Editor:

I was alarmed to learn that pins and posters supporting Pride Week were destroyed and stolen in the Heritage Center earlier this week.

I have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for seven years, and you might think that the liberals of the Bay Area could take the higher ground. When it comes to inclusion and acceptance of sexual orientation, in many ways that may be true. However, I dealt with a similar situation when white students tore down posters and flyers posted by American-Indian students expressing themselves (admittedly provocatively) about the “celebration” of Columbus Day.

The moral of the story is, when you are in the position of power and privilege, you believe you have the right to silence the expression of others. It takes courage for a person who is part of a group that has historically and systematically been oppressed to show pride in who they are and what they represent.

It is tragic that those who have enjoyed the privilege of being in the dominant group have to continue to perpetuate hatred and injustice.

Alexis Bucknam

Alumna