The Swarthmore Phoenix, April 6, 2000:

The annual gender-bending Sager dance became an unlikely forum for homophobic slurs last Saturday night, as partygoers reported several different incidents of harassment.

Verbal slurs were allegedly dropped both in- and outside the party, which was held at both Olde Club and the Women's Resource Center. Daniel Koltonski '02 said that when he left the party at around 1 a.m., he saw two "really drunk, really loud guys" talking outside Sharples III. One apparently referenced the party and then remarked to the other one, "F***ing faggots ruin everything."

According to Julie Russo '01, a board member of the Swarthmore Queer Union (SQU), homophobic epithets were also heard inside the party. "There were some drunken frat boys there, and at least one of them was making homophobic comments," Russo said....

In the wake of last weekend's events, members of the queer community are now doubting whether to continue organizing the dance in future years. "The Sager party should not be a place where a queer person is going to feel uncomfortable in any way," Russo said....

Instead of underscoring the gender issues discussed at [a corresponding] symposium, Russo said that Sager has become an "institutionalized event [in which] guys... dress up in drag but not really with the spirit of breaking down gender barriers. It's just this expression of homophobia."

She added, however, that parts of Saturday's party were enjoyable. "There was a great party going on in the WRC, and there was this huge orgy going on downstairs, and it was fabulous. I think that if the party somehow forms the opportunity of having a big orgy, that's good." ...

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