Much has been said about the cartoon that was published in the Observer last week, but one important topic has not received enough attention. The publishing of the cartoon was an act of discrimination because it hurt and harmed members of a minority group, gay and lesbian members of the Notre Dame community. The issue is not whether the creators of the cartoon and those who allowed the cartoon to be published intended to hurt and harm gays and lesbians. In all likelihood they did not — it was a cartoon and not a manifesto. But the reality is that publishing the cartoon in a paper that is widely distributed and read on this campus (and elsewhere) did harm and hurt some gays and lesbians, not in a physical fashion but in a psychological and emotional way.