Dear Daniel Stewart,

Greetings from Africa! My name is Kevin Brendle and I graduated in April of 2002 from Flagler. I am currently serving two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia.

Yesterday I received a forwarded copy of a Folio Weekly article by Anne Schindler regarding a proposed Gay-Straight Alliance. The article stated that you have denied the applicants permission to receive official status as a Flagler College club. If the contents of this article are correct, especially you stating that Flagler was "just not one of those schools," then I am extremely disappointed in your decision and am confident your views to not adequately represent either our alumni or the interests of the current student body of my alma mater.

If my memory serves me correctly, students also tried to form a Gay and Lesbian club during my tenure at Flagler (1998-2002), but the Office of Student Services rejected their proposal. That the students most recently denied their club were not the first group of Flagler students to attempt to gain official recognition for a club related to sexual orientation seems to suggest that the Flagler administration is not only unaligned with and unsupportive of their students' interests, it suggests that the administration continues to perpetuate illegitimacy based on prejudicial and judgmental biases. For that, I am deeply saddened.

As a gay student, I was not active in pursuing a student organization such as the proposed Gay-Straight Alliance. At the time, I didn't see the need; at least it didn't seem to affect me personally. In retrospect, however, I believe that I, and many other students, would have benefited greatly from such an organization. Indeed, as an alumni, I would feel comfort in knowing that my university was among those who tolerated difference; among those who, while not even necessarily agreeing, had enough compassion for their fellow human beings to allow any group of self-identified people to tackle issues they feel are important to our societal development. I wish I could state that my university was among those which, even among private institutions, respected the doctrine set forth in our first amendment by not stifling freedom of speech and expression.

The importance of tolerance in society has never been more apparent to me since my arrival on the African continent. Zambia has outlawed homosexual behavior, which is punishable with jail sentences. At least as a nation, the United States has moved beyond that. I had never thought I'd be comparing Flagler College with the Zambian government, but, when Flagler's administration illegitimizes a group of students on its campus, it's difficult for me to not see the parallels.

I therefore strongly urge you to reconsider your decision and allow your students the right to meet on your campus and to be recognized officially by the school.

Thank you for your time,

Kevin Brendle
Class of 2002