By Scott Tibbs, May 3, 2011
On April 29, the IU Student Association (student government) and the office of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Equality (SAGE) at Indiana University sponsored an event called GenderF***. (Use your imagination.) The article reporting on the event included pictures that indicated how completely depraved it was. (Link is NSFW.)
This is the sad state of higher education in modern America.
What was the purpose of this event? Was it to stress "gender expression as a performance for communicating social messages" and to promote tolerance? If so, it did a poor job of that, especially considering the mean-spirited mocking of straw men Christians. No one is educated or enlightened by debauchery for the sake of debauchery.
Did GenderF*** reinforce or dispel stereotypes about homosexuals or those with a "gender identity" different from their biological sex? Or did GenderF*** instead reinforce negative stereotypes about those groups? Do the organizers of GenderF*** think they advanced the causes of homosexual rights and transgender rights with this garish display, or did they only manage to push people away?
Let's be honest; the only purpose of GenderF*** was to be offensive for the sake of being offensive. The purpose was to ridicule, mock and offend Christians. Well, GenderF*** was successful, but both SAGE and IUSA should be aware of the fact that when the Westboro Baptist Church shows up at a funeral with signs such as "God hates fags" or "AIDS cures fags" they are also being offensive for the sake of being offensive.
This week, many students are graduating while others look to the next step in their academic career. For those who organized and participated in GenderF***, how do you think this will affect your job prospects? If a prospective employer finds your name attached to an event that was organized for the sole purpose of being offensive, do you think this will improve your chances of getting that job? How do you think this reflects on your maturity?
The first chapter of Romans provides a warning to those who abandon God's natural use for sexuality. Thankfully, the shed blood of Jesus Christ provides an escape from sexual sin as well as forgiveness for those sins. You are welcome to attend at ClearNote Church of Bloomington for information on how to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord as Savior. We are no better than you are; we seek God's forgiveness because we know how wicked our hearts really are.
See Alex McNeilly's commentary here.
