Ole Miss' Bias Incident Response Team has had difficulty identifying specific individuals who were responsible for using gay slurs at cast members of a school production of "The Laramie Project," thedmonline.com has reported.
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Some 20-25 Ole Miss football players were reportedly among a group of about 100 students in attendance for the Oct. 1 play, which is based on the murder of Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student who was killed in 1998 because of his sexual orientation. Cast members became distraught that the play was disrupted with verbal abuse.
The following is from the BIRT's statement:
"The BIRT has received broadly differing stories being told about the exact nature of the events that occurred that evening, and it appears it may not be possible to determine with integrity exactly what was said or done by whom."
Individuals who were in attendance at the play have been required to attend an "educational dialogue" session led by administration and faculty, and more than 90 percent of the students who attended the performance have done so, according to the BIRT statement. Although no Ole Miss players have been named, they were identified as being part of the group that took part in disrupting the play.
One player, according to initial reports, apologized to cast members after the performance on behalf of all players who were there. That apology apparently came at the behest of associate athletic director Drew Clinton, who was called to the auditorium and arrived before the play ended.
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