Kennesaw State University LGBT History Month Celebration the Subject Scathing Column from Former Georgia State Legislator (READ IT)
ByA former Georgia state legislator and high school teacher was not too keen on Kennesaw State University's (KSU) celebration of LGBT History Month, publishing a column in the Cherokee Tribune.
"The action of Kennesaw State University in promoting Gay Pride Month is a slap in the face of the citizens of Cobb, Cherokee, Bartow, and all other counties in the region KSU serves," the first sentence of Roger Hines' piece, published Sunday, read.
"Gay Pride Month" occurs in June, whereas "LGBT History Month," presumably what he meant, runs through the month of October. Hines' main gripe with KSU for hosting such events was that because the school, the third largest in the state, is funded by state dollars.
Hines said he believes KSU's actions are unacceptable given Georgia's conservative political track record.
"No one who has lived in Georgia for six months could be in doubt about the state's predominant culture," he wrote. "We aren't Washington State, and Atlanta isn't San Francisco either, or not yet."
Last month, the Marietta Daily Journal published a preview of some of the LGBT History Month events that KSU would be hosting. Such events include history exhibits, lectures, documentary screenings, essay readings and theatrical performances.
Hines took one paragraph to address the various events and only speculated that "probably some well-known speakers who will tell KSU students how backward Georgia is." But his next six paragraphs were reserved for breaking down the common acronym - or at least one of its variations - associated with the gay community: LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning).
"'T' is for transgender. This one makes me sad, because any way you cut it, it argues that God made a mistake," he wrote. "We should never be unkind to anyone who grapples with this issue, but neither should we allow a tax-supported university to tout or defend it."
Hines also speculated that most Georgians would not allow such events to take place if they had a say for how their tax dollars were spent at KSU.
According to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll, Georgians are actually becoming more in favor of gay and lesbian marriage, especially among the younger generation.
48 percent of the respondents said same-sex marriage should be legal in Georgia, while 43 percent opposed the idea. Of the 48 percent in favor, 30 percent felt strongly and 17 percent answered "somewhat." Of those 43 percent in opposition, 38 percent felt strongly, while five percent answered "somewhat."
The second question pertained to how that view has changed over the years. 83 percent of the respondents said their opinion on same-sex marriage has not changed "over the past few years," while 16 percent said it had.
Most of the support in the poll came from people aged 18 to 39 while most of the opposition came from citizens 65 years and older.
One of the survey respondents, Nancy LaValley, a 54-year-old Atlanta jewelry designer, said she believes "Gays should be able to be as miserable as the rest of us."
"I don't care one way or another. I think that if people love the same sex, let them marry the same sex," she said. "I see very loving gay couples, and I think that's fine. They're entitled to the same benefits as married people."
If Hines happened to be right about what "most Georgians" wanted, he may not be much longer.