While I applaud the Mass Media’s coverage of diverse topics such as the strike at Boston College over the absence of sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policy, I was taken aback to see the term sexual orientation in quotations throughout the article and in the photo caption.

Quotation marks in the media, outisde of actual quoting of remarks, tend to demark a term as questionable, possibly inaccurate, and not realistic.

Take for example, Game 1 of the 2003 ALCS, where the Yankees were playing at home against the Red Sox. A line drive home run hit by Todd Walker was originally ruled a foul by an umpire, but later overruled as a home run. This missed call was due to some fan interfernce as the ball was headed for the foul pole.

In any case, a New York fan in the vicinity of the foul pole was interviewed by Fox Sports during the game. He admantly declared the ball to be foul “by at least six inches”. Numerous video recaps after his statement made this laughable. Fox Sports then gave this man the dubious honor of a video shot with a caption as that of an “objective” Yankees fan.

My little baseball example aside, use of the term sexual orientation inside quotation marks shows a similar disrespect for the validity of the term, whether intentional or not. Could the writer be suggesting that sexual preference would be the more proper term, indicating that sexual orientation is more a choice than an inevitably most consider it to be?

Whatever the reasoning behind the punctuation, the fact remains that using quotation marks around the term sexual orientation should be considered a form of bias and gives the appearance of lack of objectivity.

Please consider a closer review of your style standards and manual to ensure you say what you mean.

Sincerely,

Nam LeSophomore, Criminal Justice and Psychology.