Soulforce, the Equality Ride, and fundamentalist institutions
Reaction to my coverage of the Soulforce Equality Ride (here and here) I think largely misses the point.
The problem, in my mind, isn't whether these institutions have the right to their policies -- they do -- but whether they're somehow immune to people pointing out what a horrible idea they are.
We can all agree that private institutions in this country are just that -- private. They're free to make decisions about who is a trespasser and who isn't, who can belong and who cannot, what people can do there and what they can't. The ability to make those decisions is fundamental to the freedoms enumerated in the Constitution, for both individuals and groups. And even public educational institutions, which one can argue are held to a higher standard, are free to be selective about who can and cannot join.
But let's face it: policies which expel students for being gay are horribly cruel to people who don't realize or are unable to admit they're gay when admitted.
Here's BYU's policy quoted in a campus paper article:
Imagine a freshman coming to BYU, a woman who knows she's gay, but is unable to admit it to her family, and unable to articulate to them why BYU is a horrible place for her to go. When she arrives, she's faced with a campus where even open discussion -- implied advocacy -- of being gay could result in expulsion.
What should someone in this situation do? Talking to anyone about it could violate the Honor Code. Searching on the internet could violate the Honor Code. Where are you left? Alone, repressed, fearful. What happens if you're discovered, outed and expelled? Are you left ostracized from your friends and family, peniless on the streets of Provo?
It's worth pointing out the distinction between the policy and how it's carried out. I've never been to BYU, and don't know how it's enforced. Maybe it's never used. But the option exists, and that alone can create a climate of fear and distrust.
People who face dilemmas like this are real. The impact -- suicide, isolation, depression -- is real. Is this how we want people in America to be treated?
Places like Brigham Young University and University of the Cumberlands have choices. They have the option to enact compassionate policies which don't compromise their professed beliefs. They do not choose to do so, and deserve vigorous condemnation.
A real belief in freedom of speech involves supporting the rights of people and groups to take positions you disagree with. So I support BYU's right to its policies. But I also condemn the policy itself, and applaud Soulforce for bringing attention where there otherwise would be none.
The problem, in my mind, isn't whether these institutions have the right to their policies -- they do -- but whether they're somehow immune to people pointing out what a horrible idea they are.
We can all agree that private institutions in this country are just that -- private. They're free to make decisions about who is a trespasser and who isn't, who can belong and who cannot, what people can do there and what they can't. The ability to make those decisions is fundamental to the freedoms enumerated in the Constitution, for both individuals and groups. And even public educational institutions, which one can argue are held to a higher standard, are free to be selective about who can and cannot join.
But let's face it: policies which expel students for being gay are horribly cruel to people who don't realize or are unable to admit they're gay when admitted.
Here's BYU's policy quoted in a campus paper article:
Advocacy of a homosexual lifestyle (whether implied or explicit) or any behaviors that indicate homosexual conduct, including those not sexual in nature, are inappropriate and violate the Honor Code. Violations of the Honor Code may result in actions up to and including separation from the UniversityWhat's implied advocacy of a homosexual lifestyle? Or a behavior indicating homosexual conduct that's not sexual in nature?
Imagine a freshman coming to BYU, a woman who knows she's gay, but is unable to admit it to her family, and unable to articulate to them why BYU is a horrible place for her to go. When she arrives, she's faced with a campus where even open discussion -- implied advocacy -- of being gay could result in expulsion.
What should someone in this situation do? Talking to anyone about it could violate the Honor Code. Searching on the internet could violate the Honor Code. Where are you left? Alone, repressed, fearful. What happens if you're discovered, outed and expelled? Are you left ostracized from your friends and family, peniless on the streets of Provo?
It's worth pointing out the distinction between the policy and how it's carried out. I've never been to BYU, and don't know how it's enforced. Maybe it's never used. But the option exists, and that alone can create a climate of fear and distrust.
People who face dilemmas like this are real. The impact -- suicide, isolation, depression -- is real. Is this how we want people in America to be treated?
Places like Brigham Young University and University of the Cumberlands have choices. They have the option to enact compassionate policies which don't compromise their professed beliefs. They do not choose to do so, and deserve vigorous condemnation.
A real belief in freedom of speech involves supporting the rights of people and groups to take positions you disagree with. So I support BYU's right to its policies. But I also condemn the policy itself, and applaud Soulforce for bringing attention where there otherwise would be none.
posted by $!# at 4/20/2006 04:11:00 PM
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