Incident at the November 4th Dance

Three lesbians have charged sexual harassment at the LBGC First Friday Dance in Earl Hall on November 4th, by an inebriated man who is believed not to belong to the Columbia University community. His alleged abusiveness and physical approaches to a female bartender and a lesbian couple from Teachers College resulted in a pushing incident. University security guards promptly apprehended the man, and then city police officers arrived, arrested the man, and charged him with third-degree assault.

The incident, which involved verbal abuse of them because of their sexuality and a physical assault, has been reported to the Lesbian and Gay Anti-Violence Project and to the Columbia University Ombuds Office. Formal charges were also made to the police. The Anti-Violence Project, which is classifying the incident as a bias crime, will insist that the Manhattan District Attorney's office prosecute the suspect.

LBGC will not be involved in the proceeding now that it has gone to the District Attorney's office, but it condemns the harassment incident and reminds members of the Columbia queer community to report all forms of such harassment to the Ombuds Office, to Security, to the Anti-Violence Project and to LBGC.

Catina R. Alexander
Co-Chair LBGC, CC '95


Community News -- December/January 1994 -- Volume 2, Number 4