Filed under: News, Politics, Race and Civil Rights
Franklin's letter to the public in response to the article showed that the president found little humor in the approach used by Vibe:
"It seems clear from the headline alone that the Vibe editorial team's intent is to sensationalize and distort reality for the purpose of driving readership. The title of the article speaks volumes about a perspective that is very narrow and one that is, in all likelihood, offensive to our students whether gay or straight."
Franklin goes on to say that the use of the term "girls" in reference to Morehouse men is offensive:
"Addressing our young men as 'girls' is deeply disturbing to me, no matter what the remainder of the article may say. Morehouse has for 140 years developed men -- men who are equipped to live and contribute to an increasingly diverse, global and complex world."
The letter by Franklin is interesting. On one hand, it's easy to see why any president of a proud male institution would be offended by the use of the term "girls" to describe members of the student body. The last time I checked, Morehouse was one of the great bastions of hope when it came to producing strong, proud and educated African American males.
On the other hand, it seems that Franklin's letter says a great deal without saying much. He fails to directly confront the realities of homosexuality on his campus, which exists whether he wants to acknowledge it or not. He also doesn't address the degree of abuse that gay students likely receive from other students because of their sexual orientation. University administrators seemed determined to single out the gay student body in its dress code issued last year, serving to only further institutionalize this form of discrimination.
Diamond Martin Poulin, a 20-year old former Morehouse student, was one of the subjects of the Vibe article. He appears to be very in-your-face and confident in his sexuality. I conjecture that part of the reason he wears his emotions on his chest (he literally has the word "unbreakable" tattooed on his chest) is because he is determined to force the world to accept him for who he is and not require him to engage in uncomfortable conformity to fit in with the masses.
I applaud Diamond for his courage. As a straight man myself, I can't imagine living in a world where everyone forced me to pretend that I was gay. This helps me to understand the challenges likely being felt by those who are marginalized for being homosexual. And yes, God made gay people too.
I have a relative who always wanted to be a woman. From the time we were 5 years old, he played with dolls. He wanted to have long hair. He cried when we tackled him playing football. I knew before the start of kindergarten that he was different from the rest of us.
As he grew older and came to terms with the man he was, he endured a great deal of abuse for being gay. Rather than allowing the abuse to kill him or push him into a shell, he went in the opposite direction. He became loud, flamboyant and snap-your-fingers-swing-your-neck gay man. To some extent, he reminds me of Diamond Martin Poulin.
Part of me wonders whether it would be necessary for men like Diamond to be so dramatic about their sexuality if the world didn't try to oppress them as much as it does. I am hopeful that in his next letter to the public addressing homosexuality within his proud institution, President Franklin spends less time bashing away at the messenger (Vibe Magazine), and more time accepting the ideals of fairness and equality which opened doors for his people so long ago.
Morehouse College is better than that. Also, being a man sometimes means learning to accept that which you do not understand. Diamond Martin Poulin can be a Morehouse man also, even if he's a little bit different.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.