I established an LGBTQ+ scholarship at Ohio University to honor my friend. SB 1 forced me to move it off campus.

By John R. Corlett

Wayne Hadley was the first person I met when I moved into Biddle Hall at Ohio University in the fall of 1977. He lived directly across the hall. We became fast friends, the kind of friendship that follows you through life. 

We both graduated in 1981, and after college Wayne began teaching second grade in Cincinnati Public Schools’ bilingual program at the former Swifton Primary School. He taught until AIDS made it impossible for him to continue. When he died in 1992 at the age of 33, he was deeply involved in HIV/AIDS advocacy, still helping others even as his own health declined.

When he passed, I knew I wanted to honor him in a lasting way. After speaking with his partner, I created a bequest to establish a scholarship at Ohio University in Wayne’s name—one designed to help LGBTQ+ students who needed to travel, domestically or abroad, as part of their studies and personal growth. Wayne was an inveterate traveler; supporting students in exploring the world felt right. Over time, I realized I didn’t want the scholarship to activate only upon my death, so I began contributing a few thousand dollars each year so students could benefit in the present.

The passage of Ohio Senate Bill 1 has forced a painful reassessment. Under the sweeping new law that ends most diversity, equity and inclusion work at Ohio’s public colleges, Ohio University can no longer accept or administer the Wayne Matthew Hadley Scholarship in a way that clearly and reliably supports LGBTQ+ students. 

As a result, I have made the difficult decision to cancel what would have been a six-figure bequest to Ohio University and to redirect both the bequest and my annual scholarship gifts to the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, which has agreed to house and administer the scholarship going forward. 

I am deeply grateful to the Center for embracing the scholarship and ensuring that Wayne’s name and legacy will continue to support students for years to come.

The scholarship, once established, will be open to all LGBTQ+ college students in Greater Cleveland—including those attending Ohio University—who need assistance with education-related travel. It will be awarded as part of the LGBT Center’s World AIDS Day remembrance.

My decision may be only one small example of another consequence of Senate Bill 1. Alumni often give because they want to help particular students or advance particular values. When public universities are prevented from honoring those intentions, some donors, like me, will inevitably feel compelled to take their philanthropy elsewhere.

This decision is not a judgment of the many individuals at Ohio University who have treated me with kindness and respect. It is instead a direct response to current state policies that limit the institution’s ability to serve LGBTQ+ students openly and affirmatively. My ties to Ohio University remain, and I will welcome future conversations if circumstances allow the university to again fully support all of its students in an open and affirming way. 🔥

John R. Corlett  serves on a number of philanthropic, public, and private boards in Greater Cleveland. He is also a Visiting Fellow at The Center for Community Solutions and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.