Being gay in a homophobic place would have explained Sumner's encouragement of diversity, his sympathy for the underdog, and his empathy for minority points of view.
I remember one class -- it was being held in the science lab; many non-science classes were held there, there being only so many classrooms -- and Sumner went off on a diversionary tangent about his growing up years. He didn't go into specifics, rather talked about the cruelty and intolerance of youth, and finished up his little revelatory bit by saying if he had to live it all over again, he would never go back. He repeated the last phrase for emphasis, shaking his head in negation: "
NEVER go back." At that point, he whipped his head up and stared right at me sitting at the back. I was afraid to look away. I knew
exactly what he was talking about, and he knew that I knew and perhaps intended me to.
Consequently, not specifically because of that moment, although it certainly crystallized it for me in memory, I always felt very protective of Sumner and tended to only see his positive side. It wasn't 'till years later, when one of those returning alums confided in me, that I began to see the larger picture. Even then, I did not want to believe it at first myself. But other inconsistencies with my former picture also began to emerge, incidents of toadying and untruths spoken, etc. And more, but I am not going to go into that here right now.
I think the climate Sumner endured whilst growing up certainly did a number on him, and may well have stigmatized him for life. And I don't think it helped being at Hyde. But it does not excuse what he did to others, it merely helps explain why he was the way he was. I don't think I am being disloyal to Sumner's memory by acknowledging the damage he did to others by preying on their vulnerabilities, should they have been hapless enough to return to the old stomping ground. Rather, I am exploring yet one more facet of the blatant hypocrisy of Hyde's niche in the character-development market.
