The CoC campus community opposed the attempt at government censorship and staged various nonviolent protests. But a dramatic showdown over CoC’s use of Bechdel's book ensued when South Carolina-based conservative group the Palmetto Family Council and Republican state representative Garry Smith supported a bill to cut $52,000 from the College of Charleston budget. A highly honored best seller published in 2006, Fun Home depicts the author’s coming-out story and the suicide of her father, a closeted gay man. In the 243-year history of the College of Charleston, this last academic year proved to be one for the books earning the campus the distinction of a “brave space.” The annual CoC Campus Reads! Program buys books, like Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, every year to engage students on issues of diversity and invites the author to speak on campus, as Bechdel did last October. The designation “brave space” comes from the philosophy that “safe spaces” are a privilege not available in some situations, such as these Southern campuses.įounded and based in Charlotte, N.C., Campus Pride has provided ongoing support and a hands-on commitment for the work done by and for Southerners, especially on college campuses. In other cases the students have taken up the fight for equitable treatment themselves and are creating “brave spaces” on their own. Many of these campuses are pioneers in the region advocating for inclusive policies, programs, and practices. Since conviction has always been strong in the face of adversity, Campus Pride has identified seven campuses in particular that stand out as not just good colleges, but “brave spaces” where LGBT young adults have stood up against the politics of bigotry and pushed forward, driving grassroots progress.
And while organizing in the South offers a special set of challenges, Southern colleges and universities remain a vital part of the social, political, and cultural landscape. The struggle for fair access and treatment for LGBT students is still that in many places - a struggle.
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