Despite missing sign, eQ moves forward
TCU police were investigating the possible theft of an eQ Alliance banner Wednesday. Some members said they were upset but would not let the missing sign distract from National Coming Out Week activities.
By Joi Harris
Staff Reporter

A few strings were all that remained early Wednesday morning of the 3-by-10 foot banner that announced National Coming Out Week. Even though some members of eQ Alliance say they are upset, they will continue celebrating the week.

Lorna Runge, eQ Alliance faculty adviser, said she was notified around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday by Sebastian Moleski, eQ Alliance president, that the banner hanging outside of the Student Center was missing. Although members of the group are concerned, Runge said, they will not let interest groups take control over their week.

“They can take (the banner) down every day of the week if they want,” she said. “We’ll just keep putting it right back up.”

Mike Russel, associate dean of Campus Life, said Campus Life had no leads Wednesday, but it will be working with residence hall staff members to search for the banner. Staff members are being asked to look around for any sign of it, he said.

According to the 2002-2003 Student Handbook, theft, attempted theft, unauthorized use or possession of university property or services or unauthorized use of other’s property is prohibited conduct. Punishments for such acts range from probation to expulsion, said Russel.

“In this case, punishment will depend on whether the theft was a prank or motivated by bias,” Russel said. “If it was a biased act, the punishment will be stiffer.”

The theft undermines the purpose of National Coming Out Week, which is supposed to provide a secure environment for homosexuals to “come out,” said Moleski, a freshman political science and economics major.

“Although most (eQ members) are secure about what we do, there are others who can’t be as expressive,” Moleski said.

The banner was replaced with a larger butcher-block paper sign and posted in the Student Center Lobby Wednesday afternoon. Moleski said the new banner was the best the group could do in such a short time.

“We never thought that anything like this would happen,” Moleski said. “So we hardly had any way to make a new banner.”

This is not the first time the TCU gay community has dealt with possible prejudice. During Holocaust Remembrance week in April 2001, 75 pink flags, which represented about 450,000 homosexuals persecuted during the Holocaust, were stolen from the Sadler Hall lawn.