Hill refused to characterize Burton’s actions as stealing, maintaining that the buttons were free for all to take—and Burton was acquitted.

In February 2001, Cho stripped to his underwear in front of the Science Center as part of a Harvard Students Against Sweatshops protest against Harvard’s membership in the Fair Labor Association.

Today’s BGLTSA leaders have been decidedly less visible—and more importantly, less controversial when it comes to gay issues.

“We don’t want to repeat the mistake of those posters,” Smith says, adding that they were “extremely inappropriate.”

The group’s recent activities have included organizing a less controversial Coming Out Day and participating in the National Day of Silence, created to support victims of hate crimes. They have also hosted two dances (the most recent was last month’s “Avarice”), and a third is in the works.

Smith and Tremitiere say BGLTSA will continue to host “Gaypril,” the organization’s month of celebration, and will also organize various panels in conjunction with the Institute of Politics.

“Historically, gay organizations celebrate [gay pride] in June or July. We do it in April so that it can be celebrated during the school year, and it has a catchy name,” Tremitiere says.

—Staff writer Ravi P. Agrawal can be reached at agrawal@fas.harvard.edu.