Friday, May 2, 2008

Tell Notre Dame Sexual Orientation Ain't No Game!

According to: The Observer


"Students from the Progressive Student Alliance (PSA) will deliver a petition to the Office of the President Wednesday to add sexual orientation to Notre Dame's Non-Discrimination, PSA member Mike McCann said.


In 1998, PSA "organized the 300 person demonstration in support of Fr. David Garrick, the Holy Cross priest who was dismissed from his duties at the Basilica after coming out as a celibate homosexual priest," PSA member McCann said in an e-mail. Garrick came out in an April 4, 1996 letter in The Observer.


Garrick resigned from the University in March 1998.


Later in the year, both the Faculty and the Student Senates passed resolutions in favor of adding sexual orientation to the non-discrimination clause, McCann said.


PSA then formed a petition in Oct. 1998 to add the term and obtained more than 1,100 signatures, he said. They also held a rally before a meeting of the Academic Council and brought speakers in favor of changing the clause to campus in November, McCann said.


The Academic Council passed the motion to change the clause by one vote in November, McCann said.


On Dec. 1, 1998, "the Board of Fellows met and unanimously voted against including sexual orientation in the non-discrimination clause," McCann said.
PSA member Rob Plasschaert said 2,500 to 3,000 members of the Notre Dame community signed the petition."


Whether you are a student or alumni of Notre Dame, or just a concerned citizen. Send them an email and let them know sexual orientation/gender identity should be a protected category.


Contact Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a Catholic university I don't see how they will ever allow this to get covered especially in light of the Vatican's very anti-gay positions lately.

Dreki said...

And mom wanted me to go there for college.

I agree that it'll be hard to get so catholic a university to change on that. But it's a good sign that 2,500-3000 people signed the petition.

That's all from '98. Has it not been touched on since? Did it change at all?

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