President Obama tells Morehouse Graduates to be the Best Husband to your Wife, or You’re your Boyfriend - WATCH

Morehouse College Introduces their First Black LGBT History Course

With the hard work of Morehouse's Dr. Michael Hodge, SafeSpace’s Special Project and Events Coordinator Marcus Lee and Yale University professor Dr. Jafari S. Allen, Morehouse College will have their first LGBT History Course!

Morehouse's local paper reports:

The course is expected to outline various key concepts in Black feminism and critical cultural theory and methodology. Described as “an interdisciplinary survey of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) culture and politics” in the course’s syllabus, the class will serve as an in-depth look into critical, social and cultural theory that will vastly benefit the Morehouse community.

SafeSpace’s Public Relations Director Ja’Mal Lewis believes that this course will finally shine light on the LGBT figures that have been overlooked throughout history.

“Many influential LGBT leaders have gone unrecorded due to their sexuality, and they made many of the movements that changed and shaped our history,” Lewis said.

The course will be offered for credit Spring 2013.

WATCH the Men of Morehouse respond to Vibe's "Mean Girls" article

Last week, Vibe magazine released an article about gays, the dress code and the "image of men" of Morehouse College.

Now, the students respond, please watch.


A wink to Darian for the info.

Morehouse President responds to Vibe's 'Mean Girls' Article

A letter from the Morehouse President, Robert M. Franklin:

Dear Morehouse Community:

Next week, Vibe magazine, a hip-hop music and culture monthly, will publish in their October/November issue an article on Morehouse. I strongly disagree with the likely substance of this article and wanted to write to you directly to share my views.

The article, entitled, “The Mean Girls at Morehouse,” purports to examine the lives of some of our gay brothers as it relates to the enforcement of our appropriate attire policy we enacted a year and a half ago. 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.

As president of this institution, as a Morehouse graduate and as a father, I am insulted by what is to be published. 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.

Let me be clear. I believe in the freedom of the press and its critical role in examining all facets of our society to foster reasoned discourse and to promote understanding of topics both popular and unpopular. We will not always agree with what is written. I disagree, however, in journalism that attempts to malign and distort, rather than inform and enlighten.

I need not tell you that the black male is already faced with challenges in nearly every aspect of his life. Injustices abound. Families are broken. And our young black boys are failing to reachtheir potential in grade school and middle school at pandemic rates. And while the world grapples with complicated issues related to economic disparity, racism, sustainability, and diversity and tolerance, Morehouse stands in the breach, seeking answers to the pressing issues facing our young men, encouraging dialogue and expecting excellence.

The world is complex, and it is diverse. Morehouse reflects that same complexity and that same diversity. It is unfortunate that the Vibe article will heighten misunderstandings and advance or inform little.

In the end, no media outlet can shape who we are or in any way diminish our mission. But together we can encourage media outlets like Vibe to provide fair, well-researched and balanced journalism.

Finally, Morehouse will stand by its values. We will continue to set high standards and focus on the development of our young men. Thank you for standing with us.

Sincerely,

Robert M. Franklin
President

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Vibe Magazine focuses on the Mean Girls of Morehouse College

Yes, I said Morehouse College. The prestigious black, all male college who last year, sparked drama after enforcing a dress code that focused on "men dressing like girls."


Vibe magazine has talked to a few of the gay students there. Here are some pieces from the article:

“I’ve always been into clothes, shoes, hair and everything,” says Diamond, who was born and raised in Providence, R.I. He says there’s a good chance he’ll transition into a woman at some point. “My mother says I always played dress-up in her clothes, my grandmother’s clothes. I’d even get my brother to do it sometimes. That’s just always been me—pushing the envelope of what I’m supposed to be as a man.”

So does Diamond really consider herself a man? At the question, he groans. “Yes, I refer to myself as a man, you know, to relieve any confusion. Sometimes people don’t understand the whole androgyny thing. There’s always the question: Well, what are you? Yes, I’m a man. I like women’s clothes. And yeah, I’m gay. But I don’t want that to define me. How come people can’t just see me as a person?”

...

Michael—who lives with Diamond and his boyfriend, Eric—and Brian, who has an off-campus apartment, are two of the current students at Morehouse who proudly call themselves members of the Plastics. “When I first got here, the androgynous kids were called the Glams,” Brian explains. “And then one day we were all sitting together on Brown Street and some straight guys walked by and called us the Plastics. Straight boys are the ones who gave us the name.”

While the two admit that the relationship between the Plastics and the straight community is fraught with issues, they say the rest of the gay community who can be downright hostile. “The gays hate us,” says Brian plainly.

“It’s because we have a certain aura,” says Michael. “We don’t care what people think about us when it comes to how we dress and carry ourselves. Some people are uncomfortable with it.”

...

Phillip—who hails from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.—came to Morehouse in hopes of pleasing his father, a minister from Jamaica who he says is staunchly homophobic. “I’ve always wanted to be a man’s man,” says Phillip, with a sigh. “I wanted to be masculine. I thought by coming here to Morehouse I could be the masculine man my father wanted me to be. The first day I got to campus, I was a boy. I had my little dreads pulled back, jeans and all that. Trying to be this masculine boy, real cool and real quiet.”

 

It took exactly one day on campus for Phillip to see that this plan was not going to work. “The first time I walked from my dorm to student services, someone yelled out ‘faggot’ and a crew of boys started laughing at me.” Phillip throws his hands up dramatically. “That was it. I was going to have to be me. There was no hiding that I was not masculine. That I was not a boy. I went back to taking my female hormones and rocking my hair.”

 I encourage y'all to check this article out. It's very interesting

Oh No! Gay Morehouse Students Robbed and Carjacked!

4 gay Morehouse students were robbed, kidnapped and carjacked in April.

Here's more:

The four young men carjacked and kidnapped near the Morehouse College campus last month are all gay, according to one of the victims, who alleges the suspects used anti-gay slurs against them in the attack.

However, there was no mention of anti-gay slurs in the police report for the April 25 incident, said Sgt. Curtis Davenport, public affairs officer for the Atlanta Police Department.

“APD is not aware of any anti-gay slurs used in the commission of this crime. There were no reports of this made to us,” Davenport said.

Three suspects have been arrested. Jevontay Fleetwood, 17, and Darius Hill, 19, are charged with armed robbery, carjacking and kidnapping and are being held in the Fulton County Jail without bond, said Davenport. A juvenile was also arrested.

One of the victims, who asked to not be identified, said he knew they were not targeted because they were gay. But the memory of being attacked still has him nervous.

“They used the word ‘faggot’ a lot, and said we were going to burn in hell, called us names,” said the 20-year-old man who attends American InterContinental University in Dunwoody. His three friends attend Morehouse College. The three Morehouse students declined interview requests.

The four men did hold a press conference at Morehouse on April 26, but did not want their faces shown because one of the suspects was still at large.

The final suspect was caught, but I can't imagine the fear and humiliation the students experienced from this incident. I hope the community reached out to the students and let them know the 'fam' got their back.

Also this incident was not marked as a hate crime.

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A wink at Rod 2.0 for the tip

Morehouse Men talks about being Gay

Morehouse College GAY Pride Week events

Morehouse Safe Space sent this schedule to me. This is a solid list of events.

I'm very impress with this. I hope to see more from Morehouse.

Thanks again Morehouse Safe Space!

Morehouse College host their 1st GAY Pride Week!

I'm shocked the premier HBCU, Morehouse College, held their 1st Gay Pride Week.

And I'm even more shocked they challenged themselves and invited the media diva, B. Scott, as a guest speaker.

See here:

MULTIMEDIA MAVEN B. SCOTT TO SPEAK AT MOREHOUSE’S FIRST-EVER GAY PRIDE WEEK
B. Scott will be sitting on “Out & in the Spotlight” panel

(Atlanta, GA, March 22, 2010)—March 23, 2010 marks Morehouse College’s first-ever Gay Pride Week. To commemorate this historic event, B. Scott, famous gay African-American TV/Radio personality and Internet sensation, will be speaking on Tuesday, March 23 on the “Out & in the Spotlight” panel.

WHAT: The “Out & in the Spotlight” panel is one part of the week long PRIDE WEEK, hosted by Safe Space, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organization that openly addresses the issues of homophobia, hegemonic dispositions, racism, sexism and gender construction. Scott will be discussing his experiences as being an out gay out man in the entertainment industry; the importance of loving and accepting oneself; and how being gender non-conforming—not adhering to society’s rules about dress and activities for people that are based on their sex—has shown the need to help expand society’s views of what being LGBT is in this country.

WHO: B. Scott is a TV/Radio personality and Internet sensation. Hundreds of thousands of viewers tune into his YouTube partner channel, www.youtube.com/lovebscott and log onto his website, lovebscott.com to hear his witty, fun and lively commentary on his personal experiences, current happenings and celebrity gossip and to see the latest episode of THE B. SCOTT SHOW. Bringing an infectious personality and outspoken nature, B. Scott has achieved much of his success by directly connecting with his love muffins (the name he uses for his fans) and his achievements have allowed him to gain interviews with celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Jordin Sparks, Nene Leakes, Ne-Yo and Ashanti. B. recently branched out into television, appearing on such shows as TV One Access Hollywood and Extra. For more information about B. Scott visit www.lovebscott.com.

WHERE: Morehouse’s African-American Hall of Fame (the upper level of The Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel on the Campus of Morehouse College); 830 Westview Dr Sw
Atlanta, Georgia 30314.

I will post more on this very soon.

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Interesting Quote: Elizabeth Gates

For Morehouse to turn against the men that have chosen to hand over their hard-earned scholarships, loans, or family savings is unacceptable. To tell a student that his sense of self is only as good as his ability to conform is to reduce this student, and Morehouse at large, to the exact consciousness it fought so hard to defeat. To trivialize the decades of work that the institution and its dutiful student body has labored so hard to establish is to argue that Morehouse is no longer a safe place for all black male intellectuals, but rather only open to those who can tie a Windsor knot and clasp cufflinks to suit jackets. And to promote the idea that to dress the part is as important as the standard of education is to mock the legacy of empowerment Morehouse has held fast to for so many decades.

Elizabeth speaks out about the Morehouse dress code. She is a writer for The Daily Beast and daughter of Henry Louis Gates Jr., a professor at Harvard.

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Here's the Morehouse Dress Code

So here is the full text of the Dress Code at Morehouse.

It is our expectation that students who select Morehouse do so because of the College's outstanding legacy of producing leaders. On the campus and at College-sponsored events and activities, students at Morehouse College will be expected to dress neatly and appropriately at all times.

Students who choose not to abide by this policy will be denied admission into class and various functions and services of the College if their manner of attire is inappropriate.

Examples of inappropriate attire and/or appearance include but are not limited to: 1. No caps, do-rags and/or hoods in classrooms, the cafeteria, or other indoor venues. This policy item does not apply to headgear considered as a part of religious or cultural dress.

2. Sun glasses or "shades" are not to be work in class or at formal programs, unless medical documentation is provided to support use.

3. Decorative orthodontic appliances (e.g. "grillz") be they permanent or removable, shall not be worn on the campus or at College-sponsored events.

4. Jeans at major programs such as, Opening Convocation, Commencement, Founder's Day or other programs dictating professional, business casual attire, semi-formal or formal attire.

5. Clothing with derogatory, offense and/or lewd messages either in words or pictures.

6. Top and bottom coverings should be wor[n] at all times. No bare feet in public venues.

7. No sagging--the wearing of one's pants or shorts low enough to reveal undergarments or secondary layers of clothing.

8. Pajamas, shall not be worn while in public or in common areas of the College.

9. No wearing of clothing associated with women's garb (dresses, tops, tunics, purses, pumps, etc.) on the Morehouse campus or at College-sponsored events.[emphasis added]

10. Additional dress regulations may be imposed upon students participating in certain extracurricular activities that are sponsored or organized by the College (e.g. athletic teams, the band, Glee Club, etc).

11. The college reserves the right to modify this policy as deemed appropriate. *All administrative, faculty, students and support staff members are asked to assist in enforcing this policy and may report disregard or violations to the Office of Student Conduct. "

Alright, I see, but...

1. I love my True Religions and my 7 for all Mankind Jeans.
2. I used to wear women flares jeans because I love bell bottoms. Would that be a huge issue?
   
3. Does Prada slippers count as flip flops?
4. And would my Evil Dead T-Shirt be offensive?
5. I couldn't rock my Louis Vuitton at all.
6. Could you start a cross-dressing club as an extracurricular activity?

I guess I wouldn't make it at Morehouse.

Thanks for the tip, Mad Professah

I would've been kicked out of Morehouse!

In college, I tried many looks. So if I went to Morehouse and this dress code was issued during my college years, I would've been kicked out.

See for yourself
Yep, I would've been out... and OUT. My hair would have been too "woman-like" for college.

"Appropriate Attire Policy" at Morehouse is a MESS

Morehouse has a new dress code.

No do-rags, baggy jeans, flip-flops, big ass T-shirts that look like nightshirts. Great!

But this ban was not just about the "prison look", this ban was created to address the gay men at the college.

Dr. William Bynum, vice president for Student Services said this:

"We are talking about five students who are living a gay lifestyle that is leading them to dress a way we do not expect in Morehouse men."

Dr. Bynum said he talked the gay organization about the issue. The sad part about this is when they voted on the code, only 3 out of 27 gay men voted against it.

Interesting, so gay men have to look like Morehouse men, or whatever that means. So much for freedom of expression in college.

However, I'm curious about what was the tipping point that singled out the gay look? And how do they know about a gay look? Do they know us? Most gay men are unique and original.

Look at Derek J, stylist from The Real Housewives of Atlanta. He is truly doing it, but by Morehouse new standards, he is violating the dress code.

And what gets me, they believe that changing the dress code, they will breed success.

Really? Child cheese.

To my gay fam, get out of Morehouse, and go to an university that will let you be you. This is a bag of refried mess.

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Sandra Bradley has been Fired for her Anti-gay email

Sandra Bradley just learned a lesson. Sending anti-gay emails at work, when your boss is gay-friendly is NOT a good mix.

In fact, it got her fired...

The fired woman worked as an administrative assistant in the president’s office, according to reports. After receiving an e-mail forward that included wedding photos of a gay couple, she forwarded the e-mail to others and made comments that were considered discriminatory.

In a statement released Thursday, Dr. Robert M. Franklin, Morehouse’s president, announced that “the college has disciplined the persons involved in the incident, and one of the implicated employees is no longer with the college.”

The employees were not identified in Franklin's statement. Morehouse College has a no-tolerance position on discrimination, said Franklin.

“The views expressed in the e-mail entitled, ‘The WTD of the Week,' (September 28, 2009) were the personal views of one individual and do not reflect the values or policies of Morehouse College,” he said in the statement. “The College has taken great strides toward building a diverse and tolerant community.”

I bet you won't do that foolishness again, Sandra. However, I bet she will be the spokesperson for any anti-gay movement in Georgia.

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Don't Spread Your Gay-Hate/Poor Women of the World mess on your Work Email

Fools will never learn.

Those gay wedding pictures I posted yesterday, was a hit on the blogs. However, they were a miss to some folks who just had to give their sorry ass opinion.

Sandra Bradley, who's an administrative assistant for Morehouse College President Robert Franklin (who is very gay friendly BTW) sent a email that said:

“I can’t believe this wedding. It’s 2 men. They don’t smile in a lot of pictures and they look like a few brothers I’ve seen in the streets looking STRAGHT. Black women can’t get a break, either our men want another man, a white woman (or other nationality that’s light with straight hair), they are locked up in jail or have a “use to be” fatal disease. I’m beginning to believe Eve was a black woman and we Black women are paying for all the world’s sins through her actions (eating the apple)".

President Franklin found out about this mess and will address his office on this issue. It has been reported that several people were upset at Sandra for sending this email, and I would be too.

Girl, just because you are not happy doesn't mean you need to hate on them for celebrating their good stuff.

Sandra, please know this... Their marriage is not about taking some fantasy man from you or Black women. Please grow up and... Get a man.

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Interesting Quote: Robert M. Franklin

"As an all-male institution with the explicit mission of educating men with disciplined minds, the great challenge of this moment in history is our diversity of sexual orientation. Why don't we use this opportunity to model something our community needs?"

"Straight men, should learn more about the outlooks and contributions of gay men. Read a book by a gay author. Have an intelligent conversation with a gay neighbor. At a time when it was truly scandalous to have homosexual friends or associates, Dr. King looked to Bayard Rustin, a black gay man, as a trusted adviser.

And, Malcolm X regarded James Baldwin, a black gay man, as a brilliant chronicler of the black experience. To my straight brothers, diversity at Morehouse is an opportunity that can enrich your education if you are courageous enough to seize the opportunity. We cannot force you, but we invite you to learn from your environment."

From Franklin's speech, "The Soul of Morehouse and the Future of the Mystique"


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