State Of The Gay, Queer Zine, Banned By Harding University

Web access to a queer student zine has been blocked by Harding University, a Christian school in Arkansas, reports the Arkansas Times.

The zine, called State of the Gay, was distributed in hard copy to members of the Harding community and posted online Wednesday. A few hours later, the site was blocked on the campus network.

The zine states its mission as "aim[ing] to give voice to the experiences of gay and lesbian students at Harding." Editors go on to describe the publication as "part storytelling, part religious and political critique, and partly a manifesto of hope for Harding's future."

Despite the school's attempts to prevent access to it, the zine has created quite a viral buzz -- prompting student reactions and garnering widespread media attention.

According to the Bison, Harding President David Burks spoke to students on Thursday about the institution's decision to block access to the e-zine. "I think it is important for you to know that we are not trying to control your thinking on this," said Burks. "But it was important for us to block the website because of what it says about Harding, who we are and what we believe."

He added that he found the website degrading, and refused to mention the zine's url -- huqueerpress.com -- because he found it offensive in itself.

Harding representative David Crouch gave the Times a statement detailing the school's decision:

Harding University is a private Christian university whose mission and policies are rooted in biblical principles. All students are given a copy of the handbook and know about our mission and policies before their first day on campus. The student handbook states that the university holds to the biblical principle that sexual relationships are unacceptable to God outside the context of marriage and that sexual immorality in any form will result in suspension from the university.

Based on that policy, university administrators felt that having this website available on campus goes against said mission and policies. In addition, the handbook states that any literature distributed on campus must be approved by the Office of Student Life and must state the name of the sponsoring organization. These pamphlets were both printed and distributed anonymously with no prior approval, and the website is an online version of that pamphlet.

But some find this explanation unacceptable. A letter to Harding officials asking them to allow access to the site has gathered 250 signatures from students and their supporters. And one student told the Bison that she feels administrators "left their intentions ambiguous." She added, "If they did it to follow through with the Harding handbook, that's legitimate; from an outsider's point of view, it could be seen as censoring [the students] because they disagreed."

What do you think of this story? Let us know in the comments section below.

Comments

[thedeliverance]

10:23 AM on 04/15/2011

I'm not surprised by the bigotry Harding displays. It goes much deeper than just banning homosexuality. Unfortunately, I went there for 5 years and it was a horrific experience. To be sure- there are decent people there but it's flooded with fundamentalists who dream of having America become this all white republican utopia where the church of Christ mentality is by law taught in all schools. Kind of like how radical Muslims want the whole world to be forced to follow Islam or else you'll be imprisoned or beheaded. It's the same line of thinking. I know because I went there and got close to several teachers, administrators and bible thumping kids.
I did learn 10 things at Harding though and you can read them here.
http://churchdevil.blogspot.com/2010/09/10-things-i-learned-at-harding.html

[chrismorton82]

12:39 AM on 03/08/2011

As an alum, I realize that the HU Queer Press is simply a manifestation of a deep sexual dysfunction of the Harding Culture. Learn more here, so we can do something about it:http://www.chrismorton.info/?p=2136

[EAlexander]

05:26 PM on 04/12/2011

I think considering homosexuality a sexual dysfunction is offensive and nonfactual.

[chrismorton82]

07:51 PM on 04/12/2011

Interesting point. I'm not sure you read either my comment, or the post linked to it. If you did, you would notice that I was not making a statement about homosexuality, but speaking of a general attitude toward all types of sexuality.

Thanks for your input, I'll try to be more clear in the future.

[WeCanDoMore]

11:34 AM on 03/07/2011

Truth is a threat to religion, so they banish it.

[onwisconsin]

01:29 PM on 03/06/2011

Harding is not just a "private Christian college". Harding is affiliated with the Church of Christ, one of the most conservative churches in the South.

I started my life in this church, my pedophile birth father is still a lay minister there. They believe in the subordination of women as god's will. They believe that only a certain number of people will go to heaven when they die, it is preordained and they will all be members of that specific church (something like 250,000 or so). As children, girls and boys are kept separate from one another in sunday school (to what end, I don't know -- probably to teach women their place and men their dominance). And instruments of any kind are not allowed in their worship ceremonies. All music is sung a cappella.

If you do not go to this church, you are going to hell. That's what they believe.

As for Harding, I had a couple of people I knew go there. Women had to wear skirts on campus at the time (80s). I don't know if that's changed but I doubt it. They had strict dating rules and strict dormitory rules about curfews.

I'm not surprised that they restrict anything about gays. This church is decidely against LGBTs.

[PatrickROwens]

11:01 PM on 03/06/2011

Not trying to be rude, but you have no idea what you are talking about if you think that is what churches of Christ think. None believe only a certain number are going to heaven. Most believe that churches of Christ aren't the only ones going to heaven. Children of opposite sexes are not separate in Sunday School. Women at Harding are allowed to wear pants. Churches of Christ are conservative, but not near as extreme as you make them out. There are a few "ultraconservative" churches that believe only they are going to heaven but most mainstream churches of Christ do not believe this. There are still curfews and no drinking and sex outside of marriage, but Harding, and churches of Christ in general, are not some radical conservatives you make them out to be. I will say, though, that unfortunately that is a popular opinion of churches of Christ. Some of it is deserved because of an older generation of people who I'm not sure even read the Bible.

[onwisconsin]

12:03 PM on 03/07/2011

I know what I was taught in my birth father's church and he was a lay minister in the Church of Christ.

I said in the 80s women had to wear skirts on campus. I didn't know if that was still true.

And the predestination # was being taught when I was a child because I questioned it over and over and was punished for questioning it.

[EAlexander]

05:27 PM on 04/12/2011

Terribly mean.

[Sarah Barrios]

11:44 PM on 03/06/2011

Whoa, are you confusing the CofC with some group that has a similar name? They teach very strongly AGAINST pre-destination and, though I grew up in the most ridiculously conservative branch, I never saw or even heard of children being segregated by gender. The part about instrumental music is true, and yeah there is definitely sexism, but your account overall makes me think you have gotten mixed up.

[onwisconsin]

12:01 PM on 03/07/2011

No. The one that my birth father goes to has the beliefs listed above. His is in Alma, Arkansas.

[Brit Toombs]

02:33 PM on 03/14/2011

Actually, her account could be true. I also live in Arkansas and many of the CoC here are extreme. Not all, mind, but several. Some of things she speaks about in the CoCs I have attended hold true. There's less gender segregation now, but there is definite sexism. I'm not certain about the number of people, but I do know they believe that they are the only ones going to heaven and that any other religion - or any other type of Christianity - is wrong. Arkansas has some crazy religious people.

[Kevins]

04:54 AM on 03/06/2011

I hope the Christian College teaches bible-based marriage:

Adam and Eve had only two sons. Where did the line of Cain come from (after he killed his brother)? Cain and his mother, Eve, we surmise. But there IS an alternative: Cain could have had sex with unspecified sisters. Genesis 4:1

Abraham had sex with his sister, Sarah. Genesis 20:12
the sister invited him to have sex with her maid, Hagar. Genesis 16:3

Biblically, you don't have to be a virgin on the wedding night: Deuteronomy 22: 13-21

God's favorite way to punish a man who rapes an unmarried virgin? He has to pay her money and marry her. That's right, she has to marry her rapist, but it's worth 50 shekels to her. Deuteronomy 22:28-29

If you run out of virgins to rape? God instructs you to go to the next town and kill everyone except the virgins, round them up, and marry them. Judges 21:7

King David had 8 wives but never got around to tallying up all his concubines. 1 Chronicles 3:1-9
And still slept with this father's concubines, too. 2 Samuel 16:21

King David's son, Solomon, had 700 wives (yes, that's right. The original 700 Club). Plus 300 concubines. That's 1000 women, y'all. 1 Kings 11:3

[Kevins]

04:03 AM on 03/06/2011

I think if they insist their students follow biblical morality they should know what biblical morality is and accept their students following it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFkeKKszXTw

[ogoodrich]

07:04 PM on 03/05/2011

The liberal arts are not compatible with the kind of conservatism preached at Harding. I commend the students at Harding for having the courage to tell their stories and for trying to begin a dialogue.

[TaylerWoods]

03:45 PM on 03/05/2011

I guess one could go elsewhere than a christian school if they don't like it...for now.

[Roy Robson]

03:20 PM on 03/05/2011

It is the schools network, most employers also block internet sites based on contenet.

[JustAWiseCrackingGuy]

03:34 AM on 03/05/2011

The context this is being presented in... its a bit odd. Is it blocking free speech? Yes, but at the same time, the university's existing policies also limited free speech.

On another point... why would anyone who was gay want to attend this school in the first place?

[anothersarah]

04:53 PM on 03/05/2011

a lot of kid's families send them to schools like this because it's their tradition, and the kids can't "come out" until after they graduate (if Mom & Dad are paying the bill).

[SarahScott]

02:17 AM on 03/06/2011

I'm currently a student at Harding. A lot of glebit students come here because they are 'true believers' in the churches of Christ and want to 'get better'. That's actually major theme in the zine- that the treatments make things worse, and Harding should change it's policy.
While the blocking is consistent with established Harding policy (other sites have been blocked for less), it was spectacularly insensitive in this case given the nature of the complaints (because the best way to make a disenfranchised minority feel like you are listening is to ban their site!) and is a real embarrassment. In addition to the larger online petition, we circulated a smaller petition the day of the banning and submitted to the Admin. We haven't heard anything else on this issue so far.

[timotay89]

10:42 PM on 03/04/2011

Best thing they could have done is to block it on campus.

Nothing gets someone more attention than trying to prevent people from seeing it.

[Sarah Barrios]

04:38 PM on 03/04/2011

I attended Harding from 2000 to 2004, and to my embarrassment graduated from there (I wanted to transfer but didn't because of family reasons). I can say that, yes, they do want to control your thinking, to an absurd extent. They edit even G-rated movies because they have such an unbelievable standard for what they consider "appropriate" for viewing by 18-23-yr-olds (in Finding Nemo, they edited out the part where the little squid inked because they said it was "potty humor"). This place is an extreme example of a conservative interpretation of Christianity; PLEASE don't think it represents all Christians. Sadly, this feeds the idea that Christians hate the gay community.

[DogIsDoog]

10:22 PM on 03/04/2011

Good point, Sarah, and thanks for sharing. Most of us, me included, equate "Christians" with "extremism".

Bet they threw some wild dorm parties (NOT)!

[PhilOgren]

12:39 AM on 03/05/2011

Sarah, you have your facts wrong.

I also went to Harding, and in fact, I edited movies (though not Nemo). I can assure you the editing of movies had NOTHING to do with the administration - and certainly nothing to do with thought control. I can also assure you that I occasionally edited clean words just for fun (like "unnecessary censorship") - and left dirty ones in.

Harding has problems ... but you are letting your anger get the better of you, and posting statements that are factually innaccurate. Harding's teachers and administrators are all humans, and all have failings. Some of these humans even try to influence others for what they believe is right - how shocking! But claiming "thought control" is idiotic.

If you want to trash your alma mater and/or the church members who support it - at least have the decency to tell the truth.

Goodness knows there are plenty of other problems with the place to choose from.

[JustAWiseCrackingGuy]

03:37 AM on 03/05/2011

I don't really see anything she said that could be called a lie- most of her post was opinion. She didn't really strike me as angry either, just kind of embarrassed. You're really seem to be overreacting.

[Chris Lawrence Tognotti]

01:36 AM on 03/06/2011

You're responding to things she didn't say. She didn't say the administration edited the movies- honestly, movies being edited for adult consumption is rather irritating regardless of the context, but notwithstanding. If they're banning websites because they don't like the content, that is by definition an attempt to control thinking- you're simply using indignation to make that charge seem more absurd and more extreme than it inherently is.

[samprocks]

03:34 PM on 03/04/2011

This is a link of what the president of Harding University said about this issue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qKNze-C3uk

[cliffardo]

03:15 PM on 03/04/2011

I went to his university starting in 2001 and left in 2004 without graduating. I tried to follow through and it just didn't work. Reading this 'zine brings back all the anxieties of being at that institution. I'm impressed with the bravery of the producers of this zine, and I hope that through it a more open and honest discussion prevails at Harding University.