Los Angeles Times Examines Homophobia at Morehouse

The Los Angeles Times publishes an excellent article on black gay students and homophobia at the well-respected, historically black men's college located in Atlanta. It's difficult to believe that in 2008, during the same week Morehouse College graduates its first white valedictorian, many alumni still question whether the vaunted "Morehouse Man" can be both black and gay. Openly gay senior Michael Brewer says "yes" and leads a candlelight vigil at Morehouse College honoring victims of homophobia.

"Morehouse is like this enclave where Stonewall never happened," Brewer said, referring to the 1969 New York protest that galvanized the gay rights movement. "It just doesn't exist in this realm of reality."

Brewer, 22, didn't come to Morehouse with the intent of changing it. But he found that he had no choice. He had arrived here from Oklahoma City pretty comfortable with himself: outspoken, proudly smart and, at 5 foot 9 and 300 pounds, hard to miss.

Early on, he decided he wouldn't water down his gay identity.

And that, historically, has been a problematic strategy at Morehouse. The 141-year-old college has played a key role in defining black manhood in America. But with a past steeped in religion, tradition and machismo, it has struggled to determine how homosexuality fits within that definition.

Michael Brewer says when he arrived on campus, he discovered Morehouse "had lived with a schizophrenic reputation." The school was always rumored to house many gays and apparently many students acted out to perpetuate a violent and homophobic culture to pushback against the reputation. Karsh, who blogs at Black Gay Blogger, is also a Morehouse graduate and discussed this in his Men of Morehouse series.

"Students of Brewer's generation were showing up at Morehouse more comfortable with being openly gay," The Times reports, noting "a small groundswell of activity" on campus, including the president of Brewer's freshman class coming out, the formation of a gay student group, and, a documentary produced at neighboring Spelman that profiled gay and lesbian life at the two colleges. But not everyone welcomes the few openly gay students: "Isaiah Wilson, 21, a gay senior, said that someone slipped a death threat under his door during his freshman year. But he believes the school has benefited because he and others refused to conceal their sexual orientation. 'You're going to have the idea of the Morehouse man evolve over the years,,' he said."

Many HBCUs do not have a good track record with gay and lesbian students and the college prep school at LeMoyne Owen was recently accused of anti-gay harassment. Most experts say the problem is more severe at Morehouse, which has been routinely listed as one of nation's most homophobic campuses by the Princeton Review. The campus has seen numerous well-publicized cases of homophobia, including accusations of anti-gay hiring bias at the College of Medicine and harassment of gay students. In November 2002, one former Morehouse nearly killed another student with a baseball bat because he believed the student was gay and made a pass at him.

Morehouse College faces its own bias—against gays [LAT]

Some Background ....
Principal Was "Appropriate" to "Out" Black Gay HBCU Prep Students [R20]
Principal Outs Students at HBCU Prep [The Daily Voice]
Principal Outs Students at HBCU Prep [R20]
Homophobia at Hampton? [R20]
"Brother Outsider" Screenings [R20]
Judge Reduces Morehouse Sentence [R20]
Morehouse Anti-Gay Firing [R20]
Black and Gay at Morehouse [Keith Boykin]
A Tale of Two Campuses [Keith Boykin]
Man of Morehouse Part 3[Black Gay Bloger]
Black Museums Should Celebrate Gays[R20]
The (Very Very Gay) Men of Morehouse[R20]

 

Comments

[Me]

I don't even know why any young black gay man would WANT to go there when there are plenty of other colleges where you can be yourself and not worry about getting your skull bashed in. There are liberal campuses all over this country. Let the "masculine" negroes have their fun down there. No sense in trying to change a campus known for its closed-mindedness and lack of progression. It is a waste of time and energy.

[Brandon Jax]

Luther, I also read about the "most handsome" title at another blog. That is very weird, "real men" aren't supposed to look at things like that.

Also thanks for the heads up, Rod, on this story and the other HBCU news. I'm an HBCU alumni myself and appreciate reading how the colleges are embracing diversity and dealing with gay students.

[ATL Kid]

Umm, I can verify from first hand knowledge that there are signficant numbers of "the gays" at Morehouse. Always have, always will.

[UL]

I'm a 19 year old gay man (somewhat closeted) and a student at Grambling State University, which is an HBCU in Louisiana. Obviously, there are thousands of gay and lesbian students at many HBCUs. It seems that the problem is much more pronounced at Morehouse, possibly because it is all male, or maybe because of its reputation. ll.

There are many gay students at Morehouse and other HBCUs but most are closeted. Hopefully the atmosphere will become more friendly and many of us will be able to be open.

[Brokeassnigga]

They probably would have tried to burn me at the stake at an HBCU which would ironic considering the word "faggot" comes from that practice.

[Marcos]

"Kind of peculiar at best since when do 'straight' black men look at other men as objects of attractiveness or desirability? "

Since 2008.It's not 1978 anymore. I hear straight-identified black dudes refer to other dudes as being pretty or cute more and more.

[Robert Jones, Jr.]

I find it quite curious when I hear that black people are no more homophobic than white people. My personal experience (going to school in the majority Italian neighborhood Bensonhurst in Brooklyn and living in the housing projects of Gravesend Brooklyn), I can tell you that white peopel called me the n-word and black people called me the f-word. White people might have thought I was gay, but never really cared. But black people hounded me, tormented me, beat me up day after day after day simply because they PERCEIVED me as gay.

[Please Stop]

Please I grew up at Morehouse , and i also went to school there
Morehouse is a gay prep school . It teaches you how to be gay and survive in society. Marry a Spelman woman , have 2 kids and register for a Adam4adam account . The Dl has be present there since i was a kid, Faculty ,students . I laugh at homecoming watching people i knew were openly gay with their wives , looking at their boy

[Rod Mc]

MORRIS: Welcome back. You make an excellent point on the closeted/apolitical/self-hating gay students. The LAT piece touched upon this but I concentrated on the gay/straight angle. FWIW, those type of closeted/anti-gay students will probably attend Bishop Eddie Long's church and call themselves on the "dl." Go figure.

ROBERT: Definitely. It's more socially acceptable to express homophobia in the black community, regardless of income groups or education. It's amazing how we perpetuate those stereotypes at very young ages.

[Dluv]

Where to begin? A lot of great points but I think Marcos hit the nail on the head as far as being a black man in 2008. Our view of ourselves is so narrow and ignorant it's shameful. It's not just homophobic, it's anti-intellectual. And coming from prestigious HBCU's its confounding. And where is Morehouse located? Atlanta? The black gay capital of the world!