Our school paper printed an article yesterday about a girl who was the first recipient of an LBGT scholarship the university is now giving out. It’s worth 500 dollars, and I’m not sure exactly where the funding came from.
I can’t help but think that this is a good idea gone wrong, and that the university is just seeing it as a PR move. I guess I have problems with the fact that proving someone’s sexuality beyond a doubt is absolutely impossible - it’s not like other minority scholarships, where you can say, “Hey, I’m black”, and you show up to the awards ceremony and everyone can see that, hey, you’re black. If I needed money, I could start muff-diving, get enough experience at it to write a good essay about my newfound “lesbian” lifestyle, collect the money, and no one would be the wiser.
I suppose I also think that no one’s sexuality should be a big enough deal to award money for - I fall in love with a guy, big deal; some other guy falls in love with a guy, big deal. (That goes for my opinions of society at large, as well; I don’t think anyone should make a big damn deal about who anyone goes to bed with. Jesus, who cares?)
I agree that many gay students have had fallings-out with their families, and as a consequence many are struggling financially, but I don’t think 500 measly dollars is going to remedy the situation much. I agree it helps a little bit, but perhaps in the selection process, the student should have to clearly state severed ties with mom and dad, etc., before any money is awarded.
Thoughts?