UPDATE!!!

UPDATE & AMENDMENT:

Yesterday, after I posted the previous blog, I received a response from Harvard University regarding the recent Jada Pinkett Smith/"heteronormative" controversy.

To learn about the situation that made national headlines last week, read my previous post ("Enough Gaysteria already!" from 3/8/05).

In fact, Bill O'Reilly is about to cover the story on his show after this commercial break.  The story is still fresh, but I want to expose and spread this new information that I received DIRECTLY from a Harvard student chiefly involved with the issue.

Here is a copy of the reply letter from Harvard Foundation of Intercultural and Race Relations (FIRR) Student Advisory Committee Co-Chair Yannis Paulus:

 

Hello, Ryan!

Thanks for the email!  I appreciate the thoughts!  Unfortunately, this has all been one big misunderstanding.  The Harvard Foundation never even thought about issuing an apology nor did BGLTSA [Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender & Supporters Alliance] "demand an apology" as some news sources claimed.  BGLTSA just wanted to have a discussion with the 62 other member groups of the Student Advisory Council discussing certain implicit assumptions people often make in society.

Oftentimes, cultural and ethnic groups are also marginalized due to assumptions, so we thought this would be a general topic that would engage the cultural and racial groups that comprise the Student Advisory Council of the Foundation.  However, due to terrible reporting on the part of the Crimson (including blatant lies and out of context quotes, like the apology issue) and other news sources basing more reports off this story, the entire episode has ballooned for absolutely no reason.

Our breakfast on Friday was to work to issue a joint press release between BGLTSA and the Foundation to set the record straight after the media completely misconstrued the situation.  However, I thank you for the thoughts and hope that the same news sources that so quickly latched on to the story earlier let everyone know the truth behind the situation very soon.

Thanks!

Sincerely, Yannis

According to this note of clarification, it seems that the Harvard BGLTSA never sponsored a declaration for an apology, even if some of its members took offense to Pinkett Smith's remarks. 

I just finished watching the head of the Harvard student BGLTSA, Ms. Margaret Barusch, on "The O'Reilly Factor."  She basically echoed Yannis Paulus' remarks.

While some students were either offended or felt excluded from the motivational directions from Pinkett Smith's speech, there was apparently NO mass protest and NO apology demanded or sanctioned by any specific university group or individual.

Unlike Yannis Paulus, Ms. Barusch did not call the Crimson liars, but the sentiment seemed close to identical.

SO, does this mean I retract all I said in my previous post?

No way!

However, I formally retract the negative remarks and pejorative associations made in my post regarding the Harvard student BGLTSA as a whole entity.

That said, there are still many radical gay activist groups -- including BGLTSAs from other universities -- that perfectly fit the negative connotations and associations I connected to Harvard's chapter in my last post. 

I do not retract any of the content from that post, but I take back its direct or indirect association with the BGLTSA Harvard chapter specifically.

So there you have it!  I hope this can help set the record straight.

(Pun intended.)