Letters to the editor

Not “˜pathetic’ to remain in
closet

The Daily Bruin should be praised for addressing on-campus
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. The stories
regarding the present climate for queer student-athletes were
informative and helped raise awareness of issues faced by many of
UCLA’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.

Unlike those articles, Smita Saxena’s column,
“Athlete or not, don’t stay in the closet” (April
19), has many problems that render the article offensive and
insensitive. In her article, Saxena states that her RA
“isn’t straight,” and then says that “in
fact, he is a cross-dresser.” Yet, it is important to clarify
that cross-dressing and homosexuality are independent from one
another, and any claim to the contrary is false.

More insulting was her assertion that it is “pathetic …
that gays, who are perfectly normal in every way and no different
from everyone else, decide to hide this aspect … of
themselves.”

As a queer student who is not “out,” I don’t
feel “pathetic” or inferior to my peers who have come
out of the closet. Many people choose not to come out for a variety
of reasons ““ including fears of becoming targets of violence
or being ostracized by family and friends ““ and should not be
considered pathetic for this most personal of decisions.

Furthermore, my coming out of the closet is not the solution to
the larger issue at hand: providing a safe and welcoming
environment for all of UCLA’s LGBT students. I don’t
doubt that Saxena’s intentions were admirable and good, but
her language and contentions were disconcerting.

Anonymous UCLA student

UCLA has many places to recycle
“˜e-waste’

Kudos to Noor Hashem (“Recycling not an outdated
technology,” April 25) for mentioning the important issue of
electronics recycling and calling attention to the fact that
“what’s easy is often not what’s
right.”

Spreading awareness of the recycling of “e-waste” is
an important task to ensure that our environment is not poisoned by
those items accumulating in our landfills.

One important option right here on campus that Hashem omitted is
the numerous cell-phone recycling boxes around campus, including
Murphy Hall, where individuals can recycle their cell phones free
of charge. In addition, many organizations run special recycling
days for televisions and computer monitors free of charge, such as
at the recent “Worldfest” celebration.

Lastly, I’d like to call attention to the importance of
proper disposal of batteries (no, those AA batteries do not belong
in the garbage can) for the very same reasons.

Anna Davda Graduate School of Education