As a student employee of Ramapo College and someone who aspires to be a professor, I feel a special obligation to be righteously angry when Randy Thomasson of Save California compares the new Cal State Fullerton queer studies minor to a disease. On behalf of academia and the social sciences (full disclosure: I am a sociology major) I am offended that Mr. Thomasson has so little faith in the vetting that goes into academic major/minor programs – does he really think a program that is more ideology than accepted theory would be approved? Apparently. The linked article from LGBTQ Nation describes Mr. Thomasson’s belief that “a sincere academic discussion of the LGBT community would show that no one is born gay and that people can simply change their sexual orientation and become ex-gays.” Hmm.
Wouldn’t the reverse also be true then? And if it were true, why would anyone be gay? Why choose to be hated? Why choose to be harassed? Did you know that “9 out of 10 LGBT students have experienced harassment at school”? Why choose that? Unless choosing differently would be a painful, uncomfortable, depressing and confusing experience as well, because you would be choosing to be untrue to yourself and investing in some major self-hate. I don’t get it, Mr. Thomasson.
The queer studies minor at Cal State Fullerton is actually kind of cool, in my humble opinion. But I guess I’ve already been infected.
- One of the 99%
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