Name-Printing Policy Wrong

The Editors of the Crimson:

I am disgusted by The Crimson's policy of seeking out and printing the names of individuals accused of public sex on campus for these and other reasons:

The risk of printing names of those accused of public sex was clearly demon-strated last October. Plainclothes officers arrested a retired schoolteacher from West Essex at a rest stop in the Herald Parker State Forest, charging him with indecent assault and battery (sexual contact without consent). The Boston Globe printed the man's name, apparently with no regard for the privacy or safety of his wife and four daughters. Within two days of the arrest and Globe story, the man was found dead in his garage with his car motor running and his wrists slit. The man's guilt was never established. By publishing names, the Crimson is inviting a tragedy.

GLAAD members have personally witnessed Crimson reporter Josh Gerstein staked out near the Science Center bathroom, terrifying anyone who uses the facility with questions for the Crimson's pages. If the Crimson applied this sort of persistance evenly without regard for sexual orientation, date rape would not flourish as it does at Harvard.

The Crimson's policy constitutes vigilantism applied selectively against people accused of same-sex liaisons, and has caused irreparable damage in this case. If The Crimson wants to discourage public sex, as I do, it must suppress its hatred of homosexuality and honor the fair spirit of our laws. Mark Richardson   Co-Chair Gay and Lesbian Alliance   Against Defamation Boston