Morehouse College, one of the few remaining traditional HBCU men’s liberal arts colleges in the United States, is dealing with a gay sex scandal that will likely have major repercussions.
It all started last week when 20-year-old Michael Key posted a heartbreaking video to his Twitter page alleging sexual misconduct by a male faculty member that went unaddressed by the school for over a year and a half.
In the video, Key detailed alleged abuse he suffered at the hands of Morehouse’s Director of Housing and Residential Education, Demarcus Crews, that included inappropriate comments, invasive questions, and unwanted touching.
When he and his parents contacted the school’s Title IX director, Key claimed nothing was ever done about it.
“I know there are other students who have experienced some type of sh*t from Demarcus Crews,” he said in the video. “So I just really need you all to be by my side on this and get Morehouse to hear me because I’m tired.”
Now, Key has lawyered up.
During a press conference yesterday, attorney Tiffany M. Simmons said that, in addition Key, she has been contacted by two more students within the last 48 hours with similar allegations of sexual misconduct at the hands of Morehouse administrators and staff.
“This is a disgrace that Morehouse has allowed this to happen not only to my client, but to other clients in similar situations,” Simmons told reporters yesterday. “We want change, because this has happened too many times to my client, and other students.”
Key says that, despite his repeated efforts to contact them, school officials didn’t reach out to him until after his Twitter posts went viral last week. Now, Simmons says, they’ll have to go through her if they want to speak to him.
“Morehouse, at this time, is choosing image over students,” Simmons said, “and that is not acceptable. They should be held accountable.”
In a statement, the school said Crews has been put on leave while the situation was investigated and that the school is “expanding its sexual misconduct investigation to include the examination of new complaints filed against additional employees.”
