Joe Hogan is a male African American nurse who lived in Columbia, Mississippi who stood up for his rights and what he believed in. He already had an associate’s degree, but he wanted to further his education to get his bachelor’s degree. The closest co-ed university was 147 miles away, so he applied to an all-girl’s university, Mississippi University for Women (MUW), that was in his hometown. He was denied admission based on his sex, despite the fact that he was otherwise qualified. Hogan sued the school on the basis of the violation of his 14th amendment rights (the Equal Protection Clause), and in 1982, the courts ruled in favor of him, ending school sex discrimination in publicly funded nursing schools throughout the country.
Joe Hogan has the qualities of a hard-working, headstrong man, and is a good counter example because he does not fit the description of a man in Defining Men’s Studies. In this chapter, the status and achievement of men is described as being, “successful in everything they do, especially in sports, work, and sexual ‘conquest’. Powerful men earn respect and admiration of the others”. Hogan is working in a field that is dominated by women, and he has faced much opposition as it is rare to see a male nurse. The reason he was not accepted to the MUW was only because of the fact the his sex was not female, yet he has shown that with perseverance, you can do whatever you dream to, even if male stereotypes and the law is against you.
Lovers and Fighters | Section 22 