The Sophian

Issue date: 4/20/06 Section: Opinions

Just days after Governor Patton of Kentucky became the first Southern governor to sign an executive order which added sexual orientation and gender identity to the state's non-discrimination policy, the University of Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ku. kicked out sophomore Jason Johnson for being gay. This decision was made after Johnson posted that he was gay on his myspace.com profile. University President Jim Taylor was quoted later as saying that the schools "hold[s] students to a higher standard" and was "unapologetic" about the decision and felt that he was upholding the morals and standards of the school. The forced withdrawal was not completely unfounded, however. In the school's rules it states that the school will not tolerate un-Christian behavior, which includes homosexuality and sex outside of marriage. May I just say…welcome to the South! If this really was a question of Christian morality, then why hasn't the school kicked out students who have pre-marital sex? Johnson's friends say that besides being gay he is a devout Christian and are outraged that the school took such drastic actions. After all, isn't knowing that you are going to burn in hell for all eternity punishment enough? Governor Patton has not remarked on the subject and LBGT organizations are anxiously anticipating what will be done about the school's policy.

Governor Patton is currently sitting as a lame duck and will be replaced in the fall. There is no question about why he waited until now to enact legislation that was suggested by Senator Scorsone (D), one of Kentucky's senators, months ago. Senator Scorsone was thankful that the governor approved the change and, when asked about the chance of the next Governor overturning the ruling, stated "I think with six months of his term left we can show that there is strong support for this legislation. It is, of course, a lot easier to keep a right than to get one."

With only six months left in office, will Governor Patton step in and be able to penalize the University of Cumberlands for this decision, or is this going to blow over? First, Johnson and his lawyer are going to have to prove that the school broke a law. The American Council of Education, while not supporting the president's decision, has said that colleges and universities have the right to set rules and expect students to obey them. However, Kentucky Fairness Alliance spokeswoman Christina Gilgor commented that while this is a private school, they receive over $1 million in state support every year and that any state supported institution that is state supported should not be religious, let alone force students to uphold the drastic rules that this school has set.

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