I was both angered and disappointed to read Robyn Bahr's article "Political Correctness Leaves No Room for 'Grey' Area" in the Feb. 8 issue of The Amherst Student. With regards to the current controversy of actor Isaiah Washington referring to his co-star T.R. Knight as a faggot, Bahr writes, "Yes, it was wrong to call someone 'faggot,' but should he be crucified for it?" The answer is yes! If America is to make any steps forward in ending oppression towards the LGBTQ community, serious issues such as this need to be focused on. Calling Knight a faggot is tantamount to calling an African American a nigger; it is unacceptable. Attention needs to be drawn to this issue because our society needs to adopt the much-needed attitude that calling someone a faggot, or any other pejorative slur, should never be tolerated.

Although issues of being "overly PC" seem to plague today's society, simply dismissing this particular occurrence as such will erase any progress that has been made in recent history towards LGBTQ rights. By calling for society and the media to forget about the insult that Washington threw at Knight, Bahr is asking us to take one step backwards in the fight for equality that the LGBTQ community faces. Furthermore, Bahr writes that she is outraged that Washington has announced his plan to enter rehab to better educate himself on the issues at hand, claiming it is all a publicity stunt. I would argue that educational rehab, "brainwashing," as Bahr refers to it, is imperative to undo the years of negative indoctrination to which our society has subjected us concerning the LGBTQ community. Perhaps there are financial motives behind what Washington is doing. Perhaps it is a publicity stunt. But does it matter? It shouldn't. The incident highlights a severe problem of discrimination in our society that we can no longer avoid addressing or simply dismiss as being "overly PC."