In recent years the name Morehouse has become synonymous with homophobia due to incidents such as one in 2002 where a student Gregory Loyd was beaten with a baseball bat by Aaron Price because he mistakenly looked at him shower, thinking it was his roommate.
However, a recent speech by Morehouse president Robert M. Franklin challenged the men of Morehouse to achieve excellence and embrace diversity. While the whole speech, detailed in an op-ed by Washington Post columnist Colbert I. King, is great, this point really stood out:
"Straight men," Franklin said, "should learn more about the outlooks and contributions of gay men. Read a book by a gay author. Have an intelligent conversation with a gay neighbor." Franklin reminded the Morehouse students: "At a time when it was truly scandalous to have homosexual friends or associates, Dr. King looked to Bayard Rustin, a black gay man, as a trusted adviser. And, Malcolm X regarded James Baldwin, a black gay man, as a brilliant chronicler of the black experience."
You can read the rest of the speech here.
h/t Son of Baldwin
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