When Penn State President Graham Spanier spoke to legislators in Harrisburg Tuesday, they questioned the university's initiatives toward diversity.

While legislators questioned Spanier about the university's reaction to minority students and racial atmosphere at Penn State, they failed to mention another event that recently caused unrest as it rippled through the student body.

Not one legislator brought up the topic of intolerance toward those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied (LGBTA) community. Of course, the instances were different. The race incident involved a threat to a black student, while the Allies incident was triggered by a letter published in The Daily Collegian that labeled homosexuals as "disgusting" and "pathetic."

However, both instances showed a similar problem -- intolerance on campus. And both instances evoked a similar response -- a public outcry, and a list of demands issued by the affected groups, Black Caucus and Allies. Have legislators overlooked the fact that there were two recent issues that stirred debate on campus? They recognized race issues -- but where is the acknowledgment of the sexual orientation issues? Representatives, perhaps wary of a subject that is still taboo in our society, did not address the recent initiatives Allies has requested from the administration. They did not talk about increasing awareness of hate directed at the members of LGBTA community.

Perhaps part of the reason is that last week's Black Caucus news made it all the way to Harrisburg's very own Patriot-News. But hate crimes and intolerance are just as much of a problem for members of the gay community as they are for minority racial groups. As students at Penn State, their needs for a safe community to exist in should not be prioritized behind the needs of other minority groups simply because our society shies away from the subject.

Like Black Caucus, Allies also issued a list of demands from the administration to improve tolerance on campus. And the changes proposed by Allies were feasible -- unlike Black Caucus's demands, many of which were outlandish and impossible.

Allies has also not been as bellicose in its rhetoric. The tone from Black Caucus should not be allowed to overshadow the message from the LGBTA community.

It is unfair for legislators to only talk about race issues when there is more to an intolerant university climate. Maybe people think if they ignore the issues, they'll magically disappear. Dream on.

Both issues are a big deal, and both need to be addressed. One should not be overshadowed, regardless of whether its in Harrisburg or on campus.