An unfair definition of ‘couple’

This February, the Recreation, Fitness and Wellness Center at USI had an exclusive co-ed
couples competition to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The one issue with this romantic prize winning event is its defining of a couple as one man and one woman. While
conservatively, a couple is composed of one man and one woman, that excluded homosexual couples from participating in this event.

Meagan Abner, a freshman pre-law major,  approached a member of the Intramural Recreational Sports committee about the competition guidelines only to be upset and appalled at what she had heard: that homosexual couples could not compete together.

Most of the games used in the competition did not place advantages on strength or stature as such an insinuation may lead you to believe.

Some of the games included: cup pyramid stacking, hoola- hoop jumping, forward ball bouncing, scooters and basketball shooting.

None of the above games listed make a man or a woman more privileged based on gender.

Homosexuals could compete in the event, but only with the assistance of a friend of the opposite sex as a partner.

While it may seem fair knowing not only heterosexuals could compete, the prize for
winning was rather romantic in honor of Valentine’s Day.

The winners of the three day competition won a Limousine ride, dinner for two at Rafftery's and a movie at Showplace Cinemas North. Homosexual couples were allowed to
compete through a loophole in the system, but couldn’t be allowed to recieve the prize.

“It made me feel like I was discriminated against because I am not in a relationship with a guy… It made me feel like I was looked down upon,” Abner’s life partner Sam Stokes, a USI freshman social work major, said.

It is important that more USI students stand up and speak out when they see discrimination on our campus, and in this case, something should be done to prevent this from happening again next year.