Olivia Talbott
Staff Columnist
After a nine month tug of war, same-sex housing for UNC Chapel Hill in North Carolina is on its way. UNC-Chapel Hill approved same sex housing after lobbying by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Center (LGBTQC), and the Gender Neutral Housing Coalition. Their victory, although not the first for gender neutrality, remains a controversial, yet progressive win.
The gender-neutral cause isn’t seeking to impose beliefs. The head of the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees has made clear that if non-specific gender housing is enacted at the school, all students will have the choice between non-specific gender housing and traditional housing. UNC student’s proposal is an attempt to challenge us ethically. We are thought to be the generation of tolerance and progressive thought.
This proposal expresses the unspoken opinions of our moral standards and chants that tolerance isn’t enough with echoing confidence. We don’t owe it to our fellow man to like them, but we do owe it to ensure that we do everything in our power to demand equal opportunities in an equal environment for those alike and different than us.
We owe it to the LGBTQ community to acknowledge the fact that many have lived their college years bereaved of happiness because of a negative or oppressive living situation.
UNC Chapel Hill would not be the first school to enact gender neutrality in housing, although they are the first in North Carolina. VCU is a liberal, culturally diverse mecca for new-age progressives with an eclectic assortment of beliefs. Regardless of such, I find myself wondering what has kept us from doing the same as UNC students. I am proud to say that in my personal observation of the social dynamics within our school, the majority of VCU students possess strong moral fiber.
Regardless of a lack of bullying behavior and prejudiced mentalities on campus, we owe it to our fellow human beings feel even more comfortable in their learning environment.
There are 66 private universities and 33 public schools who allow some form of gender non-specific housing. UNC may not be the first, but they are exemplary in their efforts to spark our wandering, political minds with this idea. Although initially rebuked by their Chancellor, they worked to convince the entirety of the board of trustees to unanimously accept their proposal.
If achieving anything that pertains to the entire student population of UNC Chapel Hill, the dialogue regarding implementation has made a strong statement to all UNC students. It says the university cares about students’ mental health, their happiness, their safety and stability more than anything and they respect them enough to offer them a choice.
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