Dear Editor,
I found Eli French’s opinion piece, titled “May You All Find Rest” to be insightful, compassionate, bold, and hopefully convicting. I was dismayed, however, to see that the situation for LGBTQ students at Houghton may be getting worse. I find these claims especially disturbing: “Anonymous messages left on campus have seconded such sentiments: a declaration on a whiteboard that being gay is “heresy;” an ominous statement on the sidewalk in Hebrew, translating ‘your days are numbered;’ and, a classic, the succinct but expressive ‘fag.’” These are not just “messages;” these are threats, and ought to be handled as such.
As an alumni who bore the brunt of Houghton homophobia, I have to ask: how bad do things have to get before the sane members of the Houghton community act?
Will Dean Jordan take responsibility for shaping a more inclusive and kind narrative of LGBTQ Christian students?
Will Dr. Pool take preemptive action (without putting the burden on queer students) to prevent these threats coming to fruition?
Will Sergio Matta and SGA put pressure on both of these men to take action?
Will LGBTQ affirming professors vocally defend their most vulnerable students?
Will queer students and their allies organize and stand up for themselves?
Will the Star continue to report on LGBTQ student issues with unbiased clarity?
I sure hope so.
Micah Cronin ’17