The Indiana University of Pennsylvania has begun investigating an unnamed professor of graduate business classes for allegedly calling lesbian student Christina Santiago “disgusting, unnatural, and abnormal.” Little did Santiago student know, her professor was just employing the latest trend in teaching—making gay students feel like crap.
When Santiago’s business class began discussing sex change operations, her professor allegedly brought the subject around to homosexuality, calling it “disgusting, unnatural, and abnormal.”
Santiago’s heart began racing as she raised her hand and asked, “Do you mean that homosexuals like myself are ‘disgusting, unnatural, and abnormal?'” He promptly replied yes and went on to say that God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Adam (um… it’s Adam and Steve, stewpid).
He then allegedly bitched about voluntary diversity training and blamed Santiago for forcing her homosexuality onto him. She felt “attacked, bullied, singled-out” and held back tears as her peers and professor began laughing at her.
Was this just a lesson on unorthodox negotiation strategies? Will this be on the mid-term?
Some of Santiago’s fellow students protested for tolerance this weekend and Santiago has since dropped out of the class. In response, The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties said that they support investigating the serious accusations yet also advocate faculty rights and due process.
While the Indiana University of Pennsylvania certainly wouldn’t be the first academic institution to hire a a bigot, when will educators start facing institutional penalties for actively persecuting LGBT students?
Thumbnail image and thanks to Towleroad
Ray
It happened in front of a class. How fucking hard is that to investigate? This ass should have been fired after two minutes of questioning.
Mav
Maybe I’m just a hard bastard, but I don’t think any gay college grad should be near-tears after encountering a bigot running one of their classrooms. I think it’s pretty obvious that anyone who holds bigoted views at that tier of academia is an unrepentant moron, and a student should not respect their opinion enough to be insulted or hurt by it.
She should have been the one laughing contemptuously at her professor, not the other way around.
I’ve ran into this situation as well with a former landlord. Somehow the conversation got turned around to homosexuality, and my landlord started in about how gays were child molesters, how most of them had been molested as children, that it was unnatural, blah blah blah. So I just came out and told him that *I* was gay and had never been molested, and that it would certainly never cross my mind to molest a child, and that everything he thought he knew about gays was probably wrong.
His mind was blown. At first he thought I was joking – “Nooo, you CAN’T be gay!” – and then when he realized I wasn’t kidding, he was mortified.
We ended up talking about homosexuality for two hours. That man walked away changed, simply because I spoke up for myself and – this is crucial – DID NOT get wrapped around the wheel in the course of discussion, even though my landlord went on to say some pretty ignorant and offensive things that pertained directly to me.
Tough up queers. Breaking down into miserable tears of insecurity every time someone tells you you’re disgusting is not going to help your case.
Mark
@Mav: So Mav, it’s okay for her to be berated and she can’t become emotional? Not all people who are bullied, and this was bullying, are made of stone. It hurts to be ridiculed, laughed at the made to feel vile.
You’re entitled to your opinion but in yoru own way, you’re berating her yourself.
Tough up? Feelings are feelings!
Alexa
I am so sick of these bigots who become teachers and professors. If these people said the same things about another minority they would practically be fired on the spot. And we wonder why so many LGBTQ kids kill themselves.
Ogre Magi
Typical christian turd! Adam and Eve???? Does he believe in Cinderella too?
Cam
Less tearing up and more speaking up. Get the bigot fired, like they would have if he was saying that women shouldn’t be allowed in school, or minorities etc…
Alan Brickman
why are people mistaking gay for a talent these days???…
Mav
@Mark: Mark, I didn’t say she couldn’t become emotional, and me disapproving of her reaction is not the same as me saying that it’s okay for her to be bullied in the first place.
This girl stood up for herself by speaking out. But she shouldn’t have allowed herself to be berated. It made her look weak in the eyes of her classmates. She had the chance to put this moron down and she didn’t take it.
In my opinion, gay people need to develop the strong sense of self-righteousness which evolved around the Civil Rights Movement, and stop allowing our insecurity and our internalized homophobia cow us in front of the enemy.
WE are in right. WE are the ones who should be berating and laughing in contempt of their ignorance.
Not them.
And as far as me berating her, yes, I am to a degree. But NOT over her sexuality. I’m berating her on her lack of conviction in defending it as valid – she made the first step, but she didn’t follow through. She allowed herself to be laughed at.
But I give her props for calling her teacher out in the first place, which took more courage than most people are capable of, admittedly.
“It hurts to be ridiculed, laughed at the made to feel vile.”
^ I’ve dealt with this as well, so I know firsthand what it feels like to be ridiculed for your gender expression/perceived sexuality. It fucking sucks. But queers are going to have to learn to take a (verbal) punch if they’re going to survive long enough to lob a few of their own.
“Feelings are feelings!”
^ Political/intellectual/theological debates such as the one concerning homosexuality are not won on the basis of emotional appeal.
Duke O
Indiana University of Pennsylvania????
Abel
I think the teacher in this case is a woman, not a man. The teacher “accused the student of forcing her homosexuality on her.” IUofP ought to get rid of her. She can go teach at some whacko fundie college. There are enough of them.
the crustybastard
The business professor believes the Garden of Eden myth is literally true?
LOL.
Lesbian Grad Student Learns Professor is a Gullible Fucking Moron.
Angel
Wow!! so much hatred.. reality is that still to some people being gay is unacceptable, to some it is still a behavior, sexual preference and everybody is going to have to live with that. To me it’s a sexual preference and no more and whatever I do with my preference it’s for me only I don’t need the whole world to approve my behavior and seriously GLAAD needs to stop creating so much hatred it is ridiculous.
delurker
I am waiting for the conservoqueers to defend the instructor.
Shannon1981
This will continue to happen until colleges and universities everywhere adopt zero tolerance policies against stating one’s bigoted beliefs in a classroom setting or other public platform. Do you have the right to be a bigot? Sure you do. But the second your right to be a bigot infringes on the rights of students to get an education without being bullied and discriminated against, their rights to their ignorant beliefs end and they should suffer swift and severe punishment, preferably in the form of their careers in education ending.
amo
“sex change”, queerty? What the fuck? #transfail
ewe
You’re digusting. I’m digusting. She’s digusting. He’s digusting. So fucking what. Get over it!
Beth
@ewe “Get over it” really? Lol. She was humiliated. There is no reason for what that “professor” did none at all. I would of told him he is a delusional idiot who believes in lies and fairyales. I can’t believe this happened in my home state and IUP is a hour away from my town. What a jerk and a total tool. I hope they fired him and she got her money back for that class I would of sued him for discrimination. He should never be allowed to teach anywhere.