An open letter to President Fisher and the Belmont University Board of Trust
An open letter to President Fisher and the Belmont University Board of Trust: Five years ago, I was part of a discussion group sponsored by the university to have “difficult dialogs” about Belmont and its treatment of LGBT students. At the time, I was newly out of the closet, a student in the School of Religion and CEMB, and an active leader of student organizations on campus. I was invited to be a part of this group that literally met underground (the symbolism was not lost on us even if it was unintentional) in response to the university denying the recognition of an LGBT student organization. However well intentioned this group may have been, it was a debacle. While I am thankful to this day for the myriad faculty and staff members who were involved in supporting the position of students like me, it was clear that the university was not actively listening to us as a minority within the population. Then, in the fall of 2010, Lisa Howe ceased to be employed at Belmont. I say, “c