SPEAK

I must first commend Jessica as I know how hard it is to be different just by wearing off brand clothing and could only imagine how hard it could be to stand up and say that she is gay not only in front of administrators, but masses of students, faculty and staff. AND to continually fight for recognition of such “controversial” organization. So to her I say kudos and continue the fight. Let this experience be a stepping stone and prepare her for much greater battles in life.

NOW, as a student member of the Hampton University Student Affairs Council, and very active, involved, and concerned student, I would like to offer some insight to the issue. I would like to first make clear that to my recollection, all students present at the meeting voted FOR recognizing SPEAK as well as some administrators. We only had two spots available for new organizations and about 12 different groups applied for and presented their case that afternoon and SPEAK was one of them. After reviewing all of the applications and presentations, it came down to which two we felt were needed most, and which made the best case. Some had affiliations with nationally chartered organizations and others posed a more pertinent need to the student body. While I obviously cannot belittle the need for a gay-straight alliance in today’s society, I can, however; argue the extreme need for one at an extremely conservative and traditional Historically Black Univesity where an extremely small percentage of the population is openly gay and would openly attend regular meetings. While I can say with confidence that the campus of Hampton University is open to all no matter what sexual preference, and I have yet to hear in my four years here of anyone ever being ostracized because of their sexual orientation, I think there is a larger stigma in the African American community that keeps us from being that open to situations such as these. So in short, I defend the council’s decision to deny the SPEAK group full recognition. However, I do not condone the administration’s handling of the situation. I have witnessed numerous occasions where the administration gave the same tired speech about some fairy tale moratorium. Ok we get it, you didn’t want to give any old body an official organization status to go out and use Hampton’s name. Makes sense, and a lot of the organizations were redundant. Thats over now, stop using that as a scapegoat. I urge them to tell it like it is!

AND NOW to Jessica, I urge her to stop going to administration for her recognition. She also has to truly make this a gay-straight alliance. I hate to speculate, BUT, I don’t think she has any straight people working with her to 1) reverse the decision, 2) work on the reapplication process, and 3) that attend the regular meetings. Why is it that she is the only one that came to the Council meeting, checks on the status in the student activities office, and said something at the Town Hall meeting? Things would go a whole lot smoother if she had the right people helping her out. Myself as well as other influential students were present at the meeting and all expressed sincere concern for the cause and all stated we would be supportive of such a venture while Jessica was in the room, yet I am 200% positive, neither one of us has ever been approached by Jessica or anyone of the members, (if there are anyothers, funny how they all show up for their picture to be taken in the local newspaper but not when its time to stand up for their case before the council) to ask to come to meetings, support, help, or tips. Jessica also could have approached the Student Government Association about becoming a committee within it. This would have given her the opportunity to be fully recognized by the University and would eliminate the need to go before the council. And I also urge Jessica to become more involved on campus. Fighting for gay rights can’t be the only thing that she enjoys. College is about so much more than stressing out over administration and their consevative ways. To be honest there is a lot wrong with the administration as a whole and plenty of good things. But that’s anywhere you go. You can’t define the best four years of your life just by one organization, even if you accomplish the great feat of gaining full recognition, there has to be more than that. Let’s move on and have some fun!

In Conclusion, Hampton has lots of procedures that you must follow. I’ll admit, they like to pick which ones to enforce at any given time, but I urge students that are looking to challenge the status quo to make sure you dot your i’s and cross your t’s and leave no room for anyone to find cracks in your argument. And when one is created, because administration will create one, go back to the drawing board and come up with a whole new plan of attack. Ask Dr. King how easy it was to fight for civil rights, oh wait he’s dead because of it. Asks Al Sharpton how easy it was, but don’t forget he’s been to jail because of it. Asks anyone how easy it is to fight for something you believe in and they will tell you not easy at all that’s why you have to fight. Although not intentionally, I think Hampton prepares all of its students to fight what they believe in. If you ever get what you really want at Hampton University, it is because you fought for it and saw it to the end. It is never easy, but the victory is always sweet. I mean is it any easier when you get to Washington and start fighting for things or to any state capitol?

Ryan Thomas, President at Christopher Ryan Inc., at 11:20 pm EST on February 26, 2007

RE: Ryan Thomas

Dear Ryan,

I am a student at Hampton University. I am a part of SPEAK, and I just want to clear up a few things you mentioned in your response.

Jessica is straight. Nowhere in the story did it mention her sexuality, yet you assumed that because she is fighting for gay rights, she must be gay herself. Even that is a form of homophobia represented in the heterosexist ways in our society and especially on the campus of Hampton University. The student you are speaking of, who attended the meetings and called the Student Activities office, etc., is someone different. Another friend of mine, but not Jessica.

Your numbers — as well as those numbers given in the last few weeks by school officials — don’t match. At first, the students in the group were told 18 groups applied for status and four were accepted. Another newspaper story from Newport News, Va., said they were told it was more than 20. This account has a different number, and even you said 11 or 12. Who’s lying?

We asked school officials to tell us which groups were recognized. We’ve heard nothing.

They’ve been really good at that — saying nothing. SPEAK applied for status in October. We received the official letter the first week of this January. It was dated Dec. 20, 2007. Yes, 2007. As in, the administrator probably walked back to her office, pulled up a piece of paper and typed in some response to appease us. I’m guessing she forgot about the automatic date/year that would pop up in Word. Also, no students are in session on Dec. 20. Why would that be the day to write a letter?

Ryan, I know you mean well. And I understand you think homophobia on the campus isn’t as bad as it is. But as a gay student here at HU, all I can say is you are wrong. You are dead, dead wrong. It hurts being on campus most days. It hurts like hell. And I hope you and the other students in power will really help to change that one day.

In the meantime, many of us are suffering. We are regretting we came here under false pretenses of equality. We are sad.

I don’t think you could ever understand that. Unless of course, there were some gay-straight alliance — such as SPEAK — to bridge that gap and defeat discrimination.

E.H., at 9:35 am EST on February 27, 2007

Sexual orientation

I must be honest that I have no affiliation with Hampton University, but have read this article and the comment thread with interest and empathy, as someone who attended an ostensibly equal campus, yet felt greatly marginalized because of my sexual orientation.

My comment is that there seems to be a fundamental misconception at Hampton, which I believe clouds the entire discussion of this issue. Sexual orientation is not a preference or a choice. The choice or preference regarding one’s sexuality is in choosing to live openly with our orientation, or to live in the closet. I fear that as long as students, faculty and policy at Hampton think of orientation as simply a “preference", gay, lesbian and bisexual students will continue to be relegated to second-class citizens.

Stephen G., at 2:21 pm EST on February 27, 2007

Dear Ryan, PT II

Ryan,

Thanks again for responding.

I don’t mean to get into this battle with you, but I think the numbers are important because someone is lying to us over nonsense. It’s not about whether 20 or 12 groups applied or whether 2 or 4 slots were available, but we’re getting different numbers. The stories aren’t straight. And that is not right. I know, you, as a student, may not have much power over this, so I am not attacking you. I am attacking the horrible system in place at the school where you are in a position to possibly change something.

We all came to HU with the assumption that the school was for free speech and non-discrimination. Even the code of conduct acts as a way to make people think the school is just. Therein lies the problem. Had I known before what the school was like, I would not be here. But instead of owning up to its biases, the school is giving prospective students this false sense of hope. And that’s wrong.

Still, I don’t expect an apology from you, Ryan. I want — and the students in the group want — some recognition.

You ended your last comment by saying that SPEAK members needed to stop waiting for meetings and get things done on campus. Maybe you are missing the point here. We can have all the meetings we want without recognition. It’s not about just being able to say we are official on campus. We want to educate. We want recognition so we CAN hold those campus discussions, so we CAN educate other students on campus, so we CAN beat the homophobia that engulfs our school, so we CAN feel comfortable in the heterosexist society that has been in place and will continue to be until a group such as SPEAK can change it.

It’s not just about waiting for you, Ryan, to come to a SPEAK meeting. It’s about being visible on campus — being allowed to be visible on campus. When LGBTQ freshmen and transfer students come to HU, they need to have a safe place. They should be able to feel comfortable, to find comfort in allies. That is not currently the case, and when HU denies recognition to SPEAK, which by its constitution is a gay/straight alliance, then school officials are only perpetuating the nonsense that happens daily on campus.

To have a historically black school in 2007 continue to allow the discrimination against gay people is wrong. Hampton must work harder to knock down the divide. The school needs to embrace all of its diversity.One last thing, you referred to sexuality as a preference. I don’t remember waking up one day and deciding I wanted a same-sex partner. Heterosexual people don’t decide they want opposite-sex partners. We are attracted to whom we are attracted to. Sexuality isn’t something you prefer.

Thanks Ryan. Really, I am not arguing with you. I just want you to understand why we do want this organization on campus — why it is so needed on campus. We have hundreds of groups who do nothing. We have too many frats and sororities who add very little to the campus life. We have social clubs whose priorities are partying and playing around. Why is it that a group that wants to actually do something gets turned down, ridiculed?

I hope you understand where I’m coming from, Ryan. And I truly hope that you personally are free of bias against those who may be different than you.

I do hope you are enjoying your time at school. I just hope you haven’t been brainwashed by the system.

Thanks again.

E.H., at 4:15 am EST on March 1, 2007