The Bowdoin Orient

At the beginning of the year, President Barry Mills addressed the community in an e-mail, reminding us of the existence of the Bias Incident Group on campus. The group's purpose is to address "...defacements, graffiti, or other hateful expressions against campus groups." Last week, an unknown group entered the chapel and posted several pictures protesting the Roman Catholic Church's stance on gay marriage. One picture depicted the Virgin Mary with the word "slut" written on the back. At the time of writing, the Bias Incident Group has yet to issue a statement condemning the actions of these maladjusted individuals.

When did you choose heterosexuality? This question greeted me when I walked by Moore Hall a few days ago and it really got me thinking. As part of outweek, members of the College community decided to write messages on the ground around campus. I'm guessing that the purpose of this is to promote awareness and discussion about alternative sexualities on campus. So I'll respond to this challenge and consider whether we can indeed choose our sexuality. I find the courage of this mystery writer laudable, but I also believe this provocative question leads to a serious worry. Let me explain.