Three unidentified males assaulted a Georgetown student walking near Lauinger Library in the early hours of Sept. 11, allegedly because the student identified himself as a homosexual.
Kevin Bowles (COL ’09), an openly gay student, said that he was harassed by three males, whom he believes to be Georgetown students, while walking with friend and George Washington University student Daniela Abatelli.
Abatelli said three males started yelling catcalls at her while she was walking close to the library with Bowles.
“I got belligerent and started defending myself,” she said. “I started walking towards them with attitude, but then Kevin said to leave me alone.”
Abatelli said one of the males asked Bowles, “What are you, a fag?” Bowles responded that he was a homosexual and told them to “keep walking,” she said.
According to Bowles and Abatelli, at least two of the three males started yelling anti-gay slurs at Bowles, and one approached and pushed Bowles.
Abatelli said that she ran to a Georgetown Emergency Response edical Service ambulance nearby, and a GERMS worker called for help.
“By the time [Abatelli] got back from GERMS it had already just sort of dissolved, so we went back to New South. I was just glad it was over,” Bowles said.
Darryl Harrison, director of the Department of Public Safety, said the case is still under investigation.
Bowles did not file a report with DPS until the next evening. He failed to mention the physical contact in an initial report to DPS, according to Vice President of University Safety David Morrell.
Neither Bowles nor Abatelli could identify the three males.
Bowles later filed a report with the Bias Reporting System at the suggestion of his hall director. Students and administrators designed the BRS last year to account for hate crimes.
“In my eyes this is clearly a hate crime,” Bowles said. “It was obviously based in hatred for homosexuals. It was really clear to me that it was just because I was gay.”
Students can access the BRS form online to report a hate crime to the Office of Student Affairs. Approximately 20 BRS reports have been filed since the system was created last year.
After reports are received, staff members meet “up with the student affected, to get a clearer understanding of the situation and to offer support and, when appropriate, referral to campus resources,” Todd Olson, vice president for student affairs, said. “When appropriate, reports are referred to the Office of Student Conduct for student judicial follow-up.”
Bowles said that he has not gotten any response since filing the report.
He contacted and met with Bill McCoy, assistant director of student organizations and LGBTQ community resources.
“Unfortunately most of these incidents, especially the passive ones like vandalism that are most common, those who actually inflicted the incident rarely are known,” McCoy said. “So in terms of seeing judicial sanctions as a result of these incidents, that is rarely the case.”
Bowles said he is less interested in seeing his assaulters punished than seeing change on Georgetown’s campus.
“I had definitely considered transferring, but my parents don’t want me to leave,” he said. “I can’t pretend it didn’t happen, so I’m going to do more to promote understanding.”
McCoy said that it is important that “students affected know that there is a support system in place for them.”
Bowles said many Georgetown students are intolerant of gay students.
“My problem with Georgetown is that the predominant culture is not to accept people who are not like you. The problem is not majority-minority. Even the minorities segregate themselves,” he said.