To the Editor:
In the current debate about the non-discrimination policy, there are a few things which have gotten muddled. I hope that I can help to clarify these. First of all, many people seem to misunderstand what discrimination is. According to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate dictionary, to discriminate is "to make a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual membership." Which means that when the Pachyderm says "Recognized student groups may not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or an individual's previous affiliations in criteria for membership, assignment of voting privileges, or rank, except as otherwise provided by federal or state law or university policy," it means that a student organization cannot have different treatment for gay people than for straight people.
While not allowing gay members to serve as leaders is an example of discrimination, it is only the most severe form. Were an organization to say that gay members must attend six meetings to vote and straight members only four, this would also be discrimination that is disallowed under Tufts' policy. Similarly, to say that gay people must believe themselves to be biblically condemned to be a leader, while straight people must not believe this about themselves, is an example of discrimination. It is an example of a difference in treatment. Simply stated, if gay people are required to have different beliefs about themselves than straight people are about themselves, then they are being discriminated against. Michael Ferenczy stated in his Viewpoint ("TCUJ clarification," 10/24) "Obviously, we (the TCUJ) had no trouble deciding what the word 'discriminate' means." Perhaps they should have taken more trouble, because they seem to have missed the point.
Laura Sheppard-Brick LA '01
