The Daily was flooded with letters last week about the defacing and tearing down of LGBTAA posters featuring hetero and homosexual couples kissing. The posters, which read “Everybody has a right to love,” were put up all over campus last week as part of Awareness Days. They did it to show the ISU campus’ feelings toward homosexuality.

Of the 1,000 posters put up, only 81 remained intact at the end of the week, according to Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen, LGBTAA president.

“This is sort of a barometer to the attitude on campus,” she said. “It didn’t turn out like we hoped it would.”

But the very fact they created this experiment indicates that LGBTAA did expect a negative response. They planned the campaign ahead of time, anticipating that the minority of bigots on campus would deface the posters.

And now, it appears as though the majority of ISU students are not supportive of homosexuality. And this is wrong.

There are many, many students on campus that work to provide an environment of understanding on campus. The actions of a few students who felt the need to resort to childish tactics to promote their infantile beliefs do not reflect the entire ISU community.

Yes, the actions of those students were repulsive. Statements etched on the posters like “Not everyone wants to look at faggots” and “Not everyone wants to know you exist” are not ones made by a rational student. The people who made these statements are not a fair representation of ISU students as a whole.

The campaign by LGBTAA was a noble one. But it is not the all-encompassing “barometer” of the ISU campus as LGBTAA is claiming.

Taking the actions of a few who rip down and deface posters and then claiming that is the campus barometer on homosexuality is inaccurate.

No, the ISU campus is not the most inclusive and comfortable place for homosexuals to live. It’s hard to find any places, however, that fit that mold. At least here on the ISU campus, there are communities of students who work to make it better.

LGBTAA is correct in saying that the defacing of the posters is a hate crime. It is nothing less. The motive behind their destruction or theft is hate toward a group of people.

LGBTAA is correct in saying that this shows that there is work to be done to improve the atmosphere of understanding on campus.

But LGBTAA is in error saying these actions – horrible, repulsive actions – are representative of the campus as a whole.

It is not a “barometer.” It is a few bad seeds. Not all ISU students are irrational and discriminatory.

editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Charlie Weaver, Omar Tesdell