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Activist Davies to Drive ‘Fagbug’ Car to Ferris to Raise Awareness of Hate Crimes

FagbugErin Davies will drive her “Fagbug” to Ferris State University on Friday, Oct. 5 to share how she turned her victimization into a campaign against hate crimes.

“This event is being put on to raise awareness of homophobia and to educate people about hate crimes,” said Kendree Berg, president of the Diverse Sexuality and Gender Alliance (D-SAGA), a Registered Student Organization sponsoring Davies’ visit along with the university’s Diversity and Inclusion Office.

Davies was an art education graduate student in Albany, N.Y. in 2007 when her VW Beetle was vandalized with homophobic slurs. Rather than repair the damage, Davies embarked on a 58-day, 55,000-mile journey across the United States, sharing her story and recording the reactions – positive and negative – of more than 500 people along the way. She turned the footage into “Fagbug,” an award-winning documentary that premiered in 2009 at film festivals across the country.

Davies spends about six months of the year on the road in support of her mission “to raise awareness about hate crimes and homophobia, to give a voice for those who are silent, to inspire others to take a stand against bullies and to be an example of how to overcome obstacles in bringing creative projects to life.”

“Erin will show us how she turned being the victim of a hate crime into a positive way of educating people,” Berg said.

The Fagbug, devoid of graffiti and now painted in rainbow stripes, will be parked in the North Quad from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A free event from 5 to 8 p.m. in Interdisciplinary Resource Center Room 121 will include a viewing of the “Fagbug” documentary followed by a question-and-answer session with Davies. Pizza and pop will be provided between 5 and 6 p.m.