Arts & Entertainment
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
COMMENTARY:
Morehouse College has it all wrong again.
In what administrators call an effort to uphold the private, all-male university's legacy and reputation, they recently approved a new "Appropriate Attire Policy." Among typical clothing standards, the policy goes on to state, "No wearing of clothing associated with women's garb (dresses, tops, tunics, purses, pumps, etc.) on the Morehouse campus or at College-sponsored events."
Since its inception in 1867, Morehouse College has been a safe learning environment for African-American men, touting a long history of notable achievements and leaders. However, the campus has been plagued with ongoing reports of bias and bigotry when it comes to gay, bisexual, and transgender issues. In 2002, the college witnessed a brutal hate crime in which a Morehouse student sustained a fractured skull at the hands of a classmate. The attacker repeatedly beat his victim on the head with a baseball bat for allegedly glancing at him in the shower. As he was being beaten with the bat, the victim recalled his attacker yelling, "Faggot, you're gay, gay ... I hate these Morehouse faggots."
For the record, I am all for a dress code when it is meant to create an even playing field among students who may not be able to afford new clothes or designer labels. But the college of Martin Luther King Jr. is not being guided by the principle of social justice and equality among students.
Dr. William Bynum, the vice president of student services, went on record stating, "We are talking about five students who are living a gay lifestyle that is leading them to dress a way we do not expect in Morehouse men."
For a college that prides itself on developing "transformational leaders with a social conscious," the college has failed once again to live up to such progressive ideals when it comes to LGBT people. Morehouse administrators, including the president at the time of the antigay shower bashing, have readily acknowledged the prevalence of homophobia on campus. Morehouse College, however, has done little since then to address the issue. As quoted, administrators like Bynum still refer to being gay as a "lifestyle" and then reinforce homophobic behaviors with a pseudo concept of masculinity.
As a way to justify the policy, the announcement mentions that the Morehouse Safe Space, the gay student organization on campus, approved the measure by a 24-3 vote. It seems we have become a nation that justifies bias, prejudice, and bigotry by taking a vote. The gay student organization was formed as a "safe space" after the campus hate crime in 2002.
Not sure if Morehouse has noticed, but there have been successful men (both black and white) who have cross-dressed in their lives. Morehouse College has failed to learn its lessons about the true understanding of manhood -- what it means to be a man. The brutality of the shower attack had as much to do with homophobia as with the reinforcement of a false manhood and insecurity. Masculinity is not what defines a man. The days of gender normativity are over, especially when it comes to one's self-expression among young adults.
What is a "Morehouse Man" -- heterosexual, masculine, straight-acting? Would 15-year-old Lawrence King be admitted to Morehouse College? The young boy wore mascara, lipstick, jewelry, and his favorite pair of high-heeled boots to school many days. He was shot and killed by a 14-year-old classmate in an antigay hate crime.
All men would be better off if they had to wear a dress or walk a day in someone else's pumps. Morehouse College requires systemic change to live up to the ideals it was founded on. Every student, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression, deserves a learning environment that is safe and welcoming.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
30 Steamy Photos of Folsom Street Fair 2023 Debauchery
October 15 2023 11:06 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
60 Burly Pics from Bearrison Street Fair 2022
October 08 2023 8:30 PM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Plus
Yahoo FeedSexual Assault Survivor Stephen Hart Uses Theater to Heal
March 25 2024 5:55 PM
Neo-Nazis suspected of killing 72-year-old gay man after escaping from prison
March 25 2024 3:58 PM
'Fractured landscape:' Abortions in the U.S. are increasing, despite 'drastic' bans
March 25 2024 3:06 PM
Utah violated rights of trans woman inmate who performed surgery on herself, DOJ finds
March 25 2024 12:30 PM
We kiki with Jake Shears about Cabaret, Tammy Faye, Elton, and more
March 25 2024 9:52 AM
Prince William's aversion to spectacle created one — and might spawn a King Harry
March 22 2024 6:24 PM
Outrage after Oklahoma prosecutor declines charges in Nex Benedict bullying death
March 22 2024 5:21 PM