Weekly Hornet

Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: News

Fullerton College's Lambda Society hosted a candlelight vigil at Hillcrest Park last Thursday in remembrance of hate crime victim Matthew Sheppard.

The evening started with a moment of silence for Sheppard, a 21 year old from Wyoming who was tied to a fence and beaten to death by two men for being homosexual. A symbolic paper fence was taped around the perimeter with each panel containing a true hate crime story.

The "Positive/Negative" wall included student input on gay issues and was also displayed. The "Positive/Negative" wall gave FC students the chance to openly voice their opinion about homosexuals.

"For the most part Fullerton [College] is pretty accepting, but it still needs work," said Lambda President Juliana Campbell. "We want everyone to realize that, gay or straight, we can band together to promote acceptance."

The "Positive/Negative" posters will be presented to President Kathleen Hodge this week.

"We hope to raise awareness with the school administration and receive positive reinforcement," said Lambda member Sarah Martin.

Participants tore down the fence to demonstrate their resolve to end ignorance and intolerance.

Lambda board members led a discussion about the recent surge in hate crimes against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders. They encouraged participants to share their thoughts and stories about coming out.

"I'm me, the only person I know how to be," shared Lambda Interclub Council Representative Daniel Romero.

This event took a lot of hard work and planning by Lambda, according to Campbell. Planning began in July in order to get permission from the city of Fullerton.

"All week we had late night meetings going into 11 p.m.," Martin said. "Some people missed classes and canceled work to make this happen."

The club became active Spring 2006 with over 200 people on the mailing list. "This is the most active we've been," Campbell said. "People are passionate to see change."

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