Among the most controversial elements in the magazine was a section which listed groups "dedicated to helping homosexuals who wish to change their lifestyle."

"The people who experience same-sex sexual attraction have not been getting the help that they need," Peninsula Council member Matthew J. McDonald '92 said, explaining the list. "We wanted to get our message out to them."

But the list, which was an essential element of the magazine's message, was among the most strongly criticized.

"That's very, very damaging to people," Cavazos said.

The word "faggot" did not appear in the issue of Peninsula. But in an unrelated incident, it was scrawled on the door of a Lowell House student. Because it appeared on the same day the magazine was distributed, the graffiti could only exacerbate what promised to be a campus-wide controversy.

In addition to leaving the slur, the vandal tore down two postcards that were hanging on the door. One read "closets are for clothes, not for people." The other depicted two male dancers.

All sides in the just-beginning debate denounced the action. Still, it served as further fuel for demonstrations throughout the week.

In his letter, Rudenstine lashed out at the anti-gay graffiti and its perpetrator, who has not yet been identified.

"Actions that are intimidating and are directed at specific individuals are repugnant and intolerable," Rudenstine wrote.

The president wrote that such incidents "are not only a violation of University regulations, they are cowardly and contemptible."

The staff of Peninsula anticipated some criticism of its magazine. But Plummer Professor of Christian Morals Peter J. Gomes provided an unexpected twist in BGLSA's Friday rally.

The Rev. Gomes, who presides over Memorial Church, told the crowd at the rally that he was gay, something he had never said publicly. Rally participants reacted with cheers.

"I'm positive that their whole argument...has been completely wiped out, not only by Rev. Gomes but by others who spoke at the rally," Cavazos said this week.

Women's Studies Department Chair Barbara Johnson also announced at the rally that she is a lesbian. Like Gomes, Johnson had never publicly said she is gay.

Explaining the motivation behind his speech, Gomes said that the Peninsula issue called for more than a standard response about diversity.