LGBT community needs bolstered UA support

I want to echo the sentiments that Sam Feldman has expressed regarding the need for a LGBT center on campus (“”LGBT center necessary, not too costly””). Not only is it a positive step for the gay community, but it is also a necessity for the school in general.

While Pride Alliance has been an amazing program for the student body, unfortunately it no longer has the resources to adequately serve the LGBT community in all aspects. While I have tremendous respect for some of the people who run it, like Feldman, I am annoyed that they focus on the extremes of the gay community and not on the general populace.

Frankly, it is damaging when stereotypes are promoted. Call me crazy, but last time I checked, drag queens and transgendered individuals were two separate things. Drag queens are people who dress as the opposite sex for laughs and for show, as well as money. Transgendered people are individuals who live as the opposite sex because it is who they are on the inside.

Frankly, I think it is insulting that we give so much attention to drag queens when they have nothing to do with transgenderism. By doing that, you are equating the two and demeaning transgendered people as promiscuous pole dancers who like to act foolish and put on public shows.

Students may have negative opinions about the LGBT center now. However, I feel that this is simply because they do not know all the facts yet. I also believe that opposition to it is not out of homophobia or even “”homonausea,”” but rather a misunderstanding of the needs of the LGBT community at large.

When this center becomes a reality (and it will), I believe the overwhelming majority of students will be glad that it is there and will support its continued existence. Let’s not forget that Tucson and this university have had a long history of tolerance toward the gay community.

I ask all students – gay, straight, male and female – to take a second look at what is being done here and understand that in the long run, when you lift up those constantly at the bottom of the barrel, you lift yourself up as well.

Joel Shooster
political science junior

UA Mall no place for abortion photos

Yesterday I grabbed a slice of pizza from the Student Union Memorial Center, and as I walked out, I noticed a sign that read “”Warning: Graphic images ahead.”” Curious, I tilted my head up to see a most disturbing sight: Numerous photos, small and large, of decapitated fetuses and limbs from abortions. One poster was, in my estimation, about 20 feet high.

As my slice of pizza began creeping back up, I realized I wasn’t disturbed so much by the photos themselves as I was by the people who would allow such photos to be put up – in a high-traffic area such as the UA Mall, no less.

I really hope someone in the administration who allowed these photos to be put up has been disciplined or at the very least talked to, so that no student will ever again have to witness such a sight. Maybe the photos should be taken to a more appropriate place to protest, like an abortion clinic!

I have trouble understanding why someone would want to subject students to this, for whatever noble cause they think they are speaking for. Furthermore, anyone who needs to put up grotesque photos in order to prove a point probably doesn’t have a good point to begin with.

I realize this is a political issue, but I am neither conservative nor liberal, and my political standpoint has nothing to do with my outrage toward these photos. I am a human being and do not wish to view pictures of bloody babies on my way to class or while I am eating.

Tim McDermott
pre-business freshman

For everything else, there’s Macintosh

In response to Alex Hoogasian’s letter, “”Macs ‘useless’ to most computer users,”” I couldn’t disagree more. If we’re talking about average consumers here, Microsoft Office is probably the most popular tool from Microsoft. Office is and always has been available for the Macintosh. Enough said.

Also, if you buy a Mac and still want to use Windows-only applications, pick up a copy of Parallels, which will let you run Windows applications right on top of OS X. You can even partition a part of your hard drive so that you can directly boot up in Windows.

The idea that gaming has become the primary use of computers is ridiculous. What about music, movies, photography, writing, instant messaging, programming, e-mail or just plain surfing the Web? Not to mention the uses in business, science and education markets.

If Microsoft products are really the “”best computer experience for the greatest number of users,”” then why is it that a majority of new features in Windows Vista are already present in Mac OS X? It is not likely that people purchase a Mac only for games, but they do purchase it to use a stable and robust operating system for productivity or whatever else they enjoy.

One thing is for sure: “”Most computer users”” are not deciding between Windows or Mac OS X because they are worried about the performance of “”Doom 3.”” If you are game-intensive, buy a console. For everything else, I recommend a Mac.

Jessica Thrasher
computer science senior

Beer pong a sport for ‘superior athletes’

I hope Adam Wasserman and Dan Schuman are proud of their business (“”UA alumni craft beer pong tables””). But I must say: “”Get your drinks off my table!”” Sure these guys are building their own tables; unfortunately, a majority of the games are played on legitimate ping-pong tables.

When wedges of cups are filled with Keystone Light and placed on the hollowed playing surface of the ping-pong table, the game is disrespected. To play beer pong, one must have the ability to throw a ball and presumably a blood alcohol content hovering around 0.20. Some game. Isn’t this the basis of Boozo’s Grand Prize Game? A game for children.

Yet, to master the ping-pong table, one must be a superior athlete, one who possesses determination, lightning-quick reflexes, phenomenal footwork and an unshakable focus. This athlete is disgraced when his playing surface is left sticky from a night of drunks knocking their Solo cups over. This is a disgrace rarely seen.

Disrespect of this kind cannot be ignored, and those ignoring the beautiful tradition of ping-pong must be brought to justice. This aggression will not stand. I call on all the true pongers of the world: Next time you are party and people are playing beer pong, beat them in their juvenile game, take out your paddle and defend the table’s honor. Make someone beat you in the game the table is meant for before you yield. Viva la resistance!

Brian Danker
UA alumnus