Editor,
There needs to be a better approval process for what is allowed to be posted around the UNM campus by the general public. Walking to the SUB yesterday to get lunch from the Chick-fil-A, I lost my appetite because of a poster on the bulletin board outside.
Now, normally I don’t notice these things because there are so many stapled to the bulletin boards outside that they tend to cover each other up to the point of illegibility, but this flier had duplicate copies, side by side and too large and numerous to ignore, containing a photocopied illustration of gay porn, making it hard for me to ignore.
I’m all for equality and I’m not homophobic. I think posters of nude women to promote bars is a bit too much as well. And again, why should bars be allowed to promote on campus? Shouldn’t we be promoting the betterment of our minds, rather than being mindless drunks? Why should I be forced to see a picture of naked men with prominent genitalia calling themselves “Glitter Dick” on campus? Remember, not everyone on campus wants to see that. It’s fine if you do, but forcing someone to see it is akin to sexual harassment, and with that heading it’s obvious that offending was their intention. I honestly felt a little violated.
That kind of gratuitous alternative sexual imagery has no place in an academic setting. Maybe in the fine arts building, because I understand nude models are needed, but certainly not for the general public. Even then, the purpose is toward higher education and not blatant carnal imagery. I think the University should require all promotional materials to get approved first and bear some kind of official stamp stating that they have been approved or else they can be taken down. Until they do, I guess it’s up to us to take down offensive fliers ourselves.
Michael Hernandez
UNM student
