University of Mississippi - Ole Miss Yearbook (Oxford, MS)

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PERSONAL EXPRESSION Chris Kelly believes that everyone should BE seen for who THEY TRULY ARE - PEOPLE m nlw message boards say a lot about the ■eopl vho read a Web site. ne ' partner ' is tiie husband, the pitcher, and the other ' partner ' is the wife, the catcher Simple, huh? - Chasmet ■ ' Equal rights? Heh. The onl thing unequal in the minds of most feminists are a few chemicals. - Feminazis forced me to ENOUGH IS EXOUGH!! stop with this liberal gutter trash! - mot applicable) Feedbacks left on The Daily Mississippian Web site are intended to create online dialogues among readers. Oftentimes, what ' s between the lines is more telling than what ' s posted on the Internet. One of the best DM conversation starters, for better or worse, has been columnist and activist, Chris Kelly. Kelly reserves few qualms about being a firestarter and was usually derided by a classically conser -ative readership on issues ranging from gay marriage to President Bush ' s foreign policy. But the senior from Sherman majoring in sociology took criticism in stride and said the hundreds of comments left in his wake during the 2003-2004 school year helped him. No matter how repressive the social environment may seem, you can stand up and really the only thing to lose is popularity, and reaUy, popularity is meaningless an) ' way if you ' re going against your integrity to have that popularity, Kelly said. Kelly is gay and has been openly so since his senior year of high school at Mississippi School for Mathematics and Sciences in Columbus. When he enrolled at Ole Miss, he immediately sank his teeth into activism for Amnesty Inlerriational and what is now called the Gay-.Siraight . lliance. He |)r()tcstcd the war in Irac| and preemptive strikes in the Middle East. He documented anti-gay graffiti scrawled on Kincannon shower curtains and elevator doors on a VVcl) site he launched. He adamantly believes people deserve basic resy)c( I until ihcy prove themselves unworthy. Kelly did not come from Berkeley, as some DM readers have asserted, but rather Sherman, a small town in Pontotoc Countv; This was the same county embroiled in a national debate over school prayer in 1996. Kelly said he was friends with one of Lisa Herdahfs five children, and that was when he first questioned the status quo of his community. Herdahl protested her Lutheran children being isolated for not wanting to participate in daily school-wide prayer Because of the national stink, her family received death threats. With the help of the American Civil Liberties L ' nion of Mississippi and People for the American Way, the Herdahls, originally from Wisconsin, were vindicated when the U.S. District Court decided to ban school-sanctioned prayer, according to CNN.com. Earlier, I ' d always taken the common practice of having the prayer over the intercom for granted, as being perfectly natural and right, and I couldn ' t fathom how anybody could oppose that. Kelly said. His inclination to challenge North Mississippi social norms came to a head when he was 15-years-old. He told his father about his sexual orientation, harrowing enough without being set in the Bible Belt and less than 30 minutes away from the American Family Association in Tupelo. He works with the Gay-Straight , lliance to foster better relations among people of any sexual orientation on campus. People are just so saturated in homophobic ideology; Kelly said. I think it really varies. It ' s going to be pardcularly stronger in this geographical region of the L nited States. A member of National Organization for Women, Kelly ' s interests also dip into economic inequality. Though K( lly believes there ' s a societal expectation that gays and lesbians remain silent, he has proven that he intends to be anything but through his work as a colunniist and activist. His ultimate goal, aside from stirring up things no one wants to talk about, is to hclj) people see each other for what they are - people. ■itten In LAURA HOUSTON 164 I The Ole Miss 2005

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Gayden - Henley SOPHOMORES ■r I n P t (inydn, Jainese (,ih im, (Jirislwe ( iliiitney, hm (idjiffins. Robert (i(iiil hy, Shenin (iiiiild. Sniiinrilhd. iKifiliii Delia Gray, Surah drear. Ste )hanie, (. ' hi Ornega Green. Trade. Kapfia Alpha ' I hela Gnjfin, Ben Griffin, Ralanda Griffith, Patrick, Kappa Sigma Guerieri, Trey, Kappa .Mphn Guerra, Jynette Gupton, Crawford. Kappa Si;j7na Guyton. Demerris Haggard. Allison Hale. Barry Hampton, Lakedra Hampton, Richard Hankins, Madeline, Phi Mu Hans, Sammy, Alpha Omicron Pi Haque, Tahsin Hardwick, Jon Hareford. Stephme Harkins, Jennifer Harper, Kristal Harper, Tara Harploe, Megan. Kappa Alpha Theta Harrell, Lori Harrell, Shelton Harrington, Elizabeth. Kappa Alpha Theta Harris. Cedric Harris, Lateshia, Alpha Kappa Alpha Harrison, James Harrison. Lauren. Kappa Delta Haslett, Felicia Haupt, Kelly Haywood, Amy Heard, Sarah Hegi, John Henley Sarah, Pi Beta Phi Personauties I 163

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Ilmry - Keshel SOPHOMORES h I liiiry, (iryslal I liinid, Aeryat Ihll, (Mwlyn, I ' ln Mu I liiiruli. Juiuinii. I ' l lifld I ' ln llill. A ' ftirly. Chi Omifiii I I ' lmii. Alison. I ' l liel i I ' ln llullimd. R ' nhml llnllaml. Tyler I I ' ll Inn. (ileimella. -Zi ' ln I ' ln Hil ' i lldllis. hnimi lliiLi. laylor. I ' l lieUi I ' ln lliiuse, Andrea, Alpha Ornicron I ' l I Iiiuiton. Lutara Uiiward, Rachel. I ' ln Mu Huang. Derek Ihlander, Alyyui. I ' l Beta Fin Ilxlander, Chmlen Ivory. Meliaa Jackson, Laura Jamerson, Jada Jennings, Amelia Jirtiigan. Dnstin Jiineuez. Scully Joe. Craig Johnson. Enn. Delia Gamma Johnson. Paul Joiner. Alicia Jones, Candace Jonex Chardae Jones. Kevin Jones, Patrice Jones, Palrice, Kappa Alpha Theta Jones Jr., Bernard Joseph, Jasmia, eta Phi Beta Joyner. Katie Judson. Amos Karlowicz, Eli.se fuisee, Cody :, I h. Robert Kemp, Greta Keng, Carleen, Kappa Delta Keshel, Seth Personalities | 165