Walking around campus, you may have seen advertisements for “Homocon.” Regardless of what one may initially think, Homocon was an event in which an openly-gay conservative, Jimmy LaSalvia, came to speak to Stony Brook students about how homosexuals, along with homosexuality in general, are becoming more accepted in the Republican Party. He also discussed the role they can play in bringing the Republican Party back to its roots: economic and social conservatism.

Introduced as the brave and persistent man who could “save the Republican party from itself,” openly gay conservative Jimmy LaSalvia spoke to students on Wednesday night about the future of his party. He called for a new conservative coalition of youth to take over with conservative ideals using a “live and let live” ideology.

Last Wednesday, I attended the “Blood Donor Policy Panel” in the Charles B. Wang Center Theater presented by Stony Brook University’s Blood Donor Equality Movement. To be honest, my original purpose for going to the panel was to satisfy the “Hot Topic” event requirement for my undergraduate college. As soon as the panelists were introduced, my attention was fully devoted to the discussion on stage.

This year, New York became the tenth of 15 states and the District of Columbia to legalize gay marriage. But in the United States, men who have sex with other men still cannot donate blood. On Nov. 6, Stony Brook University’s Blood Donor Equality movement presented “The Blood Donor Policy Panel” in the Charles B. Wang Center Theatre. The event highlighted both social and scientific perspectives on the ban.