Are LGBT students making waves?

(Photo by Hunter Peters)

Pepperdine University is no longer included in Princeton Review’s ranking of the “Top 20 LGBT Unfriendly Schools.” The university is now in a unique place of debating inclusion.

In the wake of national trends of acceptance and the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage across the nation, the topic of LGBT rights continues to permeate the dialogue throughout the country and at university settings as well. Pepperdine University is not an exception to this discussion, and in many ways is in a unique position to help set the tone for private Christian universities as it relates to gay rights and recognition of students.

A Pew Research survey of LGBT Americans from 2013 found that out of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults, 92 percent feel that in the past decade the level of acceptance has risen, due to a number of factors.

Pepperdine psychology professor and Social Science Divisional Dean Steve Rouse attributes this trend to a lower level of stigmatization of the LGBT community in general.

“There is some growing research that LGBT students are feeling less marginalized and discriminated against than they used to in a pretty rapid  period of time. LGBT students are suffering less,” Rouse said.

In his 18th year of teaching at Pepperdine and his sixth year of administrative work, Rouse is confident in saying that “There is an environment right now where faculty members who consider themselves to be allies of LGBT students feel more comfort in being able to say they are allies,” without fear of risking their career.

As the adviser to the unrecognized LGBT organization ReachOUT, which was denied a charter for a club in 2011, Rouse has been at the forefront of the controversy over whether Pepperdine will ever recognize an official LGBT organization at Seaver. The university has recognized professional organizations at Graziadio School of Business and Management and the School of Law.

Objection to the official recognition of an LGBT student organization has been laid out clearly in the 2015-2016 Seaver College student handbook.

According to the handbook, “Pepperdine has denied recognition to other LGBT student organizations with broader missions that do not clearly support Pepperdine’s affirmation of the traditional sexual ethic, since official recognition would imply to many that Pepperdine is endorsing and funding a position on sexuality that is inconsistent with Pepperdine’s Christian heritage.”

David Hylton, a Pepperdine senior and executive vice president of the Student Government Association, has taken an active role with efforts to establish an official recognition of an LGBT student organization.

“I knew what I was getting myself into,” Hylton said.

Recognizing the challenges and pressure of being a member of the LGBT community at a Christian university, Hylton attributes his Christian upbringing for preparing him to take on this passion project of working on a new proposal for a club.

“There’s enough people on this campus to care about it that for the time being there is like a mandate,” Hylton said.

Hylton said progress on this issue has to be a natural process at Pepperdine, but the conversation is happening, and the goal is to get formal recognition in the coming months.

Pepperdine University Vice of President of Student Life and Dean of Student Affairs Mark Davis said in an email that he did not feel comfortable commenting on the prospect of a recognized student organization because it is currently under review.

Senior public relations major Brenna Ardron also sees this time as an opportunity for Pepperdine to, in many ways, take strides toward efforts related to the LGBT students on campus.

“I think that it would be a big mistake if Pepperdine didn’t accept a club after this year,” Ardron said.

According to Princeton Review’s 2014 ranking of the “Top 20 LGBT Unfriendly Schools,” Pepperdine ranked No. 7. This year however, Pepperdine is no longer on the list.

“I think that we should still be on the list and we haven’t made the big progress point that needs to be made,” Ardron said.

“There are a lot of people on campus that are great leaders, are great representatives of the university outside of Pepperdine,” Ardron, who has many friends who are LGBT, continued. “(They) will go on to do great things and happen to be gay and Pepperdine raises them up in that aspect and in their accomplishments, but doesn’t support them in this kind of other portion of their identity.”

The student handbook does go on to say that the university is committed to working together on common goals with LGBT students. Many students are optimistic about the prospect of the positive aspects of gay life at Pepperdine.

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Junior David Limon reflects on his experience of being an LGBT Student at Pepperdine and how it taught him about self acceptance. (Photo by Hunter Peters)

David Limon, a junior psychology major and intern in the Office of Admission, is surprised at how attending Pepperdine has helped him with self-acceptance and having a fresh start as an LGBT student.

“Professors have been awesome, and the first time I heard that being gay wasn’t a sin was from a professor — a religion professor, believe it or not,” Limon said.

Limon explained that the apparent backlash that Pepperdine receives as it relates to LGBT issues spurs from people who compare gay life at Pepperdine with that of a state school. The dynamics are completely different and he feels as though as an institution Pepperdine has progressed further in terms of meeting acceptance of the community.

“Being gay is one aspect of who I am and all I want is to be treated like all of you,” Limon said.

Although to some students the goal is to get some formal recognition from Pepperdine University, some students say there are more humble desires for simple respect and dignity of identity, like that of Limon.

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“No matter who you love or what you like to identify yourself as, that doesn’t make it any different from how I would treat you,” junior Joan Daly said. The Pepperdine LGBT-ally speaks to the importance of authenticity and empathy toward others. (Photo by Hunter Peters)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joan Daly, a junior integrated marketing communications major and Pepperdine Ambassadors Council member, said the overall student body is welcoming and open to LGBT students. Citing national trends, she thinks Pepperdine will follow suit as well.

“I think that everyone needs to wake up and realize that we are in a changing world right now and universities are going to change; the nation is changing,” Daly said.

Daly credits the juxtaposition of Pepperdine as a conservative Christian university in Southern California for leaving the school in a kind of predicament as it relates to LGBT rights. Daly does think that the Christian values of her upbringing and lessons from her Roman Catholic mother taught her so much about how she sees treating her peers and LGBT friends.

“My mother taught me to treat people how I wanted to be treated. I want to treat people with love and respect and just with kindness,” Daly said.

Hunter Peters completed this story in Professor Wendy Fontaine’s fall 2015 Jour 241 class.