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T-shirts back gays at Duke
newsobserver.com ^ | April 28, 2003 | Jane Stancill

Posted on 04/28/2003 12:05:54 PM PDT by 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.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: North Carolina
KEYWORDS: activist; duke; gay; homosexualagenda; tshirts
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To: RonF
Wow. Bet that was fun to listen to.

Intelligent people can have rational discourse. That's how you learn. And, likely, how they became intelligent.

81 posted on 04/28/2003 1:46:31 PM PDT by wbill
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To: Hatteras
....I won't even bring up current events in regards to politics.

A wise man knows when to pick his battles.

82 posted on 04/28/2003 1:49:50 PM PDT by wbill
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To: sgiant
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters, nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

How about the verse that follows it?

GAY? And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. I Corinthians 6:11

83 posted on 04/28/2003 1:50:42 PM PDT by DrewsDad
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Comment #84 Removed by Moderator

To: Living Free in NH
"Poopeaters welcome?"
85 posted on 04/28/2003 1:51:24 PM PDT by <1/1,000,000th%
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Comment #86 Removed by Moderator

To: 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."

I don't know -- I wouldn't be surprised to see such shirts come from Carolina Fever, at least back before they kicked out all the people who actually had Carolina Fever.

Of course, I remember the running joke for a while had something to do with Christian Laettner and a lot of bump-n-grind in the low post...

MD

87 posted on 04/28/2003 1:58:31 PM PDT by MikeD (Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!)
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To: Right Wing Professor
Neigh, neigh .... Mossebreathe.

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

Should that not be re-corrected to be grammertrically more correcter?

"Two Wage Sin is Death!"

"All Your Death Are Below Two Us" ?

"Two Wedged Sin Are Death Between Us."

"Sin is a Two-Wedged Sword!"

88 posted on 04/28/2003 2:00:12 PM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I support FR monthly; and ABBCNNBCBS (continue to) Lie!)
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To: EdReform
Those are fantastic, I bookmarked the site.

straightpridewear.com has some really great products

and so does straightandproud.com


89 posted on 04/28/2003 2:09:46 PM PDT by Ferret Fawcet (A wise man's heart inclines him toward the Right, but a fool's heart...to the Left ~ Ecc 10:2)
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To: Constitution Day
I am glad the spotlight is off of Carolina on this topic for once..... (BA Ed. 1980; JD 1988--- from UNC)
90 posted on 04/28/2003 2:13:44 PM PDT by NCLaw441
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To: wardaddy
I like it better this way myself....but, it's a bygone era isn't it?

I agree with you. I would prefer it to be this way myself. No one (hetero or homosexual) ought to hit other people over the head with their 'sexuality.' Likewise, I believe it is rude to speculate loudly about others' private affairs.

You know Jackson has had some notrious flaming attorneys and serious scandals in the past? I'm not going there...some of them might still be alive.

I did NOT know that. hmmm.....
91 posted on 04/28/2003 2:28:58 PM PDT by bourbon
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To: EdReform
Re: those "thinking outside the triangle" T-shirts....

It is probably worth noting that heterosexual men and lesbians both enjoy thinking inside the box. :-)
92 posted on 04/28/2003 2:35:39 PM PDT by bourbon
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE
I was more inclined to change the original slogan to

"Gay? Find a boy* for me!

* Boy in the sense of 'boys of summer' of course. Heavens to Betsy, I would never ever suggest there's an association between homosexuality and pederasty!

93 posted on 04/28/2003 2:37:50 PM PDT by Right Wing Professor
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To: ErnBatavia
I bet that "Pitcher" is in deep Doo-Doo with his "Catcher"!

Why doesn't anyone ever talk about how filthy and nasty and perverted homosexuals are, especially the males?"

...to be attracted to another man's anus is truly sick.

94 posted on 04/28/2003 2:49:51 PM PDT by TexasCajun
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To: TexasCajun
Shame shame. Such language.

Nowdays, only liberals can call conservatives perverted, poopy-filled, hate-filled scum without morals or decency.

A conservative can't say that.

Only liberals have freedom of speech, ya know.

Liberals are free to say whtever they want and conservatives are free to put up with their lies, but not say anything. Conservatives must fire their politicians and shut down thier news shows and talk radio, but aren't allowed to protest or (heaven forbid!) stop buying the liberals' products, songs, CD's and tapes.
95 posted on 04/28/2003 2:55:36 PM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I support FR monthly; and ABBCNNBCBS (continue to) Lie!)
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Comment #96 Removed by Moderator

To: Bernard
How did they raise the money to pay for this in the first place?

Are you kidding? It's Duke! Every student there pays over $30,000/yr for tuition and fees. They have money coming out their @$$es.

97 posted on 05/03/2003 9:28:45 AM PDT by Future Snake Eater (All generalizations are false.)
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