News
2005-11-08
Complaint filed
over antimilitary protest on Nevada campus
A College
Republicans leader at the University of Nevada, Reno, has
gone to court over last week's campus "kiss-in for
A College
Republicans leader at the University of Nevada, Reno, has
gone to court over last week's campus "kiss-in for
justice" protest against military recruiters. In a
complaint filed in Washoe County district court, group
vice chairman Matt Beiser accuses student protesters
of intimidating and verbally abusing students trying to talk
to recruiters at a UNR career fair.
The complaint against the Queer Student Union,
Nevada Students for Peace and Solidarity, and Act Now
to Stop War & End Racism seeks a temporary
restraining order and unspecified legal costs. "The idea
behind it was that it's not fair that those groups should be
able to dissuade people from finding out about the
military recruitment on campus," Beisner told the
Reno Gazette-Journal.
Representatives of the three groups denied the
charges and decided Friday night to allow the American
Civil Liberties Union to file a motion to dismiss the
complaint. About two dozen protesters stood with signs
around recruiter tables and handed out literature
about nonmilitary career options after some protesters
kissed each other. They were protesting recruiters'
presence on campus as well as the Pentagon's "don't ask,
don't tell" policy on gay service members.
"We don't believe kissing and holding hands is a
form of harassment and believe that this lawsuit is a
homophobic reaction and a blatant attempt at
intimidation," the Queer Student Union said in a statement.
ACLU officials said the lawsuit was flawed and
moot because it merely sought a temporary restraining
order. The complaint was filed Thursday, the same day
the two-day career fair ended. But George Higgins, state
chairman of College Republicans, said he's hopeful a
permanent restraining order banning similar
demonstrations would be issued.
Protesters also were accused of blocking access
to recruiters' tables. But UNR assistant police chief
Todd Renwick said three officers were sent to the
career fair and nobody reported any problems. "If they
[protesters] were blocking tables, it was never pointed out
to us," Renwick said. (AP)
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