By Joani Gillam
Staff Writer
At Westmont College, a Christian college in Montecito, California all students are required to sign a “Campus Life Statement” that prohibits “homosexual practice,” among other acts that the Bible forbids.
This ban creates an academic environment that is openly hostile toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.
In January, 31 gay and lesbian Westmont alumni submitted a letter to the college’s student newspaper expressing the “doubt, loneliness, and fear” that they felt due to the school’s ban.
Westmont’s policy singles out gay students, making them feel as if they have something to hide.
It is the responsibility of any institution of higher education to provide a safe and nourishing learning environment for all of its students.
The school must evaluate its own moral stance on homosexuality and not solely rely on the traditional dogma regarding homosexual practices.
There are many axioms presented in the Bible that are not accepted today. Various passages of the Bible teach that having round haircuts, getting a tattoo, and fortune-telling are sinful.
The degree of adherence to each of these ideals varies drastically. As such, religious institutions have the liberty and responsibility of evaluating their own moral stance on these topics.
In the 21st century, tolerance should be just as important as Westmont’s Christian ideals. Christian Today Magazine even condemned the ban on homosexual conduct, saying that “the same standard should apply to all.”
Singling out a minority group pits the school against these students. A school cannot possibly create a safe learning environment for all of its students when it is actively persecuting some of them.
Additionally, Westmont and other religious colleges restrict the speech and expression of homosexual students.
For example, Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, which likewise passed intolerant guidelines regarding homosexuals in 2010, prohibits homosexual organizations on campus.
Hillsdale has prevented the formation of Gay-Straight Alliance, a student-run club that promotes tolerance of homosexual students.
While schools such as Westmont College and Hillsdale College are religious institutions, there must certainly be a middle-ground. Schools must refrain from policies that brand their own students as sinners while maintaining tradition.
Institutions of higher education are places where students should feel safe, not persecuted by the institution itself. Colleges and universities are in the business of education, not in morally attacking their students.
Hopefully, the letter to Westmont College from its gay alumni will gain support and the school will see the folly of its misguided actions.
Regardless of students’ sexual orientations, it is a school’s duty to ensure it provides a healthy learning environment for its students. Westmont has done just the opposite.
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