Emily Paratore

by Emily Paratore on March 19, 2026

Dear Editors of The Cowl,

We are writing to you as students of Beyond the Closet: The LGBTQIA+ Experience, a class offered by Providence College. We are writing to provide an alternate perspective regarding the concerns raised in the letter to the editor in the Feb. 27 issue. To jog your memory, this letter condemned the use of an image from “a highly explicit homosexual TV show” (Heated Rivalry) as an image of love in the Valentine’s Day issue. Our class discussed this letter extensively, and we wish to respond.

First, the author of the letter places Heated Rivalry in the arena of counterculture and takes issue with the reference to it in The Cowl, suggesting that the show misrepresents Catholic notions of love. The only claim made by The Cowl was that the show represents a large “pop culture reference to love.” It does not endorse the show nor claim that it represents Catholic love. Rather, it explicitly states that it is a pop culture reference. Two years ago, a similar Valentine’s issue contained a reference to the couple from Netflix’s You, which depicts stalking, murder, and relationship violence. No one spoke up when this non-Catholic view of love was published. Heated Rivalry is arguably the biggest show of the year, making it a relevant pop culture reference to the readers of the student newspaper, and the opposite of countercultural.

Our biggest concerns regarding the letter are the ways in which microaggressions against the LGBTQ+ community are incorporated in the letter, drawing parallels to “outcasts, the scorned, the unwanted,” but indicating that LGBTQ+ individuals (or representations of that love) should not be “welcomed in,” because they represent sin. Per PC’s mission statement, “Providence College seeks to reflect the rich diversity of the human family. Following the example of St. Dominic, who extended a loving embrace to all, it welcomes qualified men and women of every background and affirms the God-given dignity, freedom, and equality of each person. Providence College promotes the common good, the human flourishing of each member of the campus community, and service of neighbors near and far.” LGBTQIA+ people are part of that human family that we attempt to create on this campus. We think that it is troubling that the letter’s author calls for respect when he is openly disrespecting a group of these brothers and sisters. The late Pope Francis called for Catholics not to judge those who have the Lord’s goodwill. It seems important that goodwill be extended here.

Jesus taught us to love each other. In John 8, he refuses to stone a woman for her sin. This example proves that Jesus preaches not to judge and condemn others, unlike what the Feb. 27 letter does to the LGBTQIA+ community. Times are inevitably changing; it was a mere 50 years ago that women could not enroll at PC. A central pillar of this college is respecting human dignity, and that dignity includes allowing different types of love to represent the love in the world and our Friar community. 

Sincerely, 

Students of Beyond the Closet: The LGBTQIA+ Experience. 

Gracie Batsie ’28, Sophia Cremona ’28, Olivia Taveira ’26