least.

In rallying around Drago's cause, students and community members showed themselves to genuinely care about the homosexual community, many of whom may not have if without the inspiration of his story. But how many of these people are now disillusioned by the ordeal and the gay rights movement?

Public backlash is quick and cruel. Never again will a homosexual at College of New Jersey claiming threats of violence be trusted and protected without an air of skepticism, and that's unfortunate.

Though Drago's name and story will leave the headlines very quickly, the damage to the credibility of all college movements will remain.

Although Drago was a real life example of the boy crying wolf, we must never forget that the wolves are still out there.

n Editorial Board: Keith Thomas, Tom McHenry, Erica Sagon, Matt Poston, John Wakefield, Shawn McGann.

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Activist damages movement's message

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