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The Battalion
Page 3A • Friday, December 12, 2003
Singled out
Homosexual couples face
challenges in conservative
allege Station
By Kim Katopodis
THE BATTALION
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/Farm8® When Debbie Ridgeway met her girlfriend’s parents for the first
in the |{ ime, she was only introduced as a friend. Ridgeway, a senior psy-
latefronr;* :hology major, is in a committed relationship with her girlfriend
as diamiMnd her girlfriend’s parents still aren't aware that they are a couple,
pubiican Meeting the parents is a big deal in any relationship. Add in the
35. Skeeni«act that a couple is homosexual and that meeting becomes even
ate to the ignore intense. This is only one of the challenges facing homosexu-
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couples in College Station.
But Ridgeway is not pressuring her girlfriend to come out with
ler sexual orientation.
realize how hard it was for me to come out, so I’m going to
ether do it on her own time,” Ridgeway said. “I’m just hoping that
/hen she is ready, her parents will know that I love her and she
oves me and that is what is important.”
Finding places to meet other homosexuals is also a big issue in
Allege Station, said Katie Treadwell, a senior biomedical engi-
eering major.
“I would say most people meet through organizations they are
fn,not the typical bar scene,” Treadwell said. “I would say my girl-
PRC Hc : iF en d ar, d I met through (Aggie) Allies.”
Wade In Treadwell’s girlfriend helped start a gay interest organization on
running t® am P us called Gay and Gender Representation in Politics, GGRIP
both aE-Jp short.
ith disofc? Treadwell said that while some people give dirty looks when she
asarreste: nd her girlfriend hold hands, no one ever says anything derogato-
[elly, whcr y to them. Ridgeway said she and her girlfriend often get hoots and
ing, was; oilers from guys who see them together,
ding arrest. : B u t this is not the case for all homosexual couples.
>d toaci c aro | Binzer, associate director of Student Life, said the com-
BetaTfe |[ a j nts Gender Issues Education Services receives through forums
hereKej'v in j ts s j te describe .p e0 pi e tearing down fliers advertising
Mixed feelings arise in the
midst of protests against
homosexuality at A&M
By Nishat Fatima
THE BATTALION
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pcoming events or taking down Allies placards. Traditional
family Values Week, marked at around the same time as Coming
Out Week, also gained attention from some students, she said.
I “What’s reported is not physical violence,” Binzer said. “We
know from personal stories that people outed in residence halls are
lometimes uncomfortable.”
Michael Moore, a computer science graduate student, has strug-
Randal Ford • THE BATTALION
Homosexual couples face daily battles due to their lifestyle choices,
gled with his sexual identity for years.
Moore attended Texas A&M as an undergraduate, and only
when he returned to start his graduate degree in computer science
did he reveal his sexual preferences.
Moore said he felt pressure from the belief that homosexuality
is a confused mistake that can be corrected, and tried to change his
sexuality for a time. But he said he came to realize that his homo
sexuality was a part of his identity that wouldn’t change.
“I wasn’t trying to do anything. It is just what I am,” Moore said.
“I didn’t ask to be this way.”
Moore has been involved in Aggie Allies and the Rainbow
Graduate Student Association, which recently gained voting rights
from the Graduate Student Council.
See Dating on page 4A
During the peak of the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt
told a stricken country, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”
These words hold a startling significance in American society, past
and present, but for different reasons. When they were first spoken,
Roosevelt was aiming to spark hopes of a better economic future in
a distraught society. In stark contrast, today the quote can represent
a population whose daily lives are affected by the fear others have of
their certain lifestyle choices — the homosexual community.
As homosexuals threaten traditional cultural and sexual bound
aries, the fear and hatred that their lifestyle provokes has resulted in
protests, hate crimes and bigotry all over the world.
The Aggie community is no exception.
Texas A&M has traditionally been seen as a breeding ground for
conservative young adults. Anyone who contested this idea was put
in check after the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) held a
Traditional Family Values Week in early October, equipped with a
parade of banner-draped trucks bearing messages including “Satan
is a flamer.” The YCT protested the use of student fees for organi
zations that advocate homosexual activities, such as the Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered Aggies and Gender Issues
Services.
Since these recent events, the issue of homosexuality on the
A&M campus and surrounding areas has been brought to the fore
front of the campus.
Stephen Weir, a senior math major, said attitudes toward homo
sexual people should be of understanding and acceptance.
“From a Christian perspective, people should welcome homosex
uals without necessarily condoning the act,” Weir said. “We need to
love them unconditionally, but at the same time, tell them the truth
and hope for a change.”
Weir said with the issue of homosexuality, people tend to get
frustrated easily and succumb to one extreme view or the other.
“Its really easy to go either way. We need to follow a balance,” he
said. “It’s very easy to get frustrated with both sides. When you do
that, it’s not a real viewpoint, its just getting angry.”
See Opinions on page 4A
19
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