At Palm Beach Community College, Queers Have It 'Ruff'

Back when I went to what is now Palm Beach Community College, it was named Palm Beach Junior College. We called it "Peanut Butter & Jelly College." Or when we were feeling competitive with our trust-fund friends, we'd just say we went to "UCLA" (the University of Congress and Lucerne Avenues).

The "Community" part was an Eighties add on, put in place of the previously diminutive "Junior" – which I always thought lent a charming Hee-Haw edge to an otherwise snooty and exclusive-sounding moniker.

Oh, that sounds like I'm not being nice. I really have no malice toward this, my first of many alma maters. (PBJC is but one of the many things I have in common with Burt Reynolds and Deidre Hall, after all.)

But the college is doing itself no favors by further marginalizing a certain community (Guessy who?!) by denying domestic-partner benefits for employees and then turning around and offering pet insurance as part of their employee fringe package.

Domestic. Domesticated. I can see their dilemma.

Unless, of course, this is PBJC's idea of a compromise because they have a soft spot for all those nice lesbians with so many cats. But we have to ask: Will they pull the coverage if they discover the cats are gay?