LGBT-themed Co-op Oscar Wilde House is in the middle of a fight with Delta Upsilon over alleged anti-gay activity. Here's the petition circulated by Oscar Wilde President and BAMN Organizer Ronald Cruz

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, the Oscar Wilde House, an openly lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) themed co-op, was the victim of a series of homophobic acts by some residents of the Delta Upsilon (DU) fraternity.

WHEREAS, On the night of December 5, 2003, Marcio von Muhlen, DU’s new president, was left by his fraternity brothers on the Wilde House’s front porch, tied to a chair, and drenched in a nauseating combination of salad dressing, salsa, and beer. He told Wilde House members he was DU’s new president and this was the fraternity using its one opportunity to treat him badly before his term started.

WHEREAS, On June 28, 2003, four men walked into the Wilde House uninvited at 3 in the morning, were obnoxiously loud and drunk, and told a female resident of the house, “It’s okay. We love lesbians. Show us your pussy—but God hates faggots and we hate faggots.” These men had Irish accents, as did some others in other incidents listed here who identified themselves as residents of DU.

WHEREAS, On July 1, 2003, five individuals from DU carried a man who was saran-wrapped to a chair across the street to the Wilde House’s front porch and left him there. The group returned to the DU lawn, where about ten people yelled at Wilde House members to “Fuck him up the ass!” among other things, while laughing.

WHEREAS, On the street near the Wilde House at 12:30 AM on July 15, 2003, a man, accompanied by another man and a woman, hit the buttocks of a member of the Wilde House with a purse repeatedly and unprovoked as they passed by. When asked if they were from DU, they replied yes. When the Wilde House member replied he was from Wilde, this man said, “You’re gay then.” When the house member said he was not, this man said, “Well, you live there. That’s the gay house. If you live there you are gay.”

WHEREAS, After these and other incidents this summer, Wilde House communicated with von Muhlen, who was then DU’s house manager, and made clear that they felt these incidents were harassment and homophobic. However, the events of December 5 proved that DU has so far not changed its behavior.

WHEREAS, DU’s idea of humiliating their new president is to tie him up and put him on public display in front of a queer house, as if this would subject him to unwanted gay sexual advances. DU’s ritual is homophobic and based on a dehumanizing stereotype of LGBT people.

WHEREAS, These are not the only incidents of harassment Wilde House has received from DU. In October or November of 1999, a friend of a current member of the Wilde House was dropped off in front of the house, when approximately ten men rushed out of DU and ran after him. Two women of our house stepped outside to confront the men. The men left after yelling "dyke" at the two women.

THEREFORE, We, ____________, condemn the homophobic actions of residents of Delta Upsilon against the Oscar Wilde House. Such anti-LGBT actions will not be tolerated in Berkeley.

THEREFORE, We, ____________, call on Delta Upsilon to make a written apology to the Oscar Wilde House and to the public for its homophobic actions, and to make a formal commitment to stop harassing LGBT people in the future.

Oscar Wilde House contact person and president-elect:
Ronald Cruz, LangeHaare@aol.com

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