T-shirts back gays at Duke

newsobserver.com ^ | April 28, 2003 | Jane Stancill

[Living Free in NH]

DURHAM -- At Duke University, being OK with being gay is something of a fashion statement these days.

In the past two weeks, hundreds of students have been seen wearing T-shirts that say, simply: "Gay? Fine by me."

Duke President Nan Keohane has one. Duke basketball players Nick Horvath and Shavlik Randolph have been spotted in the shirts.

"They're everywhere," said senior Amanda Poston, who got hers Thursday from the boxes of free shirts on a breezeway outside the student union. "This is a peaceful, passive way we can express how we feel."

The trend was started by a group of friends, gay and straight, who decided something had to be done about the perception that Duke is a homophobic place. A few years ago, the Princeton Review rated Duke as the most gay-unfriendly campus in the United States.

So the students thought up a slogan, ordered 500 T-shirts and planned to give them away to as many people as would take them.

The shirts were gone by noon the first day. A rush order of an additional 250 disappeared in about 15 minutes. In 10 days, 1,800 shirts were snapped up.

"We've been giving them away as fast as we can make them," said Leila Nesson, a graduate student in history.

Some were reluctant at first, she said, muttering, "I'll pass," when they saw the message on the shirts.

"Once it was clear there were hundreds of students wearing them," she said, "that was no longer a problem."

The shirts became a must-have.

The friends solicited donations from student groups on campus. They raised $7,200 to pay for the shirts.

Spring classes are over, but the group has contacted college students across North Carolina to suggest similar T-shirt giveaways in the fall. N.C. State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. Central University and Guilford College have expressed interest.

The "fine by me" movement at Duke hasn't been without controversy, though. A group of feminists said the message was troubling. "Perhaps we should invest in a 'It is not my right to authorize your sexuality' shirt," they wrote in an e-mail message.

Abigail Weliver, a senior who stopped by the shirt booth last week, doesn't see it that way.

"I don't think it's necessarily validation," she said. "It's more a sign of solidarity and support and friendship."

Staff writer Jane Stancill can be reached at 956-2464 or janes@newsobserver.com.

[Living Free in NH]

But they don't want to make their sexuality an issue...

How about: "Closet? Get back in it"

[dighton]

The "fine by me" movement at Duke hasn't been without controversy, though. A group of feminists said the message was troubling. "Perhaps we should invest in a 'It is not my right to authorize your sexuality' shirt," they wrote in an e-mail message.

[Texas_Jarhead]

of course, a T-shirt proclaiming the opposite would be immediately banned.

[HIDEK6]

A group of feminists said the message was troubling. "Perhaps we should invest in a 'It is not my right to authorize your sexuality' shirt," they wrote in an e-mail message.

Can these people get any more ANAL?

[billbears]

AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!! One more reason to move Duke to the locale where most of the students originated from

[Bernard]

It's a free t-shirt? Couldn't be that hard to give the stuff away. How did they raise the money to pay for this in the first place?

[joesnuffy]

How about "Better latent than blatant"

[Constitution Day]

In the past two weeks, hundreds of students have been seen wearing T-shirts that say, simply: "Gay? Fine by me."
Duke President Nan Keohane has one. Duke basketball players Nick Horvath and Shavlik Randolph have been spotted in the shirts.

I would expect such behavior from the boys in powder blue, but Duke? I am shocked. :)

[Robert A Cook PE]

And if ANY conservative (or Christian) were to print a T-shirt with HIS or HER personal view ...

(Example: "Gay? The Wages of Sin are Death")

There'd be h*ll to pay and hte liberal press would stone the conservative!

[Constitution Day]

LOL! You beat me here.

[annyokie]

LOL! Thant's a keeper!

[bourbon]

Back in the early 90s when Christian Laettner played for Duke there were tons of rumors floating around that he was gay.

Around about that time, I heard that some rival fans (UK maybe?) made up some T-shirts that said, "Duke sucks, but Laettner Swallows."

BTW, it is really hard for me to believe that Duke is the most "gay-unfriendly" campus in the USofA. Everyone I know who went there is a hidebound liberal ideologue.

[wideawake]

A number of guys will stop wearing their free t-shirt when they realize that it says: "Gay? Chat me up!" in Faglish.

[mykdsmom]

I would expect such behavior from the boys in powder blue, but Duke? I am shocked. :)

Uh Oh.....let the flames begin.

MKM

[Hatteras]

"I would expect such behavior from the boys in powder blue, but Duke? I am shocked. :)"

Gee, I don't know, Coach K has always had that funny little hitch in his giddy- up...

[SquirrelKing]

How 'bout: "Gay? Hell no."

[Constitution Day]

I'm such a troublemaker... lol.

[Right Wing Professor]

"Gay? The Wages of Sin are Death"

I find this truly offensive. It should read "Gay? The Wages of Sin is Death."

:-)

[Interesting Times]

Duke needs some shirts that say, "Conservative? Fine by Me."