The Lowell House bells tolled 22 times Monday evening to commemorate the life of Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming who last week was lured from a bar, brutally beaten and left to die. The murder, authorities say, was likely motivated in part by the victim's sexual orientation. It was, it seems, precisely because Shepard was not afraid to reveal his homosexuality that his life came to such a horrifying end.

Ironically, yesterday was National Coming Out Day. This year, the celebration was tempered by mourning--and tempered by a bitter acknowledgement. For all the progress this nation has made in the nearly 30 years since the birth of the American gay rights movement in 1969, there remains a large and, we have reason to fear, growing homophobia from coast to coast.

According to a recent Gallup poll, 59 percent of Americans believe homosexual behavior is morally wrong. And this summer, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) compared homosexuals to kleptomaniacs and alcoholics. Lott's comments were followed by advertisements in major newspapers, paid for by leading organizations on the religious right, that claimed that gays and lesbians could "come out of" homosexuality and embrace a straight lifestyle.

Lott was also joined by a majority of his fellow Republicans in a spate of anti-gay amendments to federal spending bills. And in one of the most inane displays of anti-gay prejudice, the Senate has refused to consider the nomination of James Hormel as ambassador to Luxembourg because he is gay and proud. Meanwhile, legislation that would protect gays and lesbians from being fired from their jobs because of their sexual orientation continues to languish in committee.

Of course, not all Republicans are homophobes. Yet it is profoundly disturbing that the party's leadership has so proudly stood up for its least tolerant and most hateful wing. And the party's homophobia runs deep. Wyoming, in fact, is one of 10 states lacking specific legislation against hate crimes--legislation that would acknowledge the fact that such crimes have more victims and greater, more painful consequences for society.

Blame for Matthew Shepard's death must first be laid at the feet of his assailants. Yet the homophobia that seems to be spreading like a plague through American society cannot be ignored. In this climate of intolerance, acts of violence against gays and lesbians are only more likely.

And it is in this climate that this week's show of support on campus for gay rights, punctuated by the dozens of signs throughout Harvard Yard proclaiming gay pride, comes as a much-needed reminder that this generation will not give up--not until all Americans are guaranteed their lives, their liberty and their pursuit of happiness.