Those of us who were here last year may well remember the huge scandal that took place with the posters made by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally Alliance group. LGBTAA hung posters which featured both heterosexual and homosexual couples kissing. Of the 1000 displayed on campus, only 81 remained at the week’s end. Some even had hate messages scrawled across them such as “Not everyone wants to look at faggots.”

To me, this was a pretty extreme situation. The entire campus was talking about it and debates were even going on in print through letters to the editor in the Daily. It was a massive clash of religion and ethics. LGBTAA wanted to put up signs where posters had been ripped down stating “A hate crime occurred here.” Homosexuality is easily one of the most divisive subjects at Iowa State and even in the world. Despite this fact it seems lately huge leaps have been made in the way of gay rights.

Posting the hate crime signs obviously never happened. The idea they would teeters on the line of ridiculous. I know I was sick of seeing the posters. Like the “Do you agree with Dave” posters this year, the kissing posters were everywhere (luckily they were not that ugly green color). Of the 81 posters not torn down, three were on my dorm floor so I got the pleasure of seeing them every day. But no matter how tired of seeing the posters people were, there was no reason to graffiti them with negative messages.

To make it clear, I neither support nor condone homosexuality. I have friends who are gay, I have friends who are straight. For me personally it is right to love and/or be attracted to someone of the opposite sex. But I know just because something is right for me does not make it right for everyone else. I have never harbored or experienced issues of same-sex attraction so I certainly am not going to say it is wrong. I just do not have such insight. What people do with their own bodies and hearts is up to them. “Live and let live.”

Such are the words from ISU Theatre’s latest production, “The Laramie Project.” It is a story about the town where Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered because he was gay. It is based around a collection of over 200 interviews conducted by Moises Kaufman and his Tectonic Theater Project of New York. The incident happened four years ago. This is a huge step for Iowa State considering everything that happened with the posters last year.

“The Laramie Project” was not so much about being this way or that way, you know, gay or straight. It really has an underlying universal theme that hate crimes can happen anywhere. Someone in Ames could do exactly what the two young men did to Shepard. Despite the fact that the play can be somewhat tedious at times and hard to follow with the actors always changing character, it carries a strongly compelling message. It preaches tolerance, even in the face of such a horrible incident.

Tolerance seems to be a new theme when relating to homosexuality. Sure, the courts still are not allowing gay couples to adopt children, but that is just one battle out of so many that have been fought lately. This fall it looks like David Cicilline, a Democrat who is both Jewish and gay, will be elected mayor of the capital of Rhode Island, Providence. This will become the largest city to ever elect a gay mayor.

Another huge victory is the fact that major newspapers in the country will now run same-sex civil unions along side marriage announcements. These papers include The New York Times, The Charlotte Observer, and most recently the Boston Globe. According to the Gay and Lesbian Against Defamation group, there are now at least 139 newspapers publishing such announcements.

Around the world countries are actually allowing gay marriages. Over the summer, Germany’s high court upheld the state’s legalization of gay marriage, saying it did not violate constitutional provisions that relate to protecting marriage and family.

Other countries allowing same-sex marriage include France, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, the Netherlands, and Denmark, who was the first to legalize it all the way back in 1989. Maybe one day the United States will join that list.

Tolerance seems to be the global thread now that may well advance gay rights in the coming years. “Most voters make their decision based on the quality of your character and the strength of your idea,” stated Cicilline, “not on your race, or religion, or gender or sexual orientation.” That is quite the optimistic view for a society that still beats people for being gay. But tolerance is in the air. Live and let live.

Ayrel Clark

is a sophomore in journalism

and mass communication from Johnston. She is a member of the Daily’s

editorial board.