Nashville Schools Adopt Fully Inclusive School Board Policy

Unlike the war we had to fight on our end of I-65 just to narrowly get a policy passed on a 4-3 vote that cut transpeople out of it, our neighbors in Nashville passed a fully inclusive one.

A statement from the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition:

The Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition is pleased to announce that last night, the Board of the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) adopted a non-discrimination policy recommended by the Metropolitan Nashville Education Association (MNEA) which includes both sexual orientation and gender identity. This makes the Nashville-Davidson County school system the first in Tennessee to ban discrimination against its gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees.

http://www.mnea.com

The MNPS joins University of Tennessee at Knoxville (December 2007) and the Tennessee board of regents (February 2008) in adopting fully inclusive non-discrimination policies.

We want to thank the MNEA, the union which represents Nashville's public school teachers, for its work in getting this policy approved by the Board. We encourage all of the remaining local school districts in Tennessee to join Nashville in adopting a similar policy. We also encourage the remaining institutions in the University of Tennessee system, along with all of Tennessee's private institutions of higher learning, to follow suit. We also hope this will lead to a fully inclusive non-discrimination policy for all of Nashville's public employees.

In addition to expanding the non-discrimination policy, the Board also voted to expand the anti-bullying and harassment policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity as well. The work on this matter has been led by the American Civil Liberties Union and its Support Student Safety Coalition. This makes the Metro Nashville Public Schools the second school district in Tennessee to adopt such a policy, joining the Knox County Schools which added sexual orientation and gender identity in 2005.

We greatly appreciate the work of everyone to ensure and safe and fair environment for students, staff anf faculty in the Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Marisa Richmond
President

HBCU's, When AreY'all Gonna Stamp Out Homophobia On Campus?

Morehouse College in Atlanta has the gravitas and justified pride in being the only all-male HBCU (historically Black college and university). It has produced distinguished alumni such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., filmmaker Spike Lee and NAACP head Julian Bond. It also has a thriving gay subculture, as was alluded to in Spike's movie School Daze.



But it also has another reputation it didn't want: It's been listed since the mid 90's in the Princeton Review's Top 20 Homophobic Schools.

I was heartened to see that Morehouse at the urging of influential alums and students is taking steps to grapple with this issue. Senior student Michael Brewer and Morehouse Safe Space recently organized activities during the week of April 21-28 that started with a film created by three students at neighboring women's HBCU Spelman College called 'No Heteros'.

The film documents the experiences of GLBT students on both campuses. The 'No More No Homos Week'activities were designed to trigger a discussion on sexual orientation discrimination and homophobia not only on campus but in the African-American community at large.

It definitely needed to do so in the wake of an ugly November 3, 2002 incident. Sophomore student Aaron Price received a 10 year sentence for beating a fellow student with a baseball bat because he thought the man was making a sexual advance at him. The victim of the attack didn't have on his glasses and stared to verify if Price was his roommate.

But Morehouse isn't alone in having a problem with homophobia on campus. Keith Boykin recounts in his blog a 2006 speaking engagement at Dayton, Ohio's Central State University that turned into an ugly mess.

One of the ongoing missions for Black colleges is to not only uplift the race by molding quality young men and women, but to serve as our community's sword and shield to dispel and disprove negative shade that segregationists and our detractors hurled at us. Since back in the day being gay had a negative context, any rumors of it on HBCU campuses were loudly debunked as the gay students on those campuses were put in a confining 'don't ask, don't tell' straitjacket in which violation of this unwritten rule would merit swift and sometimes violent disapproval.

But with more African-American GLBT students being openly proud of who they are, those who wish to pursue their educations on HBCU campuses still find that the unwritten 'don't ask, don't tell' rule is in full effect on many of these campuses. If they wish to matriculate at a GLBT-friendly college, most of the time their options narrowed to attending a predominately white one or going back into the closet to attend an HBCU.

It's also depressing to note that in the Campus Climate indexes put out by Campus Pride not one HBCU as of yet in the ones I've reviewed have taken the time to fill out the survey so that they can be ranked.

But thanks to a determined group of young Black GLBT people, many of them are paving the way to broaden the choices for these students. Like Michael Brewer and Morehouse Safe Space, they are getting HBCU's to begin dialogues about the issues and starting on campus GLBT support organizations. They are also making the point that being Black and GLBT are not mutually exclusive or separate identities.

But they also need to get the conservative administrations of many of these HBCU campuses to end their silence and speak up about these issues as well. Too many times, silence from the administration is interpreted as non-support by the GLBT students and an open invitation to the bigots to harass them.

HBCU's have a special mission and a long history of producing quality individuals who have pride in our communities and themselves. Three members of my own family and others in my extended family graduated from various HBCU's. The famous United Negro College Fund tag line 'A mind is a terrible thing to waste' also includes GLBT African-American people as well. Some of them are also alumni of HBCU's, and it's past time for HBCU's to make room at the table for our portion of the African-American family.

And one prerequisite for having GLBT people on campus is providing a safe environment where they feel comfortable enough to where they can focus on getting their educations.

Why We Need Black Colleges

By Kevin McGhee -- Black College Wire
Posted May. 07, 2008
The Clarion, Lincoln University (MO)


There has been much talk about whether there is a continued need for historically black bolleges and universities. Most agree that they played an instrumental role in the development and integration of blacks into American society, but now, some say our society has matured past the point of needing these institutions.

Lincoln University, then called Lincoln Institute, was established by the 62nd United States Colored Infantry after the Civil War and stands as a testament to black people’s resolve and forward thinking. It is a pillar in the capitol of Missouri that stands for change. This was also evident in 1954 when Lincoln University began to allow all qualified students to apply and attend.

One justification for this type of thinking is the decreased enrollment in HBCUs. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 1972 over 35 percent of all black students that received a college degree received them from HBCUs. In 2001 that percentage had fallen to under 25 percent. Some say this decrease in enrollment leads to admission purely for the purpose of receiving tuition and aid from the federal government.

Some other arguments are that affirmative action allows blacks better access to majority-white institutions, and that socially Americans have grown to the point that these schools are not needed.

All of these arguments are true and seem to suggest that there is less of a need for HBCUs now than in the past, but there are other issues to consider. According to data from the last census 30 percent of blacks who hold doctorates degrees, 35 percent of black lawyers, 50 percent of Black engineers, and 65 percent of black physicians currently in the field all received their educations from HBCUs.

These Institutions have also helped to shape some of the greatest African American minds of the past and today. Oprah Winfrey graduated from Tennessee State University, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. went to Morehouse College, and Sean “Diddy” Combs attended Howard University. Black colleges produce some of the best and brightest of each generation.

Lincoln is still proud of its foundation as a historically black university. It has value in the community as an institution created after blacks were freed in the United States. Many HBCUs have historical values in their community and in the nation as a whole. For instance, as was shown in the movie The Great Debaters, Wiley College was one of the first Black Colleges to debate a White school.

There are 106 HBCUs in the United States and Virgin Islands. Collectively they enroll more than 370,000 African American students annually. The opportunity to receive a college education would not be available to all these students if it were not for these institutions.

One reason so many black students attend these schools is because they do not meet the requirements to get into the majority-white colleges. This comes from the discrepancy in the education received to that point especially early childhood education. Even those who do well enough to get into those schools are sometimes unable to because of the cost. There is an entire group of people that fall victim to this, but still want an education.

NCES reports that only 18 percent of African American people that are in four-year colleges or universities attend HBCUs. This is a testament to there success. A large portion of today’s black middle class have been HBCU graduates. The continued existence of these schools will help to continue this trend.

Race is a touchy issue for many Americans. Some people feel that to keep these institutions is the perpetuation of the same racial inequality that they were created to overcome. America has come a long way from slavery times, but the job is not done. Statements such as the one Rush Limbaugh made about Donovan McNabb, and Don Imus about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team, is proof that the fight is not over. Even blogs about the Jena 6 showed defined racial lines.

Historically black schools were not built to put up walls. They were built to tear them down, and as long as racism exists in this nation, they will always have a place here.


Kevin McGhee, a student at Lincoln University (Mo.), wrote this article for The Clarion, Lincoln's student newspaper.

Colleges Recruit GLBT Students At UC San Diego

If you're a college bound GLBT student or ally on the West Coast looking for a GLBT friendly campus, you may want to make that hop down to San Diego on Friday, April 11 for the Campus Pride College Admission Fair.

It's free for any LGBT or Ally youth and their families. No registration is necessary for this event. It will be taking place at the Price Center Ballroom on the University of California-San Diego campus from 11 AM to 2 PM PDT and is being hosted by the UC San Diego LGBT Resource Center.

In addition to grand prize drawings featuring iPods, books, and CD's throughout the day, there will be seminars during the event as well on these topics:

“Finding Your LGBT-Friendly Campus”
by Shane L. Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus Pride
11:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

“Pros and Cons of Selecting a United States Service Academy:
The LGBT Experience”
by USNAOut.org -- Alumni Group
11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

“Navigating the College Admissions Process”
by the UC San Diego Office for Admissions and Relations with Schools
12:15 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.

"Point Foundation Scholarships”
Financial support, mentoring and hope to meritorious students who are marginalized due to sexual orientation or gender identity
12:45 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.

“Financing Your Education”
by the UC San Diego Department of Financial Aid
1:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.

As of April 3, 2008 this was the list of colleges and organizations that were slated to participate in this event:

Bard College at Simon's Rock
Bennington College
Boise State University
California Lutheran University
California State University, San Marcos
Columbia College Chicago
Eckerd College
Eugene Lang College
Emory University
Georgetown University
GLSEN (Local/Regional Chapters)
Green Mountain College
Humboldt State University
Illinois Institute of Technology
Ithaca College
Kalamazoo Collegee
Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (LIM College)
Lewis & Clark College
Mills College
Northeastern University
Pennsylvania State University
Pitzer College
Point Foundation
Princeton University
Roosevelt University
Stanford University
Sonoma State University
University of Arizona
University at Buffalo
University of California, Riverside
University of California, San Diego
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Denver
University of Illinois at Springfield
University of Maryland
University of the Pacific
University of Pennsylvania
University of Puget Sound
USNAOUT.org -- Alumni Organization
University of San Francisco
University of Southern California
University of Utah
University of Washington
Whitman College
Whittier College
Yale University

If you need further details about this event, you can visit www.campusclimateindex.org/events contact Campus Pride at (704) 277-6710, visit their website at http://www.campuspride.org/ or e-mail them at info@campuspride.org.

Welcome Dr. Kaila Story

Sometimes activism and education efforts on transgender issues doesn't just mean jawboning with legislators to do the right thing and pass laws.

Earlier today Dawn and I got into diva mode and spent a few hours at the Louisville Urban League headquarters on West Broadway. We were invited to be there for a reception welcoming Dr. Kaila Adia Story to the University of Louisville. She's an assistant professor in U of L’s departments of women’s and gender studies and of Pan-African studies.

Dr. Story is the Audre Lord Chair in Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality. It was established at U of L in January 2005 by Carla F. Wallace (someone else I know personally and attend her lawn party every summer).

The chair is jointly based in the U of L Department of Women's and Gender Studies and the Department of Pan African Studies, both in the College of Arts and Sciences. The teaching and research emphasis of the chair is the intersection of race, gender, class and sexualities across national boundaries.

Dr. Story has been at the university teaching classes since the fall semester and I'm planning to check out her current class on an upcoming day off. I've also offered to talk to her classes about transgender issues when she needs me or Dawn to do so.

Dr. Story is originally from Philly and her research concentration as the Audre Lorde Chair examines the intersections of race, gender, class and sexuality.

She's also interested in exploring connections between the performance of identity and racialized body politics for African Diasporan women and men. Her previous work looked at the projected image of the Black feminine body by examining four separate but related “Venus” figures through cultural imagery, popular media and discourse.

She's been published in the Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: Origins, Experiences and Culture, a Journal of Pan-African Studies special edition and in the anthology “Home Girls Make Some Noise: Hip Hop and Feminism.”

Dr. Story has created and teaches courses about Black lesbian lives and an introduction to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer studies. She also teaches courses in Pan-African studies and gender and public dialogue.

She earned her doctorate in African American studies, graduate certificate in women’s studies and her master’s degree in African American studies at Temple University. Her bachelor’s degree in women’s studies is from DePaul University, where she also received the bell hooks Academic Achievement Award. She was a graduate fellow of Temple’s Institute for Race and Social Thought.

So yes, thanks to the Bucks For Brains program, one that former Gov. Paul Patton (D) began in 1997 (that some of the nekulturny legislators want to cut funding to) and the Audre Lorde chair, U of L snagged this rising academic star.

During the two hour event that started at 5 PM EST, various peeps in the progressive activist community, her colleagues in the department, Dr. Ricky Jones, Dr. Blaine Hudson, Carla Wallace and even her students said a few words. Dawn and I were also tapped to speak before Dr. Story took the mic and thanked all of us for the warm welcome and her gift, a framed copy of her favorite Audre Lorde quote that is posted on her office door.

Shoot, hearing Dr. Story's students talk about her is making me think about going back to college myself. ;)