Some of the old Morehouse spirit

Below is the Feb. 11 article "Is Gay the Way?" The writer has

since authored a follow-up piece. To read

his new article, "The Aftermath: Is Gay

the Way?" click on the link after the jump...

http://www.themaroontiger.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=222:the-aftermath-is-gay-the-way&catid=3:opinions&Itemid=4

Original article below...

 

It’s no secret that the gay population on Morehouse's campus does not go unnoticed. Take a walk down Brown Street on a clear Spring day, and one will quickly learn that Morehouse College is an institution unlike no other for reasons far more than the "Morehouse Mystique."

Although Dr. Franklin has urged men of Morehouse on various occasions to treat each other with the utmost respect (especially homosexual students), I have noticed the prevailing discomfort between our heterosexual students and their homosexual counterparts.

You know how it goes: a cluster of openly gay students walk by. A group of heterosexual students suddenly stop what they’re doing to either avoid making any contact whatsoever, or look on with a sense of disgust. Or when class discussions happen to touch the topic of homosexuality, that one openly homosexual student steps up to the plate to defend himself and his lifestyle. The silence in the classroom confirms that no one wants to counter-respond for fear of coming off too strong. Awkward?

 

I don’t want to get into the religious, scientific, or philosophical debate about homosexuality. However, this taboo subject still merits great conversation.

This lovely man-producing institution, Morehouse College, contains many homosexual students- some openly and others not so much. Heterosexual students, through their unsettlement with this reality, tend to make gay slurs within the comfort of their friends, and homosexual students do whatever it is that they do behind close doors. That’s the reality.

Over the years, despite social divergence on campus, the Morehouse community has done its share to both accept and adjust to the growing homosexual population. But don’t you think this has gone too far? A boy with a pocket book is far.

It’s not so much that “straight” men of Morehouse are uncomfortable with the gay lifestyle, but moreso that the lifestyle is constantly and robustly thrown in their faces. Does being a gay man include adopting the traits of a woman? Because if that’s the case, there’s a more fitting school, and it’s not an all-male institution.

I’m all for being who you are. If you like women, go on and date women. If you like men, be my guest and date men. But if you are born a man, you should be just that—a man. If I have to look twice to tell if I’m looking at a man or woman on an all male campus, then something is tragically wrong.

At this rate, Morehouse College may find itself in a difficult situation. What happens if and when one of our gay Morehouse brothers decides to go the next step and undergo a sex-change operation, and is then physically considered to be a woman? Does Morehouse have the right to ask that student to leave?

 

A massive population of feminine males and possibly transgender students could harm the reputation of Morehouse and perhaps affect its admissions rate, thereby impacting the college's revenue. Would it be wrong for Morehouse to implement a new acceptance procedure in which they are required to interview students in an attempt to decrease gay population?

Now of course such a process is not likely to succeed, but something must be done before Morehouse College, an all-male Black institution, becomes something quite the opposite.

One may argue that Morehouse should allow its students to live as they please, but in these circumstances, one must begin to accept that this once black-and-white matter has become a rather gray, complicated issue.

It is true that some men of Morehouse have failed to honor and respect their gay brothers, yet the feelings and presence of heterosexual students should not be ignored. Is it fair for a straight male to come to an institution where he is forced to live in an environment that makes him feel uncomfortable? Because I’m quite sure that if he wanted to be surrounded by females, he would not have gone to an all-male institution.

I’m not saying that having gay students at this institution damages the image of Morehouse, but as the only all male African American liberal arts college in America, we have a certain image to uphold and a man with hair weave just isn’t it.

Gerren Gaynor

Associate Opinions Editor