Colleges 'need nondiscrimination clause'

Speaker says JMU doesn't have clause guarding sexual orientation

About 36 percent of gay undergraduates surveyed across the country experienced harassment in the past year, according to a survey presented by a lecturer in Grafton-Stovall Theatre Thursday.

Susan Rankin presented "Trends in Higher Education for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People on Campus: A National Perspective." Rankin, an expert on equity policy issues in higher education and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender resource centers, addressed the topic of LGBT presence on college campuses.

Most of those gay undergraduates who were harassed were victims of derogatory remarks made by their fellow students, Rankin said. Nearly half of those surveyed rated the overall campus climate as homophobic, despite LGBT resource centers at every institution.

"What are some stereotypes?" Rankin asked the audience. "What do gay men do for a living?"

Responses included professions in theater, cosmetics, fashion design, interior decorating and flight attendants.

Students also included lumberjacks, United Postal Service truck drivers and construction workers to the list of possible career choices for a lesbian.

"What we have to do is change our behavior to the stereotypes," Rankin said. "One of the most powerful ways to make a difference is to start with the individual."

She emphasized that the movement to embrace LGBT issues has been slow to take root in the United States.

The American Psychiatric Association classified homosexuality as a mental illness in its "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" until 1974, according to Rankin.

Although the removal of the classification was a step forward, prejudice was far from eradicated, she said.

Rankin said she felt the sting of discrimination when she was fired from her softball coaching job at Pennsylvania State University in 1994 because she was a lesbian.

"Of course, if that hadn't happened, I wouldn't be teaching social justice issues today," Rankin said.

There also was one cause Rankin strongly championed.

"Institutions of higher learning need a nondiscrimination clause," she said. "JMU doesn't have one. Hypothetically, faculty members could be fired because of their sexual orientation," Rankin said.

Fred Hilton, director of Media Relations said, "The official anti-discrimination policy doesn't include any references to sexual orientation."

He said the policy has been under review for "quite awhile," but he does not know if or when change is expected.

Sophomore Sharon Hoffman said she was taken back by the comment.

"They have a nondiscrimination clause for minorities," she said. "You'd think there would be one in place for sexual orientation. People just aren't aware of this problem."

Sophomore Tracy Harris agreed. "The same rights [of straight people] just aren't extended to the LGBT community," she said.

Christine Robinson, assistant professor of sociology and interdisciplinary liberal studies, spearheaded the campaign to bring Rankin to JMU, writing a grant proposal to fund her visit.

"I think there is a lot of work to be done at the institutional level, and I also think there is excellent reason to believe that JMU will commit to and accomplish that work," she said. "I already see students, faculty, staff and administration at JMU beginning to talk and work together to address these important issues — it is an exciting time at JMU."