by Leslie Layton
This is the second story in our “Tracking Hate” series. Our first story, “CSUC student newspaper sparks hate speech debate,” was posted June 8.
When a Chico State staff member posted her “You Matter” flier on a wall in the Meriam Library stairwell after the Nov. 8, 2016, presidential election, she believed it would convey an uplifting message.
Instead, it was defaced, and the defaced flier circulated on Facebook, to be shared and commented on dozens of times by alarmed staff and other members of the campus community.
The original message said: “No matter the election results, there will always be people who care about you. Whether you are an immigrant, Native American, black, white, trans, straight, gay, Muslim, Christian, or anything in between, you are loved and worthy of love.”