(the following article was written for Boiling Point Magazine and will be published in the April 2006 issue)

In Kenya men hold hands. Boys, teens, young men, married men, and grandfathers all hold hands as a term of endearment, not just to cross the street. Sexual orientation and holding hands are not related. Some of the most ‘manly’ men, men who might believe homosexuality is a sin, hold hands. Ignorance is bliss when thinking of physical affection between two guys, it is simply not a symptom of sexual orientation. At first, seeing this is a refreshing change from an unrelentingly homophobic American culture that links any form of physical affection between men as ‘gay,’ as not manly. Picture it: two men, chests out, heads high, laughing through a market on the busiest day of the week, hands locked. No weird glances, no fleeting glowers of disapproval. Now picture that in America, two power suits and big knots on bold colored ties in a financial district of a big city at rush hour, hands locked. It is hard to imagine the picture without imagining the looks, expressing feelings from discomfort to disgust. But make no mistake, Kenya, as a nation, is not comfortable with the any of the letters in the LQBTQ conversation. Initially settling, the fact the sexuality is never questioned, on second thought, becomes unsettling. It is assumed that no man would be gay.
In Kenya, sodomy is still a crime and men are still prosecuted for it. In 1998, the notoriously corrupt and ruthless Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi was quoted as saying, "Kenya has no room or time for homosexuals and lesbians." In a country where Pentecostalism is the fastest growing religion, there is an enormous conservative Christian presence that preaches homosexuality as a sin. A lot of those same manly men hold hands on their way to church. Regardless of where they are going, Kenya is not a LGBTQ-friendly country.
My time in Scotland has proved different. An equally, if not more, Christian country, it seems that religion has less flex here, overwhelmed by a relatively liberal public. Religion aside, homosexuality is far more talked about and accepted. My gay co-worker wears a wedding band and talks of his fiancé; they are to be married and afforded all the civil rights that a married man and woman would be given. People make fun of him because he wears tapered pants, but in this instance it is the inverse of Kenya. People in Scotland make ‘gay’ jokes as pejoratives but the foundations for acceptance and equality for people of all sexual preferences is poured and set in society. Of all places I have been, Scotland is the most likely to see those same men in suits with their hands clasped and not bat an eye. Incendiary debate raged leading up to the ratification of The Civil Partnership Act in December of 2005, but out of conflict has come progress. As a nation, Scotland is as sexually ecumenical as I have been to.
Yet, my time in Kenya and Scotland is not sufficient to draw absolute conclusions about national opinion. Such questions have no definitive answers, what do people really think about homosexuality? LGBTQ persons? Why is there an assumed discomfort and where does that discomfort come from? How is it remedied? Indeed, as Scotland has always known but recently confronted, and any queer person in Kenya would tell you, these are not easy questions. For heterosexual members of the world these questions are easily dismissed – they are not a daily reality. As Karen Booth, associate professor of Women's Studies and openly queer faculty member of the sexual studies minor at UNC, admits: “I do feel vulnerable to being dismissed, discounted, and despised when I come out to students and other members of Carolina's community.”
So a question that does deal directly with each of us resounds: Where does UNC stand when it comes to the acceptance of LGBTQ persons? Are some of those same men who think homosexuality is a sin sitting next to you in class?
An uncomfortable question for some, but it is exactly this discomfort that needs to be addressed because those awkward moments result in learning. When asked if he thought there was a fear of homosexuals on campus, former Student Body President Seth Dearmin conceded that there was work to do make campus more welcoming but, “I think we offer a very safe and friendly environmentfor all.” Dearmin’s concession is as telling as his statement. As accepting and diverse a place as UNC is, there is an undeniable discomfort with all students who are different. It is a visceral discomfort, hard to locate, or blame one person for, but difference is disquieting and often leads to fear. “Often times if they are afraid,” says Dr. Cecil Wooten, professor of classics, “they are afraid of differences. People, especially those who are unsure of themselves, often feel uncomfortable around people who are different. “
Enter education. Members of the LGBTQ community are not at Carolina to serve as a tool for education; they struggle, like all people who are discrimated against, for fair and equal treatment from everyone, institutions and people alike. But their struggle must not be pushed to the fringes; it should be embraced. The ‘eww’ faces at kiss-ins in the Pit that teach the lasting life lessons. This teaching must take place on two levels: peer-to-peer and university-wide. Fear of homosexuals, the perceived different, “could be remedied to a degree by frequent reminders from the administration of the University's non-discrimination policy; more funding of the LGBT office and of sexuality studies; more courses on LGBT issues; mandatory "safe zone" and anti-harassment workshops; the granting of health and other benefits to same sex partners of faculty, staff, and students,” says Karen Booth. Support from the University is essential, because it must, as an institution spearhead the fight against all discrimination and hatred on campus.
When asked the same question on combating fear of homosexuals, Dr. Wooten made an equally salient point: “I have never known anyone who knew a gay person who was afraid of gay people.” People to person, the myths are shattered.. As part of their education, students must be forced from their comfort zones by the University - the LGBTQ office helps facilitate these teaching moments - but they must also realize that growing up consists of challenging oneself. Carolina is not high school, it is time to begin thinking for yourself, critically, and realize that whatever the Bible might say, whatever your ignorance has allowed you believe up to the that point, is insufficient. A fear of the different, of LGBTQ persons does not withstand face-to-face interactions and all students need to be pushed and push themselves to be challenged.
This is not an easy thing to do but it is a necessary and important task as important as an A on a creative writing paper or biology final. Dr. Wooten asks: “Isn’t the removal of unreasonable fears and prejudices one of the functions of education?”