Student Assembly

Whereas, the LGBTQ community has suffered the tragic loss of Raymond Chase, Seth Walsh, Asher Brown, Tyler Clementi, William Lucas and Justin Aaberg, each of whom took their own life as a result of bullying that targeted their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity and expression; and

Whereas, instances of anti-LGBTQ bullying and harassment have been reported nationally, such as in the case of Tyler Wilson of Findlay, Ohio, an eleven year-old whose arm was broken by two boys because he joined the cheering team, and the case of Chris Armstrong, the openly gay University of Michigan student body president who was stalked and harassed by Michigan assistant attorney general Andrew Shirvell on an internet blog ¹; and,

Whereas, there are constantly examples of violent acts of hate, bias and discrimination that go unnoticed or unreported in the LGBTQ community; and,

Whereas, the United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has called for “all people of conscience…to stand up and speak out against intolerance in all its forms.”² ; and,

Whereas, numerous peer institutions have recently organized public events to combat bullying and stand in support of the LGBTQ community during this difficult time;

Be it therefore resolved, that the Student Assembly strongly condemns bullying of any individual or group for any reason, and specifically on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression; and

Be it further resolved, that the Student Assembly urges the President of Cornell University to publicly affirm Cornell’s commitment to combating bullying and promoting an open and caring community at Cornell.

Respectfully submitted,

Matt Danzer ‘12
Student Assembly LGBTQ At-Large Representative

Eugene Hunter ‘12
President of Haven: The LGBTQ Student Union

Nicholas Chartrain ‘13
Treasurer of Haven: The LGBTQ Student Union

Abigail Back ‘11
Secretary of Haven: The LGBTQ Student Union

Evan Carney ‘11
Social Programming Chair of Haven: The LGBTQ Student Union

Mireya Avila ‘14
Publicity Chair of Haven: The LGBTQ Student Union

Alyssa Clutterbuck, graduate student
Graduate and Professional Student Liaison to Haven: The LGBTQ Student Union

Trey Ramsey ‘12
President of Direct Action to Stop Heterosexism

Stephen Maldonado ‘12
Editor in Chief of “Q” Magazine

Olivia Tai ‘11
LGBT Health Outreach Intern at the LGBT Resource Center

Gabe Sulkes ‘11
LGBT Community Outreach Intern at the LGBT Resource Center

David Bell, staff
Program Coordinator in the Office of the Dean of Students

Xochitl Cruz ‘12
Facilitator for LBQ

Charles Maher ‘12
Facilitator for OUTreach

Jesse McElwain ‘12
Facilitator for Cornell University Gay-Straight Alliance

Colin Buss ‘11
Facilitator for Cornell University Gay-Straight Alliance

Christopher Pelligra ‘11
Facilitator for Cornell University Gay-Straight Alliance

Gina Choi ‘13
Vice President of Mosaic

Kristin Herbeck ‘11
Education Program Co-Chair, Watermargin

Kachine Moore ‘12
Concerned student

¹ http://gawker.com/5651222/deranged-attorney-general-harassing-radical-gay-student-body-president?skyline=true&s=i (↑)

² http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/education/122193-unacceptable-loss-of-two-young-lives-secretary-of-education-arne-duncan (↑)