Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 08:16:31 -0500 (EST) From: Shane Windmeyer Subject: SUPPORT PENN SIGMA NU FUNDRAISER FOR ROBERT PENN SIGMA NU FRATERNITY ORGANIZES FUNDRAISER TO SUPPORT HATE CRIME VICTIM ************************************************************************* "The crime against Robert doesn't reflect a gay issue so much as it does a human issue. Until organizations outside of the gay community begin to speak out against hate crimes, we can expect such actions to continue. That's why we feel it is important right now to raise money for Robert and speak out against this horrible atrocity." Adam Exum, Sigma Nu Chapter ************************************************************************ FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE FRATERNITY AT 215.382.4589 OR CHECK RELATED LINKS AT LAMBDA 10 ONLINE WWW.INDIANA.EDU/~LAMBDA10 Donations to offset the cost of Robert's return to the United States can be made payable to: Scott Pretorius/The Robert Drake Fund 314 South Iseminger Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 2/17/99 PRESS RELEASE Effective Immediately Robert Drake, an American author and editor, was assaulted and beaten on the evening of January 30 in his apartment in Sligo, in the West of Ireland. Drake was found the following day by a friend, and has sustained a significant head injury. He is currently in critical condition in Dublin's Beaumont Hospital. In Philadelphia, Drake's friends at the University of Pennsylvania have organized a fund rasier to ease Drake's hospital expenses and to help arrange for medivac transport to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. One of Drake's passions is his fraternity where he volunteers hundreds of hours to the Penn chapter of Sigma Nu. Even after moving to Ireland, he stilll has kept in touch via email with the chapter. In response to this attrocity, Penn's Sigma Nu chapter will be sponsoring a fundraiser on the Ivy League campus during the week of February 22-26 selling buttons that simply say "Robert." The chapter has received commitments of support from the entire fraternity sorority system as well as the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender community at Penn, says Andrew Exum, the campaign organizer. Buttons will be sold at a suggested donation of $3.00, but Exum expects that many of the donations will be larger. Those seeking to donate may contact Exum at the Penn Sigma Nu chapter house at 215.382.4589. The chapter hopes to raise approximately $7,500 to $12,000 through the campaign. Sligo police have taken into custody two men, who have confessed to the assault. The two men admit that the crime was solely motivated by Drake's sexual orientation. Drake was born in Portland, Maine, and raised in West Virginia. He attended Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, and holds a master's degree in liberal studies from St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. Drake has worked as a writer and literary agent since 1986. Drake's most recent book (1998) is THE GAY CANON: GREAT BOOKS EVERY GAY MAN SHOULD READ (Anchor Books). He has also edited several anthologies. Drake was in Ireland to research and write a new novel; he is represented by the John Talbot literary agency of New York. Drake's partner of six years, E. Scott Pretorius, MD, is the chief resident in radiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. "Robert's family, friends and I are outraged by this unimaginable act of violence against this gentle and kind individual. It is my hope that the parties responsible will be zealously prosecuted to the furthest extent of Irish law." "Crimes such as these are the natural byproduct of a culture which continues to relegate gay men and lesbians to second-class citizenship. We are unable to serve in the armed forces we help finance, and we are unable to marry the persons we love-- denied such 'inalienable' human rights, we are seen as 'less than human' by the terrorists who commit crimes such as these," Pretorius said. Exum added, "The crime against Robert doesn't reflect a gay issue so much as it does a human issue. Until organizations outside of the gay community begin to speak out against hate crimes, we can expect such actions to continue. That's why we feel it is important right now to raise money for Robert and speak out against this horrible atrocity." Shane L. Windmeyer Lambda 10 Project National Clearinghouse for GLB Greek Issues LAMBDA 10 ONLINE AT WWW.INDIANA.EDU/~LAMBDA10***************************** *****BI-WEEKLY CHAPTER MEETINGS****WHO'S OUT?***SUBSCRIBE TO LISTSERV***** Join us online for Greek Chapter Meetings and add your name to the list of "OUT" Greeks!!! For more information, go to our website of online resources at www.indiana.edu/~lambda10 Subscribe to the Lambda 10 Project listserv!!! Email lambda10-subscribe@listbot.com @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@EXCLAMATIONS@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ "I do not want my homosexuality to be something that must be accepted and respected. I want it to be something that is perfectly ordinary." -- Lambda 10 Project, 1998 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@EXCLAMATIONS@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@