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 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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