In the wake of the conviction of a former Rutgers University student on criminal charges of invasion of privacy and bias intimidation based on sexual orientation toward his then-roommate Tyler Clementi, how can institutions respond to issues of harassment of LGBT students on college campuses?
On Sept. 22, 2010, Clementi, an 18-year-old freshman at New Jersey’s Rutgers University, jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge after his college roommate, Dharun Ravi, had set up a webcam to spy on him kissing another man.
A jury found Ravi guilty of all 15 counts he faced regarding invasion of Clementi’s privacy and bias intimidation — a hate crime.
Ravi, 20, faces up to 10 years in prison and possible deportation to his native India even though he has lived legally in the United States since he was a little boy. His attorneys have said they will appeal.
The case sheds light on many negative situations that LGBT students often face in colleges and universities around the country.
“The case shows the harassment, the homophobia that is still evident on college campuses. It also shows how young people today have a really different viewpoint on privacy and how the Internet is being used to bully and harass people who have a different sexual orientation or different gender identity,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride.
