Subject: Plead for help
From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000 22:45:09 EDT

Dear Friends,

I am writing to you from the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Student Union
at San Diego State University.  Fred Phelps is threatening to picket our
school’s commencement ceremony on May 27.  (A copy of Phelps’ press release
can be found at his www.godhatesfags.com website.)

Why San Diego State University?  Because as a part of our school’s teacher
education program, students are required to take a multi-cultural education
class that asks them to examine their prejudices and exposes them to
different cultural issues.  As a part of the class, students take a few
different "cultural plunges," including one gay plunge.  An example of at
cultural plunge might be to go to a gay bar or to attend an LGBT/Queer
meeting or event.

These are the teachers who will be educating and interacting with future
generations of students.  The design of this program represents a bold step
on the part of our university and the education department to encourage these
future teachers towards having a more open mind.  What a wonderful way to
work towards protecting LGBTQ youth and creating safer schools and
communities by including exposure to the LGBTQ community and culture, as well
as other communities and cultures.

During the next couple weeks, our university officials and our student
organizations will be deciding what our official responses will be to this
threatened protest.  If you would like to be updated on what our LGBT Student
Union will be planning to do about this please contact us at
[email-masked] or 619-594-2737.

So, what do we want from you?  Well, we are collecting letters and cards of
support for our university, the education program and our multi-cultural
education classes.  We want to make sure they know how supported they are.
We would really appreciate you taking a few moments to send some words of
encouragement to our school.  Our mailing address is: LGBTSU, San Diego State
University, 5500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA 92182.

Thank you so much.

Jeffrey Redondo                             Deborah Singer
President                                   Vice President

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Student Union
San Diego State University

================================================================================

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 14:27:52 EDT
Subject: Infomation...

I wanted to let everyone know that the Westboro Baptist Church, led by Fred
Phelps will be protesting at Commencement on May 27 .  The protest seems to
be targeted at the teacher education program.  Why... we don't know.  Debbie
and I will be meeting with the President of SDSU next week.  We will share
what we learned from him at the meeting with you on Tuesaday. We will also be
discussing some strategies,on our end, for such a protest.  I hope you will
be able to fit our meeting at 6:00pm in Chantico into your schedule so we can
show the university that we are all discouraged by this act of homophobia.
PLEASE bring all your friends so that we can talk about this and decide what
we, as an organization, are going to do.  Please pass this on to all of your
freinds and family.  First Prop 22 and now this. This is very impotant for us
to get involved in!!!  Hope to see you there!!!