The most interesting news this week wasn’t the hugely invasive Patriot Act is likely to be renewed or that the avian flu is making its way to the Americas to annihilate us all. It wasn’t even the death of Slobodan “the Balkan Butcher” Milosevic or the failure of our men’s basketball team to make the NCAA tournament. The most interesting story I read had nothing to do with our university.
Hood College – a coed institution since 2002 – located in Frederick, Md., has been the topic of debate since a lesbian won Homecoming King honors at the college’s homecoming celebration last month. Jennifer Jones, a 21-year-old senior who happens to be the president of Hood’s homosexual support group, Tolerance Education Acceptance, saw no problem with her new title. “It is cool that Hood allows people to be themselves. If people didn’t want me to be king, they wouldn’t have nominated me and voted for me,” she said.
Many have become highly critical of her anointment, stating a woman winning Homecoming King in a school recently turned coed alienates the male minority. However, Jones brings up a valid point – if she was allowed to be nominated on the account of others, then surely people must have known there was a possibility she would win. If her nomination was not stopped, then revoking her earned crown is unfair. If a woman was not allowed to win Homecoming King, then specific rules stating this would have prevented such a controversy.
Or would it? Would this same uproar occur if Jones were not a lesbian, and instead just a student whose name was added to the nominee list? The previous year, despite gathering the obligatory signatures needed on nominating petitions, she was not allowed on the ballot for Homecoming Prince. However, the fact remains Jones was nominated and approved on this year’s ballot. Why the uproar?
Gender issues such as discrimination in the business world, sexual harassment and the “glass ceiling” phenomenon are still a reality. The fear of homosexuals and their lifestyles is, sadly, still rampant today. One would think in an era in which television channels such as Bravo have made gays celebrities, people would be more tolerant of those with a different sexual preference.
However, the conservative undertone in this country still denies gays marriage and the spousal rights enjoyed by every straight, married American. For example, on Friday, a Boston Catholic charity said it would cease to provide adoption services because Massachusetts law allows gays to adopt children.
What kind of logic is this? Children, who are innocent victims, must suffer because of this game of nonsense politics. Sixteen states, including Alabama, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Michigan, are trying to enact legislation to block gay parents from adopting children. At the same time, countless studies have shown there is no correlation between a child’s sexual orientation and that of his or her parents, according to the American Psychological Association and the Child Welfare League of America. Despite this concrete evidence, it is also true not everyone will ever accept gays and bisexuals, no matter how much education is fed into our mainstream culture.
Was I surprised to hear about Jones winning Homecoming King? Sure. I almost laughed aloud because I’d never heard of such a situation. A woman winning such a position? I let out a wise “Ah” when reading the winner was a lesbian, thinking that made more sense. But regardless, this is a sexuality issue as much as it is a gender issue. Does her title adversely affect my life in any way? No, and it doesn’t affect yours, either. I give her kudos for her win over sore male losers and offer my condolences regarding those who do not tolerate homosexuals and their contributions to our society. You go, girl.
Athina Tesfa-Yohannes is a sophomore government and politics major. She can be reached at atesfayo@umd.edu.
