When Rochester College student Klah Zabel recently came out as a lesbian by posting a banner photo on Facebook timeline saying "Out…Proud…Lesbian," she faced unexpected consequences beyond well-deserved ridicule for actually treating her Facebook timeline earnestly.
"‘Out…Proud…Lesbian’ is not really consistent with the heritage of Rochester College and has proven to already be disruptive among fellow students who are really bothered by it,” Dean of Students Brian Cole said. Personally, I think the fellow students who are "really bothered" by it and reported it are homophobic, easily offended, and tattletales. They're like the narcs of bigotry. I wish there was some authority that would listen to my complaints on things on Facebook that offend me, but the Department of Homeland Security hasn't responded to my emails about the girl who keeps posting pictures of her stupid baby.
Zabel claims Dean Cole threatened expulsion from university facilities if the picture was not removed, but the university denies this. She remarks, "Christians are supposed to love others and they love themselves. Why am I being punished for being who I am?"
The Rochester College student handbook says "Rochester College holds that sexual relationships are designed by God and to be expressed solely within a marriage between husband and wife," but Zabel didn't even break that rule. The handbook also says "students are expected to refrain from any discriminatory behavior, verbal or physical, that stigmatizes or victimizes individuals on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation," but by only mentioning students, the handbook allows for faculty and administration to be as hateful as they wish. What a brilliant loophole!
Still, as messed up as this is, how did Zabel decide to attend Rochester in the first place? When I was picking colleges, I decided against the one that had a roving a capella group and bullshit art installations getting in the way everywhere. I picked a college that was a good fit for me. Is simply choosing to not attend a homophobic enclave really that absurd a notion? If you don't agree with the politics of an institution, why are you handing them more than $25,000 a year to further fund their hatred?