CMYK
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS • FOUNDED 1922
VOL.
101
I S S UE 9
reflector.uindy.edu
MARCH 8, 2023
Staying safe at Indianapolis bars, clubs By Hannah Hadley
Photo by Erin Rostron
Cars go up and down Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis with Monument Circle sitting in the background. Meridian Street houses several bars and clubs in the downtown Indy area, including the recently closed Tiki Bob's Cantina (pictured above, middle).
Department Capt. Scott Hessong, who has been stationed in the downtown bar NEWS EDITOR district for two years, said that violence at the bars and clubs in downtown A recent investigation from the Indianapolis has decreased in the past Indianapolis Star—in conjunction with year. Fox 59—found that there have been “I think it’s [calling downtown bars “more than 600 reports of violence and clubs violent is] somewhat of a at Indianapolis bars, clubs and event misrepresentation,” Hessong said. “We centers since 2016.” These crimes really started tackling the problems and include shootings, stabbings, assaults what was going on and meeting with and rapes, according to the IndyStar. those bar owners and managers, to Senior criminal justice major Jessica the point where IMPD remonstrated Esparza said she has experienced crime against a few bars and started citing and violence firsthand at downtown different experiences that were going Indianapolis bars and clubs. Esparza on. We were successful. . . In the past said she was drugged at a downtown even six months to a year, we've seen bar on her birthday a huge difference in November of in our bar crowd last year. for the better.” I don't go out “...I remember Esparza said getting there," that in September anymore... I just don't Esparza said. “And 2021, she was feel safe anymore." we had drunk a assaulted at a party little bit before, but at a downtown we got there, and I c lub. According knew some people who were working to Esparza, a man who she thought there. So they just started giving us appeared to be under the influence f ree drinks. And I wasn't paying of drugs tried several times to attention to any of my drinks or inappropriately touch her and her anyone pouring any of my drinks. And friend. After her friend confronted the I remember being there for not even man, he became aggressive, she said. an hour. I didn’t remember literally “She told him… ‘You need to go anything from that point on.” away; you need to stop touching her,’ One of her friends had to carry her and he pushed her,” Esparza said. “I to an Uber and then back to her had a drink in my hand, so I threw it at apartment at the Universit y of him. And he punched me in my face….” Indianapolis because she was Esparza said the man kept fighting unconscious after drinking at the bar, her and her friend until they rushed to according to Esparza. their car and headed to a hospital. She “She [My friend] said that I was said she sustained several injuries from telling her that I was gonna die and that the encounter. I felt like I was overdosing…,” Esparza “It was a bad, bad time,” Esparza said. said. “The next thing I remember, I was “And nothing ever came of it because at the hospital.” no one knew who he was.” > See Safety on Page 8 Indianapolis Metropolitan Police
LGBTQ rights challenged Indiana General Assembly addresses Bill 1608, limits freedoms of LGBTQ students and teachers By Kassandra Darnell EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The Indiana State House Education Committee met on Feb. 20 to hear constituent testimony and make amendments to House Bill 1608: Human Sexuality Instruction. The bill states that a school, an employee or staff member of a school or a thirdparty vendor cannot teach students f rom kindergarten through third g r ad e a b o u t h u m a n s e x u a l i t y, according to the bill's text. HB 1608 defines a school as a public or charter school, a laboratory school, the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Indiana School for the Deaf. The amendments to the bill on Feb. 20 allow teachers to respond to student questions about topics related to human sexuality. The bill also states that teachers may only refer to students using a name, title, pronoun or other identifiers inconsistent with the student’s sex if the student’s parents make a request for it in writing at the beginning of the school year. Students that are adults or emancipated minors may also make this request for themselves. Additionally, this bill would require schools to notify parents if students request to be referred to in ways that are inconsistent with their sex, and specifies that schools may not
discipline teachers or staff if they refer to a student using an identifier that is consistent with their legal name, according to the bill’s text. In response to this bill, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana called for Hoosiers to “Pack the Statehouse” and gather outside of the committee chamber beginning at 7:20 a.m. on Feb. 20 while the committee was in session, according to the ACLU Indiana website. As hundreds of people stood outside the chamber holding up signs provided by the ACLU Indiana to show their support for the LGBTQ community—which would be predominantly affected by the bill, the crowd’s yells echoed up and down the halls of the Indiana Statehouse. The chamber gallery was full as well and the gathering could be heard from inside the chamber. The crowd cycled through several rally chants, including: “We say gay,” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, transphobia has got to go.” Natalie Morehouse is an Indianapolis resident, former teacher and part of the LGBTQ community. She stood amongst fellow protesters because she said that when she was teaching, she saw how important it was for students to have affirming teachers, spaces and schools. Morehouse said this bill breaks her heart because it is actively putting LGBTQ youth in harm’s way. “Kids know who they are, they know
INSIDE: OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 8 SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 5 FEATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ENTERTAINMENT . . . . . . . . . 7
how they feel, they know what’s going on in their lives,” Morehouse said. “And so when we allow them to have spaces and affirming literature and affirming discussion areas, they’re much safer. They’re much less likely to commit suicide. They’re much more likely to do well in school, feel successful, and have high self-esteem…. I would say, to be completely blunt and honest, that they are signing the death certificates of many queer and trans youth in Indiana.” The bill passed through the House of Representatives and into the Senate with a 65-29 vote after its third reading on Feb. 23, according to the Indiana General Assembly’s website. The first reading by the Senate Education and Career Development Committee was held on March 6, and there was no result as of Reflector press time. Democrat Sen. J.D. Ford is the ranking minority member on the committee, according to the official list of committee members. Ford is also the first and only current openly LGBTQ member of the Indiana G e n e r a l A s s e m b l y, a c c o r d i n g to his website, and was outside of the Statehouse shaking hands and greeting protesters waiting to enter the Statehouse the morning of Feb. 20. Despite the amendments, Ford said his opinion is that it is a terrible bill, especially as someone that has struggled with his own sexual identity. “Now, proponents of the bill are
saying we shouldn't even be having these conversations from Kindergarten to third grade, and in what we heard from testimonials and from the professionals is that this really isn't happening,” Ford said. “This really, to me, is a solution in search of a problem.” And if these concepts are not being taught to children in kindergarten through third grade, Ford said there is a
possibility some children may mention in class that they have two mothers or two fathers, which could result in classroom discussions regarding samesex parents. He said he thinks the main issue with the bill is that it perpetuates certain ideas of what people think a family should be. Ultimately, Ford said he does not think this bill rises to > See LGBTQ on Page 8
Photo by Kassandra Darnell
People protest against House Bill 1608 inside the Indiana Statehouse, holding signs and yelling chants. HB 1608 would limit education about the LGBTQ community in schools.
2023 INDY MAYORAL RACE
UINDY MEN’S LACROSSE
LGBTQ ARTISTS SPOTLIGHT
Several candidates have put their name in the running for the 2023 Indianapolis mayoral election primaries. Check out Page 6 to learn more.
The University of Indianapolis’ men’s lacrosse team has started their new season with a top-ten ranking and multiple victories. Go to Page 4 to read about the outlook for the rest of the season.
The UIndy Office of Inclusive Excellence is highlighting LGBTQ artists in the “To Preserve and Protect” gallery. Take a look at Page 7 to get the details of this experience.
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