Morehouse College is in the news again regarding the dress code it implemented a year ago, around the time I first started blogging.

What’s new? Vibe magazine earlier this month published an article on the institution’s gay population titled, “The Mean Girls of Morehouse.”

The article references a group of gay students who refer to themselves as “The Plastics” (named for the group of A-listers in the movie Mean Girls). Guys, this is a complicated issue, even for other gay folks.

“In some ways, it’s like it’s okay to be gay. But not that gay. Or it’s okay to be queer. But not that queer,” Kevin Webb, co-president of the college’s gay organization, Safe Space, was quoted as saying. “There is homophobia even within the gay community -- which is something we have to deal with if Morehouse is going to progress."

To bring you guys up to date, I was driving home last year and heard on “The Rev. Al Sharpton Show” that Morehouse had just announced a new and more severe dress code. I was once a faculty member in the AUC (For our HBCU-challenged readers, that stands for the Atlanta University Center). I recall both Spelman and Morehouse had a tradition of freshmen dressing up during the first week of school.

So just when the Sharpton story was getting not-so-interesting, he revealed that items being banned include: the usual baggy pants, do-rags, caps and hoods. But then he got to the part that makes someone like me glad he got up that morning. Morehouse officials also said the "children" (code for gay boys) could not wear any items that are usually worn by women, including dresses, tops, tunics, purses, pumps, etc. Insert gay boy riot!

Again, I taught in AUC for several years, and let me tell you, those children are fierce and have always had a presence on campus. There is a definite trend for the more fabulous gay boys to wear high heels and carry expensive women’s bags. Check out Derek J and Dwight on The Housewives of Atlanta.

So it stands to reason that, given the Vibe article, some of the children at Morehouse are still working that trend.

School President Robert Franklin wrote in an open letter to the Morehouse community:

“As president of this institution, as a Morehouse graduate and as a father, I am insulted by what is to be published. Addressing our young men as “girls” is deeply disturbing to me, no matter what the remainder of the article may say. Morehouse has for 140 years developed men—men who are equipped to live and contribute to an increasingly diverse, global and complex world.”

I applaud Morehouse and its support of its gay students and their attempt to expand the school’s concept of diversity. Morehouse is making a statement of redefining the concept of black, masculinity and leadership.

We are dealing with an increasing issue of not addressing sexuality as a society, especially within the African American community. Last week the media covered a series of young people taking their lives due to the pressures of being bullied about their sexuality. A minority youth was among those gay children who perished with a sense of despair and worthlessness. This is no longer just a mainstream issue.

Whatever our collective or individual philosophies, our gay youth are obviously suffering from the pressure of trying to assimilate.

Dr. William Bynum, a Morehouse representative, said the new dress code was meant to “get back to the legacy” of Morehouse leaders. I can see his point. He goes on to say that “We expect our young men to be Renaissance men”.

I wonder if he meant Renaissance men like Langston Hughes and James Baldwin, both “children of the era.”

If that is the case, then those high-stepping, bag-toting Morehouse children are truly representing. Having taught an 8 a.m. class where the students are already grumpy, there will be some very evil children if they are made to go to class in flats, unbeaten faces and no accessories.

Some students may argue that, if I have to give up my doo rag and pull up my pants, then you children got to come out those heels and lose the purple passion lip gloss.

Should the children be able to keep their bags and heels at Morehouse, or do we stress the importance of upholding tradition? Can we support diversity while still maintaining professional standards? What do you think?

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Professor Locs describes himself as an African American, gay, Southern male who has had an extensive career in higher education Click here to read his blog.
 

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