We Are Biola Queers

An Epidemic of Freedom at Biola University: The Christian 'Queer Underground' Comes Out

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:08:09 -0400

An Epidemic of Freedom at Biola University: The Christian 'Queer Underground' Comes Out:

I want to applaud them and suggest that Jesus would be proud of them. They understand Jesus’ “third way” of nonviolent resistance to oppression and exclusion, and they are living this approach out, loud and proud.

Open Letter to Dr. Erik Thoennes

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:07:03 -0400

What follows is an open letter to Dr. Erik Thoennes, President Dr. Barry Corey, and Biola Administration. I, Jos Charles, am writing to you as a queer graduate of Biola, affiliate of the Biola Queer Underground, and continued supporter of our University.

Dear Dr. Thoennes, Dr. Barry Corey, and Biola Administration,

I recently started a petition asking Dr. Erik Thoennes to apologize for his homophobic, transphobic, and racist remarks at last fall’s Sexuality Matters discussion. During the discussion, Dr. Thoennes repeatedly compared queer sexuality to racism. Reading from the Biola Queer Underground’s mission statement, he publicly ridiculed the group’s experiences by substituting the word “racist” for “queer.” Thoennes went on to describe his perspective as “kind” and “loving.”

My petition has drawn some attention from GLAAD and other media outlets. However, it has yet to be acknowledged by Dr. Thoennes or the administration. I have since grown convinced that an apology is not enough to address the reality LGBTQ Biola students face. An apology might help alumni like me feel better about our alma mater, but would not stop the daily abuse of LGBTQ Biola students. Rather than change Thoennes’ beliefs, I want the conditions that allow Dr. Thonnes to bully students to be eliminated. I am writing to call for something much more than an apology: concerted structural change. We cannot have a safe Biola until we have a Biola that is open to dialogue with its students, queer or otherwise. That’s why I am asking Dr. Thoennes to meet openly with Biola Queer Underground members, other queer alumni, and me in an open panel on campus to discuss LGBTQ identities and their relation to Christianity. I want to make clear I am not asking to “debate” Dr. Thonnes on his positions. A debate would imply we, as LBGTQ Biolans, are external to Biola, coming to provide a contrasting perspective. Rather, we are Biola, and as Biola we demand that you listen and give our voices representation.

As it stands, Biola’s queer students are ostracized. Professors shame queer students with slurs and tolerate bullying in the classroom. Campus security polices whether same-gender couples can hold hands or publicly express their gender identities. The Biola Queer Underground frequently has their event posters removed by administration. At Biola, queer oppression is institutionalized.

Perhaps I take this for granted, but I assume faith communities agree LGBTQ people should not live under fear of violence. Dr. Thoennes’ comments however contribute to, enable, and even encourage these sorts of violence. In the sexuality forum, queer students heard their desires and struggles publically likened to racism and mocked as a joke. Because of such bullying, LGBTQ Christians face some of the highest rates of suicide and homelessness in the country. Dr. Thoennes’ comments institutionally encourage attacks—whether it’s through a half-joking slur or physical assault. Dr. Thoennes cheered on our oppression. He took the bully’s side.

Furthermore, by using the terms “LGBT” and “homosexuality” interchangeably, Dr. Thoennes also silenced the voices of Biola’s trans* students. His comments betray an ignorance and fear of even talking about trans* issues. The only “T” in the discussion was Thoennes’ response to a question about “transvestites” [sic]. He quickly dismissed it as “dysfunction” and “perversion.” Treating any student’s identity as an unworthy topic for discussion serves to shame and silence that student. If Biola is going to talk about LGBTQ identity and its relation to Christianity, it must include trans* issues.

When Thoennes compared struggles against racism with his struggle against queer students, he erased the identities of queer students of color. Thoennes implied that cisgender, heterosexual students and faculty are “victims” of the BQU. His attempt to shift himself to “victim-status” is clear in phrases such as “feel[ing] far less freedom” to call queerness sinful than racism and his considering LGBTQ people “a tidal wave of opposition.” The analogy drew on a racist trope of queer people as

white and people of color as straight. Queer students of color were doubly ostracized by the comparison.

That such statements were made just as Biola opened the Mosaic Cultural Center is telling. The new Center is supposed to represent Biola’s commitment to “engaging in critical thought and dialogue” in issues of diversity. In practice, however, we have seen students stripped of representation in public discussion. The panelists didn’t even trust Biola students’ “critical thought” enough to include one LGBTQ-affirming perspective. Thoennes laughed at the thought of letting a queer ally speak on campus. Yet even among evangelical Christians, 30% of churchgoers identify as LGBTQ-inclusive. Biola is simply not working towards making campus a safe space for queer students.

Dr. Thoennes’ comments are not unique, but part of a larger, structural problem. Biola needs to discuss LGBTQ issues, yes, but also race. Dr. Thonnes’ comments betrayed a disturbing misunderstanding of racism. He spoke of homosexuality and racism as both active, conscious choices; however, not only is homosexuality not a conscious choice, neither is racism. To treat racism without discussing privilege, material exploitation, and power, is a distortion. It removes racism from its historical context, a context that has largely benefitted white Christians like Dr. Thoennes. By painting a picture of racism that denies his privileged position as a Christian white man, Dr. Thoennes presents a revisionist view of Christianity’s problematic relationship to race.

If Christians are going to discuss topics like race and sexuality we have to start from acknowledging Christianity’s historically held center of power, which has been key in the spreading of racism, homophobia, transphobia, and patriarchy. A more fitting analogy between racism and queerness is that white people still benefit from past and continued race oppression; cisgender, heterosexual people still benefit from past and continued sexuality and gender oppression.

Until Dr. Thoennes and the Biola administration are willing to face, discuss, and listen to students, Biola will continue to propagate abuse, particularly for students of color and queer students. If administration continues to not address this issue, they continue to erase the voices of the student body.

Dr. Thoennes, Dr. Barry Corey, and Biola Administration: you do not solely represent the Biola community. The student body, in all its diversity, is Biola. It is administration and faculty’s responsibility to listen to and benefit our experience—and we will not be silenced.

Thank you for your time,

Jos Charles

http://www.thebiolaqueerunderground.com/apps/blog/show/26435935-open-letter-to-dr-erik-thoennes-

Founders of Biola Queer Underground come forward « The Chimes | Biola University

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:10:38 -0400

Founders of Biola Queer Underground come forward « The Chimes | Biola University

http://chimes.biola.edu/story/2013/may/16/underground-biola-queer...

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:09:43 -0400

http://chimes.biola.edu/story/2013/may/16/underground-biola-queer/

BQU Yearbook 2012 -2013Graduates and Transfers

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:23:32 -0400

BQU Yearbook 2012 -2013
Graduates and Transfers

I Remember

Mon, 13 May 2013 00:15:41 -0400

I remember sitting in my Bible class at Biola and listening as the professor gave us scientific and social proof for why acting on gay desires was a sin. I nodded along with his statements and eagerly took notes. Here was the evidence I had been looking for! Ever since Prop 8, the issue of being gay (and, more so, acting on gay desires) was brought to my attention. I remembered hearing my parents speak of gay marriage with disgust, and I remembered hearing them say that according to the Bible, that type of relationship choice was wrong. I fully agreed and was just as disgusted as they were.

The only problem?

I remember thinking, as I was reading more about Prop 8, “Whew! It’s good the Bible says clearly that this is a sin. Otherwise, I can’t think of any reason to think it’s bad.”

But now here was my professor, ready to rescue me from that slight hiccup. He was giving me all the added proof I needed.

But doubts still nagged at me. I felt something was wrong. This thought pattern I was dealing with and the emotions involved didn’t feel like what God would want from me. It was hard to love those who were gay, when I was so busy judging them. Sure, I sympathized with them. It wasn’t their fault they had been born with their struggles. But they still needed to do what was right. There were no excuses.

But I was prejudiced. I only listened to half the argument, and it was only when I decided to take a risk and listen to the other side that I realized how wrong I had been. I read a book by Eric Marcus, titled “Is It A Choice?”, and this book was the first turning point for me. I realized that there was nothing wrong with being gay. I had assumed to understand another person’s point of view, instead of stepping in that person’s shoes and letting them speak for themselves. I had assumed I understood the Bible, instead of looking deeper. I had assumed I understood God, instead of checking to make sure my reasoning and response was in line with the Bible.

I began to understand those who were gay and lesbian in ways that I never had before. I understood that it wasn’t a choice, and that it wasn’t bad. All the “proof” my professor had thrown at me, I know looked over again, and I saw it full of flaws that had never been sufficiently addressed. I couldn’t find a single thing wrong with being gay. They had loving relationships, led Godly lives, served others with all their hearts—no different than straight people. Sure, some were horrible—but again, just like some straight people.

The persecution I saw in the Church aimed toward those who are gay and lesbian reminded me of the Pharisees’ persecution of Jesus and the apostles. It’s said you can judge a tree by its fruit. I could find no fault with the fruit of those who were gay and lesbian. However, when I looked at the fruit many Christians were giving off—even many professors and preachers at Biola—I felt sick. This clearly was not what God wanted.

I changed my heart, my mind, and my direction from that point on, and I began to fight for justice, equality, and love. I began to fight for truth. Because I believe that’s what God would want me to do. And even more than that, being fought for, loved, and understood is what these people deserve. Interpreting the Bible accurately and consistently is what the Bible deserves. And I will never doubt I made the right choice.

I don’t mean to look down on you if you believe differently—I just want you to explore. To reach outside your Bible classes and church meetings and look deeper into the issue. Because sometimes, as happened way back in the Bible years, the church can be wrong. And I shudder at the destruction that will happen to many, many beloved people if we follow their guidance without testing it to make sure we’re on the right track.

http://www.thebiolaqueerunderground.com/apps/blog/show/26315572-i-remember

Seeking community while struggling against same-sex attraction « The Chimes | Biola University

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:54:35 -0400

Seeking community while struggling against same-sex attraction « The Chimes | Biola University :

We applaud any Biola student who is willing to take the brave step in sharing their story. The courage of the Chimes to publish on LGBTQ topics is a great step in making Biola more friendly to students from all stripes of life.

Name Tag

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:32:37 -0400

I find myself gripping onto the edges of these pages

My hands have grown accustom to

The pages of this book that many have claimed to condemn me

Falling into each syllable and structure

That “speaks” of my state of being

As an unnatural disgusting anomaly

Yet….

Conforming to this interpretation seems to be quite faulty

They claim that feelings and emotions are unreliable

That we cannot trust what lies inside

But how can we trust that your version of “objective truth”

Has not been tainted by your subjective trains of thought

The church has been wrong on various occasions

We have thought that the earth was flat,

Women were not made in the image of God

And that we had the right to chain up the black man

That we were justified as we read scripture

While tying them up

Blood sweating off their backs as we

Whipped the word “animal” onto their shoulders

It was their name tag

We told women that they were property

That the Bible gave beautiful guidelines

Of what it means to be a dresser drawer or a coffee table

Exquisite in its craftsmanship and useful in its function

But oh do not speak

You cannot speak

But oh we are not wrong on this!

The Bible is perfectly clear!

Homosexuals are sensual perverts

Deviants

Unrepentant

Not a part of God’s design

You cannot BE gay

You CHOOSE to live a lifestyle

It’s not like it was etched into cracks of my bones

How can the church be so foolish!

So arrogant as to say that they are not without error

That they cannot possibly make the same mistake as our church fathers

And the price of the church’s mistakes

Another teenager is found on the carpet

With a rope around his neck

“Animal” is carved into his forearm

We gave him that name tag

The church claims to not condone slavery

Yet thousands of LGBTQ people walk with chains on their ankles

A strip of metal welded to their lips

We have whipped them into submission

And crafted them into nice coffee tables

Our humanity has been stolen from us

We have been depicted as ravenous creatures

Out to steal your children and break up your families

Like the sexy neighbor next door who walks by your

Husband in a slinky black dress

But in reality

We are your children!!

We sit there at your dinner tables while you rant

About “those hell-bound homosexuals”

We sit in the bathroom stalls and eat our lunches

Because the other school kids wont eat with us

We hear you even though you don’t realize that you are talking to us

That you are talking to me

Everyday that I sit in classrooms

And listen to my bible professors

I become more hardened

More like the women of my grandmother’s generation

Who were not seen or heard

Who were told to get back into the kitchen

Get back into the bed

Get into something “more comfortable”

An object of a man’s desire

I am told to be quiet

To be manufactured into something nice and pretty and functional

But people cannot be made into kitchen sinks

Or bed frames or nightstands

I will not be silenced

WE will not be silenced

For there is a God who speaks of our worth

Who you have used against us

He tells us that man-made interpretations

Of a book with rich cultural context

Cannot define our identities

HE defines our identities

So I stand here as a gay woman

Standing for all who are poor and oppressed

Following after the one

Whose soles I am unworthy to untie

For HE is my LORD

NOT YOU

http://www.thebiolaqueerunderground.com/apps/blog/show/26172314-nametag

Why I Love the LGBTQ Community

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:46:00 -0400

Throughout my time at Biola University, I went from being a very strong Christian, set on honoring God, and desiring for a Christian community for college, to an atheist feeling alienated and hated by the church, God and Biola. All this happened before I came to grips with my sexuality and with my feelings towards the LGBTQ community. When I met the people involved with the BQU, before the website was launched, or anyone else knew of the existence of gay kids on campus, I was already being hardened toward a religion and a church that was pushing me to the outskirts, because I was not the “average” Christian. I had been through a lot of pain, and was questioning everything. There appeared to be no room for my questions in religion classes, chapel, church or bible studies. What’s more, I was beginning to be seen as a problem, not as a person.

Then I started to get to know the people in the BQU. I started attending a church that was gay affirming with them, and began to realize that along with gay people, they were affirming me. The people I met in the BQU and at this church loved me, despite my questions, despite my doubts or religious affiliation, and finally, despite my sexual orientation. I was able to talk to people my own age about the things I was scared of for the first time and have them listen and agree, or explain their thoughts, without seeming like they were being condescending. When I started dating my girlfriend, they celebrated with me, they did not condemn me and they understood that not everything is black and white in the world.

I remember one night last year, I had been in the hospital and was being discharged around 11:00 pm. I called 3 different pastors, and a bible teacher, asking if they could pick me up. Each one of them turned me down and hung up, without lifting a finger to help. I ended up taking a cab home. This year, when my girlfriend got kicked out of her house after coming out to her parents, and was left with nothing, the pastor of my current church went out of his way, making calls and doing everything he could to make sure she didn’t end up on the street. She never did. There was one family not involved in our church that found out what was going on. Even though the father of that family does believe being in the LGBTQ community is a sin, he offered to have her stay at their house for a weekend when she was in a bind. He told me that he doesn’t think his beliefs about her lifestyle should allow him to turn away someone who needed help. He brought up the verse “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, you do to me” Matthew 25:40.

I love the community I am involved with right now and the people I have met during this time in my life. I have felt more true love and acceptance now than ever before, and can honestly say that I am better for having met them. Most of these people, but not all, are strong Christians, they love God and Jesus, and show Christian love the way I always thought it was supposed to be. Those that aren’t Christians are no different, they still show love and acceptance like no one else I have met, they just don’t do it for the same reason.

I still cannot bring myself to say that I am a Christian, and I am still not sure what I believe about God, but if it were not for these beautiful people, I don’t think I would ever have looked back when I walked away from my faith.

http://www.thebiolaqueerunderground.com/apps/blog/show/26003806-why-i-love-the-lgbtq-community

One Jedi's Search for Love in Alderaan Places

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:31:00 -0400

When I was 6, I thought I was going to marry Princess Leia. There were so many reasons to have Leia love, she was a driving force in the Rebel Alliance, she was super sassy, and she had the courage to stand up against her enemies even when they threatened her with an unnecessary nose job. And when Leia saw her entire home planet, Alderaan, blown to smithereens she didn’t mope around and cry about it, that bitch got mad and that bitch got even. She was so beautiful! From the celebration ceremony gown to the infamous bikini, she had it all. She was one luscious, juicy casino royale squeezed between two trademark buns and I loved her.

But as I grew older and went through adolescence, I realized that I didn’t want Leia anymore. While I had some emotional crushes on the girls that I went to school with, I was exclusively sexually attracted to men. This scared the shit out of me. I tried to suppress it for a really long time. I was super involved in my small Christian high school and youth group. I didn’t want to lose my friends or disappoint the adults in mylife that believed in me. I liked leading prayer group, I liked planning charity events and I liked helping others in Christ’s name. I read all the purity books and tried so hard to suppress my sexual orientation. I used to aim for getting through a whole day without even thinking of sex. But the truth was I was wired for lust and even changing for PE in the boy’s locker room would sabotage my most pious efforts.

I never really acted on my urges until my sophomore year at Biola when I started dating for the first time. My first boyfriend went to UCLA and I loved taking breaks from the Biola Bubble to Westwood.We would go through used bookstores, hike around Griffith Park, try trendy restaurants and have Star Wars marathons. Occasionally we would get super drunk and play N64-though I would always lose at Super Smash Brothers. We had our Valentines date at Knott’s Berry Farm and spent our day riding roller coasters. That was the first time someone told me that they loved me in the romantic sense. As it turns out, we weren’t really right for each other and after 6 months we called it quits.

After our breakup, I came out to my parents. My parents and I were heading to the mountains for a family hike. I was having a rough time with this being first breakup. I was getting really fidgety and sick to my stomach. I had no idea how my parents would react to me coming out. It was completely normal for people in my family to make gay jokes or to criticize the gay community. But I did it anyway, because it was the truth and because it needed to be said. I think Kurt Cobain made a lot of sense when he said he’d rather be hated for what he was than loved for what he wasn’t. We were driving on a curvy highway and the first thing my mom did was unbuckle her seatbelt and climb over to the backseat to hold and kiss me.

“I love you always and forever. You are my son,” she said. Those are the type of words that stick with you when life gets hard and you don’t know how you will make it through the day.

After the initial shock my parents made it clear that they loved and supported me no matter what. But they were a little mad—mad that I didn’t tell them sooner. I had been hiding that part of myself for so long that I hadn’t realized the relational walls I built in the process. That’s what fear does; it takes hold of you and makes you lonely. There are a lot of people in my life that I can’t let in because I’m afraid of what they’ll do when they find out I’m gay. When they see me will they only see a gay kid? Are they going to try to change me? Are they going to tell me about how awful hell is?

I’m not trying to change what Evangelicals think about Biblical truth. When the underground first came to the student body’s attention I saw all the Facebook statuses and comments. One of the things that kept coming up is the divide Biolans feel about truth and love. People don’t know how they can be accepting and loving towards the LGBT community when they believe that homosexuality is a sin. But no one has a problem loving and accepting their straight friend even when they find out their friend is guilty of sin. How about you stay committed to your belief that homosexuality is wrong but treat me like a friend anyway? Biblical Truth is relevant but Biblical Love is relational.

I don’t know how God feels about my sexuality. This is a long, deep, personal struggle that haunts me daily. But what I do know is that I need people in my life to love and support me. I do know that I need my friends to get to know me as an individual. And I know that when my gay friends have been kicked out of their homes because their parents are disgusted with their own children, the last thing they need to hear is how God is going to punish them. There is some much needed restoration needed between mainstream Christianity and the gay community. There are problems way too big for the individual to approach. But if you are a hetero-Christian and you want to help someone who identifies as LGBT just know that a listening ear and a helping hand is a great start.

http://www.thebiolaqueerunderground.com/apps/blog/show/25818109-one-jedi-s-search-for-love-in-alderaan-places

Under a Christian House: My Coming Out Story

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:30:56 -0400

By the time the police arrived, the coldness had set into my eyes. Sanctuary was the same place his fingers curled around my earlobes and I was home. Now, as blood ran down the back of my neck, my flesh tingled with another indescribable feeling. (How could it have taken so much pressure to get her off me?) The police officer was a strong woman. (Maybe if I’m silent, maybe if I just push her a little.) She came in uniform and wanted a uniformed answer to what had happened to me, what my mother had done. (Is this really happening? She’s gone to barricade the door…) It wasn’t as though reality was blurring together; it was just that I had lost everything. She sank her nails into my neck to strangle me, and something inside truly died. (“I’m going to kill you.”)

“What happened?” the officer asked.

“My mom—she and I got into a fight.”

“About what?”

What did she expect? Did this stranger expect me to spill the story like the blood spilling from me? Did she think I had the intention of telling her the way my mother’s eyes went dark when I told her, no, I’m not going to stop. I’m in love with him, and he with me. I’m going to be an honest person now. I’m not going to live the lies that have gotten me to this place of never knowing whom to trust—whom to believe. I’m going to come clean now.

“She didn’t want me to see a friend anymore.”

The rest was all lies too. But she knew. The look on the other boy’s face and me told it all. We were in the wrong town, the wrong time. Our bond, though it was certain as gravity, was a force of which she had constructed her own understanding. We were just boys, we were two perverts. Maybe both. I’m not sure.

I heard the rest through the wall when the officer returned from my mom’s. I’d been “beaten up after school” was the final conclusion. (Teen boys leave gashes in nail marks?) The case was closed. The investigation was no more, no less thorough than taking me to a family friend’s house for the night and returning me to my mother’s in the morning. When I arrived, the coldness had set into her eyes.

I swear I’d seen the Devil in them. She tells me she doesn’t remember, she doesn’t remember the moment. Pity. I’d like to know what possessed her.

http://www.thebiolaqueerunderground.com/apps/blog/show/25679648-under-a-christian-house-my-coming-out-story-

"Sexuality Matters"

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 04:30:00 -0400

"Sexuality Matters":

If you choose after listening, sign the petition below:

https://www.change.org/petitions/biola-university-and-dr-erik-thoennes-apologize-for-homophobic-transphobic-and-racist-rant#share

Take Action: Biola University Professor Equates Being LGBTQ to Being Racist, Students Demand Apology

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:13:35 -0400

Take Action: Biola University Professor Equates Being LGBTQ to Being Racist, Students Demand Apology

SIGN THE PETITION: Biola University and Dr. Erik Thoennes: Apologize for Homophobic, Transphobic, and Racist Rant

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 02:25:00 -0400

https://www.change.org/petitions/biola-university-and-dr-erik-thoennes-apologize-for-homophobic-transphobic-and-racist-rant#share

Being gay is tantamount to being racist according to a professor at Biola University—a private Christian university located in La Mirada, California. In response to the recently formed Biola Queer Underground, a pro-LGBTQ group on campus, administration hosted a panel discussion entitled Sexuality Matters. Not only did the discussion not include an LGBTQ-inclusive perspective, but one of the panelists, Dr. Erik Thoennes—a white, cisgender straight professor—likened homosexuality to racism.

Going so far as to say LGBTQ identities are like “racist identities,” he asked the audience to “imagine if there was the Biola Racist Underground” and how they would react. When questioned as to why there was not one “Christian pro-gay” perspective on the panel he responded, “I wouldn’t want a pro-racist person on this panel if the question were racism.” In addition to these comments, Dr. Thoennes also referred to trans* identity as a “dysfunction” and “perversion.”

These comments not only propagate homophobia, transphobia, and a distorted view of racism, but they also directly harm the lives of LGBTQ students at Biola—students who can’t even speak out about their identities for the fear of expulsion. This is not acceptable. We ask Dr. Erik Thoennes to apologize for his deeply harmful homophobic, transphobic, and racist comments; we also ask Biola University to apologize for its lack of Christian LGBTQ affirming voices present in this dialogue and to commit itself to the inclusion of such perspectives in the future.

http://www.thebiolaqueerunderground.com/apps/blog/show/25479169-w...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 02:09:16 -0400

http://www.thebiolaqueerunderground.com/apps/blog/show/25479169-when-facts-are-misconstrued-understanding-homophobia

When Facts are Misconstrued: Understanding Homophobia

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 02:01:34 -0400

Coming out to myself was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. It isn’t something I asked for—rather, it’s something that I have tried to keep locked up as long as possible. It wasn’t until my second year of Biola that this cage that I built around my sexuality shattered. There came a point in which I could no longer deny that I was capable of developing feelings for guys, girls, and any gender in between. For a long time, I considered myself lucky because I thought just acting straight was the solution and that I could deny whatever I felt for girls. It never worked out like I wanted though. Instead, I hated myself more when I felt something for a girl. I was trying so hard to make the same-sex attractions go away, yet they were still there, even if I tried to fill my head with guys.

A few days ago I went into the health center bathroom and saw a booklet entitled “When Passions Are Confused: Understanding Homosexuality.” I remembered seeing this before but never had the courage to pick one up till now. What I read greatly saddened me; I thought of the self-hating state I was in only a year ago and how this pamphlet would have greatly multiplied my pain and confusion. Biola claimed to offer guidance and support to gay students, but, in actuality, they merely offer reparative therapy literature. Unless you meet with administration about this issue, gay students are recommended to attend reparative therapy. Biola has defined “support and guidance” as telling us that our sexualities are evil, empty, sinful, and a gateway to other harmful actions. I know that many Biolans may not hear this message, but to those who are sensitive, like me, it’s everywhere.

This booklet claims that those who are homosexual must drink and do drugs to be able to “do what they do” (i.e. engage in homosexual behavior). It also claims that despair is a natural consequence of homosexual behavior—thus they conveniently conclude that the high suicide rate in the gay community is the result of our behavior and not societal discrimination. Furthermore, it claims that homosexual desires can be overcome by a passion for God, and that it is only a “myth” that someone can’t change their sexual orientation. They claim that homosexuality is due to abuse and bad parenting, not what social and biological science has found: “no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors.” 1.

Had I read this before coming to terms with my sexuality I would have been convinced that on account of my orientation I should feel empty and that I wasn’t passionate enough for Christ. I would have blamed myself even more for not being able to change. The misinformation in this booklet can only add to the self-hatred many of us feel when struggling to understand our sexual orientation.

As a final note, I would like to ask Biola how they can claim they “never have, nor do we currently endorse, reparative therapy” 2 when Exodus International is advertised in these booklets. While Exodus International has recently claimed to no longer endorse reparative therapy, during the time that Exodus would have encouraged reparative therapy, Biola offered these pamphlets to students. Biola chose to put these in the health center thus endorsing Exodus and their methods. This pamphlet endorses the rhetoric of reparative therapy, making unfounded claims that have been disproven by the American Psychological Association and found to be damaging to emotional and spiritual health of gay students. 3

If Biola insists that they have never endorsed reparative therapy, they must explain their repeated invitations to spokesmen for reparative therapy such as Sy Rogers, and Mike Haley 4 5. And they must explain why they offer reparative therapy literature to students. We ask Biola University to cease their endorsement of reparative therapy, and to side with the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the National Association of Social Workers in admonishing such practice.

The Biola Queer Underground has heard many stories from students pressured to attend reparative therapy by Biola University. If you want your story to be told, please send us an email at biola.underground@gmail.com

1 http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sexual-orientation.aspx

2 http://eaglevision.biola.edu/?p=571

3 http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/just-the-facts.aspx

4 http://studentlife.biola.edu/spiritual-development/chapel/2008-torrey-conference

5 http://studentlife.biola.edu/spiritual-development/chapel/chapel-makeups

Documentary Clarification

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:31:22 -0400

Quite frequently, The Biola Queer Underground receives requests from students for interviews, statements, etc. for the purpose of appearing in a student’s project. As we are a confidential and anonymous group, for the time being, we have a policy against conducting interviews and appearing in student films as BQU members.

To clear up any confusion or rumor: We are not endorsing any student documentary and none of our members have been featured in any documentary, student or otherwise.

Blessings,

The BQU

I want to say that I'm so grateful that a group like this exists as Biola! Biola is one of two colleges I'm considering, and the main reason I'm not sure about attending is because of their LGBTQIA+ policy. If I end up going, this group will definitely be a lifeline. Keep up the great work :]

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:05:19 -0400

You are very welcome. We hope to be a resource to you, should you choose biola. God bless!

The Art of Dissection

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 01:47:14 -0400

My parents taught me the art of dissection.

I am the modern child. I learned to be ok with being diminished. I learned to be ok with being controlled. I would still be ok if I had remained blind to the irrationality of rationality. Now, I’m tired of the labels. I need to learn the art of deconstruction, so that I can be known as a human. I have thus become the modern child trying to break out of the molds of modernity, and from what I’ve learned so far, this art of deconstruction is love, because love is always bigger.

As modern children, we saw our parents make sure their infants looked like either boys or girls, so that that stranger in Target didn’t make the hellish mistake of mixing up the “gender” of their child.

It was a power struggle.

But love is bigger.

Those infants grew up trying to figure out what it meant to be a man or a woman…who it was ok to love…how it was ok to act.

Society has screwed us up, has tried to make us shove gender into dichotomous boxes.

But love is bigger.

Love forces us to see other people, first, as broken bleeding beautiful souls. Not sex, not gender, not race, not age, not social status.

Love is the Light that enters the darkness.

A Light that the darkness does not comprehend.  A Light who shows mercy on an adulteress about to be stoned.  A Light whose very feet are washed by the tears of a prostitute.  A Light who came not to be served, but to serve.  A Light who breaks hard-heartedness through example.  A Light who came to show humanity what real love is, and open up that love to everyone, no matter how broken, no matter how vile.

Love is real, and to be real is forever my life goal. May we always fight to give others that same chance. All human beings deserve the right to be real, to be themselves, to love and be loved.

http://www.thebiolaqueerunderground.com/apps/blog/show/25250046-the-art-of-dissection

At evangelical colleges, a shifting attitude toward gay students

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 22:08:34 -0400

At evangelical colleges, a shifting attitude toward gay students:

Covered on CNN! Things are looking up for LGBTQ Christians.