Oh, Athens and OU, how you have disappointed me. Six years ago, as a freshman at Athens High School, I came out of the closet and told the world, I'm gay! Despite knowing that my heavily conservative family would greatly disapprove of what they called my lifestyle choice
I was certain I'd have the support of my friends and teachers at Athens High and my church family at Athens First Christian. It was also reassuring to know that Athens and OU are fairly LGBT friendly.
And for four years, I had that support. My friends were there for me through a long struggle of trying to get my family to accept me for who I am. My church family was there for me as I tried to reconcile my sexual orientation with my faith. And upon enrolling at OU, I met a wonderful group of people through Open Doors: OU's LGBTIQQAA Student Union and the LGBT Center. Athens was a great place to be out and gay. I could walk hand in hand across campus and uptown with another guy and never have to worry about anyone saying anything, other than the occasional girl who'd come up and say, You guys are so cute together!
I'm not so sure I could do that any more. And honestly, I might not have been able to do that back then. Maybe I just had a rose-tinted view of Athens and OU. Maybe in my naivety I felt that LGBT discrimination couldn't exist in this isolated, Appalachian college town. In the last year, my rosy spectacles have come off. I can't even walk down the street with my boyfriend without being mocked for displaying any kind of affection that heterosexual couples get to express without fear. I can't look at walls in Athens alleys without reading words of hate.
Sadly, ugly words pale in comparison to what happened at the end of Fall Quarter last year when Athens, my sanctuary, proved to not be so safe when a few friends and I were assaulted while chatting on a Court Street sidewalk. Five guys walked up to us, started harassing us, and despite our requests to be left alone, they shouted, We'll teach you stupid faggots a lesson and proceeded to attack us. Beyond our immediate injuries (including concussions, broken noses and bruised ribs), my inability to focus during finals week ended my quarter with some pretty dismal grades.
So, here's my plea to you, fellow townie or fellow student. Please do your part to combat homophobia in our town and at our university. If you hear someone making homophobic comments, ask him or her to stop. If you see people being made fun of for the way they look or dress, stick up for them. Better yet, join one of the great LGBT groups around Athens, including Open Doors, ALLY, and SHADES on campus, and the newly formed Athens area chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). The Athens area PFLAG, in conjunction with the OU LGBT Center, will be holding a SafeZone training for any member of the Athens community who is interested in being certified. Go to http://www.ohio.edu/lgbt/safezone and register for the PFLAG Co-Sponsored date on March 12, from 2 to 4 p.m. Contact the LGBT Center at 593-0239 for more information.
Athens, let's stop being complacent and make our home here a more accepting place for everyone. Live up to those expectations I used to have, and ensure that no one ever feels unwelcome here. I believe in you.
Nathan Parsons is a sophomore studying French and political science pre-foreign service and a student staff member of the OU LGBT center
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Opinion
