Freaky Friday?

I slept badly last night, worried over a situation with a student. This student (I'll call him Eric, but that's not his name) came out to me early in the semester. By the end of the semester, he'd finally gotten up enough courage to reveal his sexuality to his father. Daddy-O went nuts. That so disrupted Eric's peace of mind that he wound up going home early and taking an Incomplete in my class. Now Daddy-O is harassing me via e-mail with such well-worn statements as "I pay the tuition bill so I have a right to know about Eric's grades." I have kept my communication with this father VERY brief, citing FERPA restrictions and telling him I cannot communicate with him about Eric's grades unless I have Eric's permission. Eric has expressly begged me to keep silent about his situation, but unfortunately, he is terrified of his father and may eventually allow this man to browbeat him into admitting the truth. That would be preferable to my saying anything (not that I would anyway), and of course, I want Eric and his father to talk to each other. I'm just worried that this father is going to destroy his son. Eric is a gentle, intelligent young man, and he writes quite well. I hope that he'll have the courage to stand up to his father, but I also want him to be safe. Some men seem to be as invested in their sons' testosterone levels as they are in their own.

Because I believe passionately that people are not gay by choice but by birth, I have a Safe Place sign on my office door and tell students that they are safe with me. I would preserve Eric's privacy regardless of his sexual orientation, but that added issue causes me to fear for him.

I've been hearing rumors on the Entertainment shows that Adam Lambert lost Idol because he's gay. It wouldn't surprise me. I wouldn't have cared if he openly french-kissed Ryan Seacrest on the air. Adam Lambert can sing. He's one hell of a talented young person, and even Kris Allen knew Adam should have won.

Changing the subject, I finally bought food for my studio apartment today. Now I'm worried about the refrigerator. It didn't seem very cold. I hope that my food stays cold enough that it won't spoil. The little cool-down we've had today should help. I found myself wishing I'd brought a jacket with me, especially for use in my office since the air-conditioning was on. Frigid!