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<B>Missed opportunity</B><P>
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A university campus should be the perfect environment to promote open debate, especially among students or student groups who have opposing viewpoints.<P>
It's a shame, however, that some students at UK don't recognize the same opportunity.Organizers of the UK Speaks Out Series were forced to cancel tomorrow's session on sexuality when UK Lambda's withdrawal from the discussion sparked a mass exodus by other panel members. UK Lambda, a gay and lesbian organization, initiated a boycott of the session because organizers invited Kentucky Kernel columnist Ben Rich to serve on the panel.
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So much for open debate.
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UK Lambda cited Rich's "homophobic and homohatred views" as reasons for its boycott. The group contends that Rich's columns uphold stereotypes and are loaded with blatant hate speech directed at gays and lesbians.
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But instead of engaging Rich in an open debate, UK Lambda chose the low road and issued its own stinging news release, calling Rich a "homohater" and a "bigot."
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In essence the group did exactly what it accuses Rich of doing: It hid behind print. UK Lambda said it was worried about what Rich might say during the session.
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"In terms of whether he could be able to maintain himself, we doubted it," Solberg said. "The only thing he's done is bash and show he is hateful."
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In all honesty, the Kernel sees little difference between Rich's columns and UK Lambda's news release. They are both filled with sophomoric name calling.
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The organizers asked Rich to serve on the panel to offer a different point of view. UK Lambda should have used the debate to express its ideas about sexuality, in particular the gay and lesbian lifestyle.
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The group missed a golden opportunity to confront Rich and challenge the columnist in a meaningful debate. In the battle of public opinion, one would have to score a point for Rich. Just the idea of his being at the session caused an entire group to back away from the debate table.
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If it's that easy to lose heart, one has to question the strength of Lambda's conviction and the power of a Kernel columnist.
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