In the critically acclaimed 1999 movie "Boys Don't Cry," Hilary Swank plays a girl whose life is ripped apart by betrayal, rape and murder because she identifies as a man. This type of harassment and discrimination is exactly what members of MSU's lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community are trying to keep from happening on campus.

In December, the MSU Board of Trustees passed an amendment that added gender identity to the university's harassment policy. But, members of the LBGT community want gender identity also to be included in the university's Anti-Discrimination Policy.

The board has decided to take its time - and that's exactly what it should do.

With all the changes and revisions required for adding gender identity to the policy, more information needs to be collected before an amendment of this importance can be instated.

The Executive Committee of Academic Council established a group to review the gender-identity policy. It met 31 times during the summer and fall semesters of 2002.

It recommended that only the harassment clause be added.

The problem with the discrimination amendment submitted, the committee said, was that it contained too many ambiguities that it believed would cause even more problems for the university in the future.

Since the council met 31 separate times, reviewed all the necessary documents and still did not feel right adding the amendment, this means that a great deal of information and consideration still is needed.

No one should have to go through the discrimination depicted in "Boys Don't Cry." The addition of gender identity to the harassment policy was a well considered and necessary step that will help to prevent these atrocities from happening on campus. But there are many things that need to be considered before the university can take the next step and add gender identity to the Anti-Discrimination Policy.