But, in Williams’s view, the issue isn’t necessarily an institutional one.
“I know so many people who are what they call ‘down low’ because they’re either scared of their parents, their parents are paying for their tuition, or they’re scared because they grew up in a heavily religious household,” he says. “I think it’s more so a Black community issue that we really do have to address.”
According to the Pew Research Center, Black Americans tend to have slightly more conservative views on sexuality than the larger public does. A 2021 report found that 6 in 10 Black Americans said that homosexuality should be publicly accepted, compared to 7 in 10 of all people.
“I think the attitude toward LGBTQ+ folks ranges from intimate acceptance to complete misunderstanding to downright rejection,” McCune says. “Religious organizations justify bigotry through scripture and interpretation, fraternities and sororities are…