Undergraduate Council members debated the prevalence of homophobia on campus at a tense meeting last night that brought a prominent student critic of homosexuality to the council floor.

The council voted overwhelmingly to allocate $700 to groups with a plan to help reduce intolerance towards gay students at Harvard—but not before nearly a dozen impassioned speeches describing personal experiences with homophobia.

Fred O. Smith ’04, who had co-sponsored the bill with former vice-presidential running-mate Justin R. Chapa ’05, cited recent assaults in the Yard and destruction of posters expressing support for bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgendered students as evidence of heightened homophobia on campus.

But at the center of last night’s council debate was a letter to the editor in last Monday’s issue of The Crimson, written by Gladden J. Pappin ’04, editor of the Harvard Salient, a conservative biweekly journal. In the letter, Pappin argued that the College should discipline students for certain sexual behaviors.

“Such punishments would apply to heterosexuals, of course, but even more so to homosexuals, whose activities are not merely immoral but perverted and unnatural,” Pappin wrote.

At the council meeting last night, Pappin elaborated upon his views.

“Homophobia is not something that even counts as a phobia,” he said.

The heated debate on Smith and Chapa’s bill had begun well before last night’s meeting, via the council’s open e-mail list.

Some members contended that the measure would contribute to a chilling effect on the expression of unpopular beliefs on campus.

“If we are to discuss the issue of tolerance on this campus, then we must discuss our tolerance of Mr. Pappin and every other student who might profess an unpopular opinion,” representative P. K. Agarwalla ’04 wrote in an e-mail to the council.

“The real issue is—can you be against homosexuality morally, and still not discriminate. I think you can,” Agarwalla said at the meeting.

Representative and Harvard lacrosse player Andrew C. Crocco ’03 spoke before the council for the first time to argue in favor of the bill.

“Be an athlete for four years,” Crocco said. “You’d see that homophobia is alive and well at Harvard.”

Joshua A. Barro ’05 opposed the bill, however, questioning its usefulness in a community he described as a “great place to be gay.”

“I’m very glad I came to Harvard,” Barro said. “I see a very accepting community.”