Recent Publicity On The Transgender Homecoming Court

[UNT90]

Since I have not only had numerous comments made to my face about this subject, but have also walked up on ongoing conversations about this subject in which none of the participants were UNT grads, I wonder the effect this publicity will have on this recruiting season. Every comment made to me and every conversation I have heard has been negative toward the university (basically rolling of the eyes and statements similiar to "there they go again. what are they thinking up there?").

Now, with groundbreaking coming the same day as the announcement on this really, really stupid vote, which do you think will get top billing in the local media? I think we all know the answer.

The SGA could have quashed this if they would have simply held their ground and voted their previously stated beliefs (Flyer, please tell me you were the one vote against), but they chose to cave to political pressure.

[UNT_playmaker]

It wont hurt us in recruiting, unless the players who wanted to consider UNT were gay or transgendered, if thats the case we are totally screwed...

Besides our record this year and last year is what recruits look at.....

[Lurker]

My nephew is a UNT student and works as a waiter in Lewisville. He said when he showed up for his Monday shift, he was asked by two different people if he was going to run for Homecoming queen. UNT was the joke of the night.

I'm not sure how it helps us to be the ongoing punchline.

Edited November 18, 2009 by Lurker

[UNT90]

It wont hurt us in recruiting, unless the players who wanted to consider UNT were gay or transgendered, if thats the case we are totally screwed...

Besides our record this year and last year is what recruits look at.....

I'm more concerned about the players parents than I am about the players. This won't sit well with many of them.

[LoveMG]

with the football team playing poorly and now this subject, unt is being laughed at. please let men's basketball have a great year to offset the failure of so much right now going on in denton.

[gangrene]

UNT was in the news again last night on KTVT, the CBS affiliate. While this news was pretty silly too, it was far less damaging than the HC story. I tried to find the story on KTVT's website, but couldn't. Anyway, some UNT graduate has decided that he'd rather go on a mission to China than get a job and pay for his student loans. So, he had listed his $16,500 student loan on Ebay in hopes that someone would buy it and pay it off. Hmmm....ok. Again, we got laughed at.

[UNT90]

I seriously considered dressing in drag as a UNT cheerleader, going on to the hospitality deck, and acting as gay as possible to drive home a point. But, in the modern day age of the internet, and a strong "no" from the boss, I have decided against this tactic.

[greenminer]

Just to temper the sky-is-falling attitude going around, I have not heard one bit of this issue in the workplace or my weekend hangs.

UNT is just a running joke in YOUR workplace, in my experience.

[UNT90]

Just to temper the sky-is-falling attitude going around, I have not heard one bit of this issue in the workplace or my weekend hangs.

UNT is just a running joke in YOUR workplace, in my experience.

You don't work at the rainbow bar, do you?

[CaribbeanGreen]

for the record, it's not transgender -- the ballot reads "gay and gender neutral"... the latter of which caused me to implode on myself like a dying star.

My thoughts are well documented in the thread in UNT News. Enjoyed the segment on D&M this morning on the topic, though.

[OldTimer]

I thought I read in the paper that the NT student board rejected to keep this from happening.

[UNT90]

I thought I read in the paper that the NT student board rejected to keep this from happening.

They caved after protests.

Probably of about 10 students.

[Censored by Laurie]

They caved after protests.

Probably of about 10 students.

Damn Tea-bagers.

[yyz28]

...we break ground on our new Stadium on Saturday, and the press we get this week is "Gay Homecoming Court"? ...Way to manage the message UNT. ...and thanks SGA!

[CaribbeanGreen]

I thought I read in the paper that the NT student board rejected to keep this from happening.

they did. SGA voted it down.

Then, some campus groups (GLAAD, FMLA, ISO are the ones I know off hand) began loudly protesting the ruling. The Daily ran a front page story and an editorial trashing the SGA's decision. I was in class in Wooten one evening while SGA was having a scheduled non-public meeting in one of the lecture halls down the hall, and my professor had to call campus police because a large organized group of students chanting "WE WANT EQUALITY" stormed in and staged a sit-in in the SGA meeting.

Long story short, SGA folded like a cheap suit, and the administration is too scared or nervous to intervene. They basically pretended their vote never happened, and agreed to stage a general student election. You can guess which side has been more vocal about promoting the vote on campus.

[UNT_playmaker]

It just keeps getting worst here at UNT.... especially this semester

The football team has only won 5 games in three years and three of those wins came from a FCS team.

The Homecoming Vote for a King and King or Queen or Queen

And of course the BOR and other offices are officially going to be moved out of the main campus to Downtown Dallas.

What is going on in Denton???? All of these stories have been reported on by the local and state media....

Team of the Metroplex

[gangrene]

They caved after protests.

Probably of about 10 students.

Judging from the video on the news coverage, it was about 10 students. The video showed one carrying a rainbow flag and another with a sign marching up the stairs inside the student union, while onlookers pointed and smiled/laughed. What a cry for attention...

[TheTastyGreek]

[Eagle1855]

Damn Tea-bagers.

yes.

[TheColonyEagle]

I want the university to elect a Common Sense Panel....

Why doesn't the university just say, "In order to not exclude anyone, we will have one male and one female in the homecoming court." If a gay male or gay female want to run, fine, who cares or needs to know what their preference is. But we will have one male and one female. I'm pretty sure those are still the two dominant sexes in the world. If two gay males are chosen, then females are excluded and vice versa, right?

Does the homecoming court have to be a couple? I believe one article I read gave the example of SMU. Their court doesn't have to be a couple. It's a man and a woman with no mention of their orientation. Who cares? Just do away with the "couple" requirement. Then a gay dude and a gay girl can run. What am I missing?

[TheTastyGreek]

Who cares? Just do away with the "couple" requirement. Then a gay dude and a gay girl can run. What am I missing?

I believe we have a winner!

[jtm0097]

We cant get wfaa to talk about our team, but yet the transgender homecoming court was one of the main stories.

[NT03]

The whole homecoming theme in college is gay anyways.. .no pun intented

This isn't high school , do away with homecoming all together. I mean seriously , how many people out there have such wonderful homecoming memories from your college days ?

gay , gay , gay i say

[untjim1995]

A few points on this.

1.) Yes it will be used against the university when recruits are visiting with other coaches. In many minority communities, gays are not accepted, nor tolerated. You can look at any poll or study about this. I once heard a black professor state, "Socially, the black community is MORE conservative than most suburban white communities when it comes to acceptance of gays." This whole mess, though, will be swept under the rug if this new vote doesn't pass to have two gay men or women as the homecoming court. Otherwise, it will be just one more point used by coaches to point out a perceived "negative" of UNT. Trust me, the current state of the football program weighs much heavier in the whole recruiting process, but it will matter to many parents and recruits when brought up by other coaches.

2.) The university really needs to back its SGA here. The issue was addressed already and that should be enough. If you want to change the focus of how homecoming courts are determined, then do what was just posted and make it open for one man and one woman. Leave it at that.

Sometimes, I really can't believe we make it so hard on ourselves at UNT. And, in full disclosure, if we do allow this all to pass and do elect two people of the same gender to represent us as the homecoming couple, this university has seen my last dollar and my last ounce of support. The embarrassment would SEVERELY outweigh my diploma. I have already heard enough as it stand from other school's alumni to make me vomit.

[risinggreen]

We cant get wfaa to talk about our team

Thank God, unless of course we're talking B-ball. Oh well, off to Arlington!