  
Duke University students in Durham, N C By Bruce Moran
Posted 12/6/03 Duke University in Durham, NC, had a reputation for being homophobic and in the spring of 2003 some interested Duke students and advisors wanted to counteract this reputation.
These students and advisors wanted to create a more open atmosphere for gay and straight students alike at Duke. To contrast a small number of anti-gay vocalizers, the organizers wanted to get the support of an often silent, untapped supportive greater student population. What the organizers decided to do was to give away free t-shirts with the imprinted text "gay
? fine by me." to anyone who wanted one. It was an instant success. Demand quickly outstripped supplies. Duke has given away more than 2,000 of these t-shirts. This campaign attracted local media attention and the story was picked up by the Associated Press. The Advocate magazine also picked up the AP story. The organizers had a strategy in mind in disseminating the t-shirts. This strategy is mapped out at http://www.finebyme.org/. At the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Creating Change Conference in Miami
Beach, FL, in November, 2003, the Duke organizers had a booth with the t-shirts on hand and were ready to tell their story and to encourage others to give out the t-shirts at their schools, colleges, PFLAG chapters, and GLBT interest groups. They also told a story of a Massachusetts high school where the entire faculty wore the t-shirts at a school-wide assembly on National Coming Out Day. "This gesture by authority figures was a strong
statement: gay or questioning students could be sure that their teachers would respect and support them regardless of their sexual identity," as their literature states. The Duke "gay? fine by me."campaign also inspired rap artist wayne&wax to blend Jamaican Soca and Reggae music into Soggae, pronounced "so gay." The affirming song Soggae (Fine By Me) may be heard at the website mentioned above. The organizers sold the t-shirts at cost at the Creating Change Conference. The sales were also a success, as a significant number of the conference attendees were wearing the t-shirts during the day and during our 1˝-hour lunch breaks at the nearby trendy outdoor cafés. You may get the t-shirts for yourself, your group, or your school by going to http://www.finebyme.org/. The t-shirts come in various colors and are sold at cost: $5 per shirt plus a nominal shipping charge for quantities greater than one. Note: http://www.finebyme.org has granted PV permission for use of banner and three photos in this article. | 
