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By: Joseph Cole

Picture this: It’s the year
2001, the month of October.
You are a student at the
University of Northern British
Columbia, located in wonder-
ful, yet slightly-behind-the-
times, Prince George BC.
However, something is vitally
different. You! yes YOU are
not able to show any public
affection to your boy/girl-
friend.

You're walking down the
hall, and you spot your
gal/guy of choice. Your heart
skips a beat at the sight of
them. You love him/her, that’s
of no question, it’s a fact.
However, despite this jump
for joy in your chest, and your
excitement upon spotting
them, you must be very
aware of you actions. You
can’t smile too much to show
your happiness; in fact, to do
so might put you at risk. You
should be cautious not to
even pick up the pace of your
walk as you approach them.
Any small inclination that you
are experiencing joy simply
because your loved one is
near might give you away.

Once you do reach the side
of your lover, you are barred
from kissing him/her. You are
risking too much if you dare
to reach out and grasp their
hand in yours. Even simply
brazing their backs with your
hand is somewhat of a threat.
You have to be careful not to
stand too close to them, care-
ful not to let your knees touch
when you are sitting with
them. Be careful not to stare
too intently into those eyes,
which under any other cir-
cumstanced would swallow
you whole.

Conversation must be
somewhat weak and mean-
ingless. You are forbidden
from carrying on a conversa-
tion that might be any more in
depth or intimate then the
one you might carry on with a
friend. Not even a good
friend, or a best friend. More
like one of those people who
you know, enjoy the company
of, and talk to once in a
while...but you aren’t really

lobal Love Ban

Insert smaller headline here please!

close to. Be careful! your
voice can’t carry any sort of
admiration, you must talk
slowly and at ease. Please!
Get that glassy gleam of joy
out of your eyes! Really
now....do0 you want to get
caught? You're treading on
thin ice!

If you do want to show
affection to your boy/girl of
choice, you do have a few
options. Go to a place desig-
nated for the likes of yourself,
so anyone else who isn’t in
your situation doesn’t have to
be disgusted by your show of
love. The two of you could
find a private room if you
would like. This is an inconve-
nience, seeing as neither one
of you may desire any more
then a simple kiss. Even so,
don’t take any chances,
especially if you live in resi-
dence! Lock the door!

Your third option is to go
right on ahead and show your
affection publicly. Be pre-
pared to be cowered at, have
hateful comments hurled at
you, loose friends, and be
cast out of social circles.
People will tell you to “enjoy
your eternity in hell.” Oh, and
of course you are indeed risk-
ing physical beatings from
those of your fellow students
who are of the more violent
type, and disagree with your
affection between you and
your boy/girl.

Horrible, isn’t it? What a
truly terrible thing to be put
through, to be effectively
banned from any public affec-
tion, at all, without facing bru-
tal public side effects. It’s nice
to know that such a thing
could never actually happen
to us. We live in a free coun-
try! with freedom of expres-
sion! We all have equal
rights! No one is a consid-
ered below anyone else. Love
- not war.

| beg to differ. Some of the
population at this fine institu-
tion of higher learning lives
this nightmare every day of
their lives. These people have
ordinary existences. They go
to school. They read books.
They watch “Friends” and

“Survivor”. These people are
your Mothers, your Fathers,
brothers, sisters, aunts,
uncles, cousins, friends, and
peers. Why, even a professor
or two have been known to
be “one of those people.”
Even you, reading this news-
paper, might be one. These
people have one little differ-
ence from the rest of the gen-
eral populace - they only
make up approximately ten
percent of the population.
That’s right people! Here at
UNBC, GAY: people do walk
the halls. You pass by us
every single day of your lives,
and you don’t even realize it,
because we are just like
you.

We are just like you,
except for one detail; we risk
our lives as we know it to try
to engage in the same love
you (the general populace)
have taken for granted. |
dare take this opportunity to
tell you, love is love is love.
I’ve loved a woman before,
and that love was no less
significant, or real, then the
love | feel for my current
boyfriend. It’s the same
magic. It’s the same beauty.
It's the same indescribable
feeling that only the best
poets have managed to
even come close to describ-
ing in words. No one
deserves to have their love
disrespected, like the love
my boyfriend and | share is,
every single day.

My plead is simple; I’m
calling on all men, women,
and all otherwise unde-
clared people out there to
love each other. Accept
each other. | don’t necessar-
ily mean man to man. | don’t
mean woman to woman. |
don’t even mean woman to
woman, or man to woman. |
mean love each other, per-
son to person - human to
human - soul to soul.

It's an old phrase, but it
has never lost its meaning.
“Make love, not war.” Any
kind of love will do.

Just think about it...

one day you might save
the life of a relative, friend
or even a stranger.

Wouldn't it be nice to know
someone might do
the same for you?

Register to be an
organ donor today
and you might
save a life tomorrow.

Shelby
liver recipient

Register electronically by visiting our website

www.transplant.bc.ca
604-877-2240

British Columbia
Transplant Society