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John Carroll University Site Of LGBT Student Protest

02/09/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
John Carroll University in Ohio was the scene of a student protest last week. Prior to the start of a basketball game, gay and lesbian students along with their allies staged a sit in to protest the university’s lack of LGBT bias protections in their official policies. While the draft community standards being worked up by the University includes protections for the LGBT Community within the university, the employment policies of the university do not. University officials stated that the employment policies are based specifically on state and federal laws which do not include sexual orientation or gender identity and expression protections. The reliance upon the state and federal laws to explain why those protections are not in the employment policies of the university is in conflict with a statement from John Carroll University. According to their statement: “Rather than rely on the limitations provided under current federal and state law, the university strives to achieve a much higher standard based upon its Jesuit and Catholic mission and teachings,”

John Carroll University is a Catholic College with a Jesuit core identity. According to the draft community standards “’they [gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender people and those questioning their sexual identity] must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Ed., 2358)” The university was founded in 1886.

The protesters were eventually escorted from the court without incident and none of them were arrested. Video of the incident follows: