Mulcahy responds to criminal charges –During the power outage on Sept. 4, 2008, Professor Kevin Mulcahy was invited for drinks by Assistant Professor of English Eldon Birthwright on his apartment patio. Birthwright, Mulcahy and another individual consumed a fifth of Chivas Regal supplied by Birthwright. After visiting, talking and drinking for about an hour, Mulcahy suddenly became ill with diarrhea, experiencing an uncontrollable need to use the bathroom. “I have to go,” stated Mulcahy. Wanting to avoid embarrassment, Mulcahy rushed through the door — groping in the darkness to find the bathroom. In the bathroom, to his shock and surprise, Mulcahy was accosted by Birthwright who held a butcher knife to his throat telling him to get out. Frightened and horrified, Mulcahy was lead out of the apartment at knifepoint. Outside of the apartment, Mulcahy continued to apologize while Birthwright held the knife to his throat. Mulcahy walked back to his nearby condominium, embarrassed by his soiled condition. Mulcahy acknowledges that he was intoxicated but knows his actions did not justify being assaulted with a butcher knife by his host for using the bathroom. Mulcahy was surprised when an hour later the police came to his apartment to arrest him for “Unauthorized Entering of an Inhabited Dwelling.” One can only surmise the charge of “Unauthorized Entering of an Inhabited Dwelling” arose to cover the dangerous and excessive actions of Birthwright. After reviewing the matter, the court released Mulcahy on his own recognizance. In this instance as well as the events which happened almost two years ago, Professor Mulcahy is innocent of the charges lodged against him. After review by the LSU administration, Professor Mulcahy was immediately reinstated in the previous instance. Drew LouviereAttorney-at-Law- – – – ‘Model’ column insulting, prejudice –Caitlyn Scott’s Aug. 26 opinion column “America’s Next Top Model features hot tranny mess” about Isis — the transgender contestant on America’s Next Top Model — is full of stereotypes and misrepresentations of transgender women. We offer here a more informed viewpoint.First, Ms. Scott uses the word “transgendered” to describe Isis, but the preferred term is “transgender.” “Transgendered” is considered by some to be insulting. It is definitely an awkward usage; we would not refer to someone as “gayed” or “lesbianed.”She next compares Isis to “thousands of actual women” who competed for a spot on the show, implying that Isis is less than a woman despite her self-identification as female. This is incredibly dismissive of her and of every    person who identifies with a gender not corresponding to their birth sex. We do real harm to people when we ignore their actual identities and try to force them into preconceived boxes.Ms. Scott also speculates that some men want to compete on the show badly enough to undergo gender transition to achieve it. Is she really implying that Isis underwent years of counseling and hormone treatment, all the while living full-time as a woman, until she finally gained approval to undergo major surgery just to participate in a reality TV show? No one who decides to embark on this process could be so frivolous! If readers wish to better understand the process involved in gender transition, either Spectrum or the Office of Multicultural Affairs’ Safe Space Campaign would gladly help them learn more.Finally, Ms. Scott descends to outright rudeness. She speculates about whether Isis has undergone any surgery, but it is completely unacceptable to publicly comment on the state of anyone’s anatomy. She muses that only the presence of “lizard people” in the next cycle could top Isis’ inclusion, but this literally reduces transgender people to the level of animals. In closing her column, Scott claims transgender people are well represented on television by South Park’s Mrs. Garrison, but suggesting a cartoon that mocks as many sexual minorities as possible represents a positive media representation of transgender people is absolute lunacy.The current cycle of America’s Next Top Model opens a space to discuss gender in fashion and society. Tragically, Ms. Scott occupied it with insults and stereotypes. Isis had the courage and talent to become one of the top 14 contestants on this show, and she and all transgender people deserve more respect than Ms. Scott showed here.Isabel Blum, Luke Lavergne, Matthew Patterson, Daniel Guillot, Robert Beaird, Jack Turner and Sai Vinjanampathy Officers of Spectrum, LSU’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) student organization- – – – Contact The Daily Reveille’s opinion staff at [email protected]