Homophobia at PLNU: What defines “Loma appropriate?”

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by Ian Crane

arts & entertainment editor

“Take that shirt off. It’s not Loma appropriate.”

On Friday morning, a fellow PLNU student who was driving off campus directed these words toward me. I was simply walking to class and was definitely not wearing anything particularly scandalous.

After looking through my closet that morning and deciding that I did not want to have to think about what I was going to wear, I decided that it was a T-shirt day; I allow myself one of these every two weeks or so.

That particular day, I decided to wear a shirt I purchased on a week­end in San Fransisco two summers ago. It read, “Legalize Gay.” While in San Fransisco, like a pilgrimage, I went into Harvey Milk’s old camera store in the Castro, San Francisco’s LGBTQ district, which was and has continued to be the site of much change, protest and political move­ment in LGBTQ history.

This old camera store, rife with palpable history, has been renovated into one of the Human Rights Cam­paign’s (HRC) main stores.

The HRC is an organization that, according to their website, “seeks to improve the lives of LGBT Americans by advocating for equal rights and benefits in the workplace, ensuring families are treated equally under the law and increasing public support among all Americans.”

Even though my bank account was painfully low, I could not walk away from this store without pur­chasing the T-shirt. I knew that this would be a way to support an organi­zation I believe in and also give me a way to boldly declare my support for advancing LGBTQ rights.

I would be lying if I said that I was unaware of the fact that this shirt would stir up some comments here at PLNU.

I am also aware that I chose a very specific time to wear “Legal­ize Gay” across my chest. With BrigePointLoma recently being covertly told to cease action, and the Groundswell petition started by alumnus Todd Clayton attract­ing much attention, there is a lot of conversation going around on our campus regarding this subject.

With Rob Bell and Hillary Clinton recently backing same-sex marriage, both the evangelical and political scenes are experiencing much discussion on this topic. Ad­ditionally, on March 26 and 27, the Supreme Court will be hearing two very important cases in support of same-sex marriage.

Now, while I may be understand­ing the heated political climate right now, I am by no means understand­ing of the attack that I received on Friday morning.

The comment was not one that was willing to participate in a con­versation. It was not coming from someone interested in hearing a new perspective and boldly risking ending up on the other side of the argument.

It was one, however, that was radically and fundamentally in op­position to an actual conversation. One that is ready to silence the idea of conversation by declaring my shirt was not “Loma appropriate.”

I am, by no means, wanting to generalize this experience across campus. I received many compli­ments on my choice of apparel and participated in a few open discus­sions because of the T-shirt that I chose to wear. A lesbian couple on campus even stopped me to tell me how much they loved my shirt.

This previously noted remark, however, was truly disappointing and showed me just why this con­versation of LGBTQ people and the church needs to continue on our campus.

If even one student thinks my “Legalize Gay” T-shirt is not “Loma appropriate,” then PLNU is doing something very, very wrong. And the notion of what it means to be “appropriate” at PLNU is skewed, at best.

At a university, students should be radically encountering a vast array of opinions, people and worldviews and constantly growing their under­standing of the world around them.

This close-minded, closeted homophobia should be what is not “Loma appropriate” and it is what we should not allow on our campus. We as a university do not want to be known for being so close-minded.

As Obama recently stated in his second inaugural speech, “Our jour­ney is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law… For if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.”

Friends, let us be a place known for encouraging and supporting the other, constantly participating in conversation that has the ability to expand and never attempting to si­lence those who are different from ourselves in any way.