The other morning it was rather chilly and I was going to spend a part of they day on projects around the house. Without much thought I pulled out my Prin College hoodie, cozy, warm and already stained from projects, to wear.

I took Kid1 to school and the first friend we saw was the child with two mommies.

I felt suddenly very self-conscious. Here I was chatting with an incredible woman who cared deeply about her partner and her child while wearing a hoodie from an institution which openly, actively discriminates against homosexuals. I felt horribly ashamed.

How was I going to explain to her that yes, I had attended a conservative Christian liberal arts college in Elsah, IL, but I had reformed my ways. I was no longer particularly conservative, or remotely Christian (except at all the holidays which include chocolate or presents). I had signed a petition and blogged about Prin’s anit-gay stances. I was not the same naive, idealistic eighteen year old who stepped off Alton Limo into the warped world of Prin.

Thankfully the other mother wasn’t aware of Principia’s views on homosexuals, nor did she inquire about the obscure college printed on the front of my sweatshirt. We greeted each other with cheerful “good mornings” and we chatted about the weather as we walked to the classroom.

I felt dirty and ashamed to be associated with a college that holds such hateful views on homosexuality.

I disagree with Principia’s policies and I felt that by wearing the hoodie in public I was in some way supporting their stance. I know I’m not, I know it is just a hoodie, but it felt like I had “I hate gay people” scrawled across my back in bright orange over the silhouette of the panther’s head. I felt like everyone knew about Principia’s anti-homosexual stance and that I was being judged for having attended a school with such bigoted views.

I love my Prin hoodie, it is cozy and warm, but for now, it will be regulated to the back of an under-the-bed storage bin (or to be worn on days I don’t leave the house or associate with anyone outside my immediate family). I don’t want to be associated with an institution that has hateful, harmful views about anyone.