The Washington Blade publishes a disturbing report on the struggle to establish a gay-straight alliance at one of the nation's best known historically black colleges. Student organizers at Hampton University in Virginia—whose most famous alumni is Booker T. Washington—say after years of bureaucratic red-tape, "they are not any closer in 2007 to winning recognition for the group than they were in 2004."
The school boasts 195 student organizations but none geared toward LGBT students. "Someone needs to fight for fairness on campus," says Sia Mensah, a third-year psychology student. "Hampton University is not being fair to all of its students.”
Mensah inherited the fight for a GSA in 2004 from another student. The administration claims it is not "deliberately withholding" a charter but only following strict rules that limit the number of student groups.
However, Hampton's problems follow the classic pattern of homophobia and denial seen at other HBCUs—mostly conservative, religious-based schools—such as the lesbian employee who was fired from Morehouse Medical School or, more famously, the vicious gay bashings at Howard and Morehouse. Moreover, Hampton's bureaucratic shell game isn't limited to gays: Administrators are also giving the run-around to students trying to establish an Amnesty International chapter and have cracked down on students distributing materials that criticized President Bush.
Gay Club Rejected Again by Va. School (Wash Blade)
Some Background ....
"Brother Outsider" Screenings (Rod 2.0) Judge Reduces Morehouse Sentence (Rod 2.0) Morehouse Anti-Gay Firing (Rod 2.0) Black and Gay at Morehouse (Keith Boykin) A Tale of Two Campuses (Keith Boykin) Man of Morehouse Part 3 (Black Gay Blogger) Black Museums Should Celebrate Gays (Rod 2.0) The (Very Very Gay) Men of Morehouse (Rod 2.0)
As the saying goes, "Follow the money."
Where do these schools get the bulk of their funding? The federal government.
Who tells them what to say, do and which organizations to support? You guessed it.
Posted by: Bernie | 03 February 2007 at 14:00
It also should be noted that one of Hampton's more famous alumni is comedian Wanda Sykes. Interesting to note, given her ridculous "gay is the new black" joke.
Posted by: ricky | 03 February 2007 at 14:00
Bernie, very good point. The black colleges are operating in a cocoon of intolerance facilitated by a homophobic black church and an indifferent, hostile state and federal government.
Posted by: rob a | 03 February 2007 at 14:09
My best friend went to Howard. Apparently they are doing somewhat better than other schools such as Morehouse.
HBCUs are a hotbed of homophobia and repressed sexuality.
Posted by: jimmy david | 03 February 2007 at 19:13
I am a student at Tuskegee University where we face the same problems of oppression. Our president once at a convocation made it clear that this is place homosexuality is not accepted. To paraphrase, his statement was we support Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. Being that I am a male searching to find myself sexually I took offense. We have a long way to go with homophobia in the black community. You would think that it would be better being that colleges are supposed to be a place with highly educated individuals. This is the stupidity that we have to deal with, which should not be confused with ignorance, because ignorance is the lack of knowledge and the knowledge that we contain now is just ignored and carelessly handled. This stupidity is running rapid and it is at every level, and we have a battle ahead of us.
Posted by: Just Jared | 03 February 2007 at 21:47
Hampton have more to do with the fact that its president is a strong arm dictator!
Posted by: seanndc | 04 February 2007 at 10:37
I attended Hampton U last semester. It's ironic how they do not have a Gay-Straight Alliance organization or anything that is dedicated to people in the LGBT community. The irony is that most of the men are DL brothas. The number is more that most people think. However they do have a large number of girls who are gay til graduation or when their parents come to visit. I guess in a way, HU is its on Gay-Straight Alliance but shhh! don't tell.
Posted by: CSpark | 07 February 2007 at 20:32