Letter to the editor from freshman Joshua Willis
Editor’s Note: Kevin Teasley and Laura Barrett have attested to the accuracy of the events described in this piece and consented to have their names published in it.
OK, I’m going to be honest: I originally did not want to go to Berry. In fact, I really dreaded the idea. As a gay man, the thought of going to a college where LISTEN, Berry’s gay-straight alliance, was still denied recognition as an official organization after nearly two decades, made me sure that this was not the right school for me. Still, Berry gave me a scholarship that was simply too good to turn down, so voilà, I ended up here.
Luckily, my experience at Berry has been much better than I ever thought it would be. Sure, I have my qualms with the school, but overall, the students and teachers I’ve met here have been really open and accepting. I took the fact that LISTEN was finally approved almost immediately after I arrived as a good sign.
Though I have hardly encountered any bullying or harassment due to my sexual orientation, other lesbian/ gay/ bisexual/ transexual/ questioning (LGBTQ) students have not been so fortunate. The things some of them have encountered here at Berry, a school that prides itself on its friendly atmosphere, make my rainbow blood boil.
As everyone is probably aware, some of the things posted on the infamous Berry College Confessions Facebook page are pretty ridiculous. Occasionally, though, these “confessions” have gone beyond the absurd and become hostile and threatening.
Such is the case with an early post which implored Kevin Teasley, a gay freshman, to leave Berry because his behavior and manner of dress gave the “nice gays” a bad name.
Though several commenters came to Teasley’s defense and the slanderous post was later removed with an apology, the damage was done. The incident both saddened and angered Teasley. And why shouldn’t it? One would think there would be no place in college for such petty, middle school tactics.
Sadly, I guess there is.
Bullying against LGBTQ students is not limited to the Internet, though. Laura Barrett, another freshman, had “DYKE,” a word often thrown at her on campus, written across the door of her townhouse. This incident is especially sickening, as the perpetrator had to find where Barrett lives in order to desecrate a space that should be safe for her.
As disgusting as the homophobic vandalism is, the fact that the Berry administration has swept the incident under the rug is even worse. After receiving the obligatory apology four weeks after her door was defaced, Barrett was promised that the offensive word would quickly be removed. Three weeks later, it is still on her door. Barrett will soon be transferring to another college.
Berry needs to realize that we do not magically outgrow bullying after we leave high school. It is an issue that should be openly discussed and combatted in college. The school and the student body must take a stand against bullying, and homophobia in particular. Bullying is not a general topic; it has many facets that should be addressed without stigma or judgment. When our LGBTQ students are openly harassed and hurt, we must support them, not treat them like victims or drama queens. We must speak out against the ignorance and hatred that lead to incidents such as these instead of downplaying or whitewashing the incidences themselves.
Basically, we need to make sure that Berry becomes a place where members of the LGBTQ community want to go because they will be safe and welcomed, not just because the school pays well.