In an attempt to build Renaissance men and to "get back to the legacy" of Morehouse leadership, the Morehouse College administration has supported the revamping of their dress code. The code no longer permits students to wear the pants low on their ass, wear shades or hats inside buildings, or wear do-rags on their campus. Additionally, they no longer want to see men dressing as women in response to a group of young gay men cross dressing on campus.
What the media sometimes fails to mention is that it has been long rumored that Morehouse College ran rampant with gay and bisexual men on the down low since I lived there in the mid-90s, if not before. I do not know if that is rumor or truth. However, it may reflect concerns about honest heterosexual male development along with a strong since of homophobia any time a group of men commune with one another on a male only college.
When it comes to sexuality, sexual orientation and affection, I probably have most difficulty keeping with old adages that do not benefit our community such as the one Morehouse supports.
One part of the African American community includes LGBT individuals like it or not. Until we can wrap our minds around this issue instead of keeping firm on short-sighted beliefs that lead nowhere, we will continually have the same problem of negating the needs of our LGBT brothers and sisters. We cannot no longer excuse their exclusion when they are a vital part with a meaningful contribution as any other segment of our community.
Our own President Obama who most African Americans support because of his politics and background, I’d like to believe, would not support this measure from Morehouse. Additionally, although a number of African Americans probably do not see any problem with Morehouse’s policy on “principle,” I do not support any principle or policy that does not encourage critical thinking, academic freedom, and exploration of ideas even if contrary to our own.
I do not think Morehouse’s policy and ideals of the Morehouse man are broad enough. Their position may serve a vast majority of African American men; however, I believe it abandons too many for the sake of meeting some outdated standard that will not prepare them in the long-term for a world economy we must be prepared to manage and navigate successfully.
So, this ill of having to explain why men wear their jeans around their ankles and why men dress as women are the least of my problems. I have found that my children and children in general are quite capable and have the mind to understand these issues only as well as I or we are willing to approach them fairly, truthfully, and without malice. If I do not understand the behavior of people, I do not pretend to understand or offer a perspective based on sophomoric ideals. It is just as important to know when you are not competent to speak on an issue as it is to know when you are competent to speak intelligently about an issue.
It is also important to say that I cannot be an expert on every issue. It is a meaningful role to acknowledge and share with our youth and children that we may not understand, but it is important to learn what you can. It may mean stepping out of our comfort zone, opening our minds to different ideas, and exposing ourselves if not our children to new circumstances so we can better understand. Morehouse’s policy goes against those very ideas of exposing, exploring, and imagining things previously beyond our comprehension. I expect with time that they will change their policy in the interest of meeting the needs of all the Black men they intend to serve.
