HuffPo: The "Compassion Forum" college lacks compassion for LGBT students

[NJSecularist]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-reitan/speaking-of-compassion_b_95970.html

This Sunday, Senators Clinton and Obama will be taking part in something called the 'Compassion Forum' at Messiah College in Pennsylvania. Ironically, Messiah College has a severe lack of compassion towards its LGBT students. The school's community covenant prohibits "homosexual behavior" and effectively bans LGBT students who are open and self affirming from attending Messiah.

Exactly a year ago to the day of the 'Compassion Forum', the Soulforce Equality Ride made a stop at Messiah College. The Equality Ride is a nation wide bus tour of LGBT and straight allied students working to end anti-gay policies on America's college campuses. It is a journey that I founded after finding that hundreds of college campuses have these discriminatory policies.

When I was an undergraduate at Northwestern University, I met a young gay man who went to Wheaton College, which counts itself among the hundreds of discriminatory colleges already mentioned. I asked him what it was like to be gay at Wheaton.

"Well, I can't come out," he responded. "If I did, the school would kick me out."

I was taken aback. "That is a horrible policy. We must try to change it," I said. What my friend said next, I was wholly unprepared to hear.

"Actually, I think it is a good policy. I think being gay is a sin."

With that, I knew there was a problem in America. This young man had been raised in a home, in a church, and in a community that had taught him to reject himself. It is for him and countless others like him that the Soulforce Equality Ride exists. We are trying to change America.

In spite of our visit last year to Messiah College, their discriminatory policies are still in place. This brings into question why Senators Obama and Clinton would agree to discuss compassion in this setting. Both Clinton and Obama speak about uniting America and both speak against the politics of fear and division. It also calls into question the judgment of John Podesta's Center for American Progress' Faith in Public Life program. Why would they select a college where gay people are not welcome to hold a discussion on issues of compassion? There are plenty of faith-based colleges to choose from. I attend one. I am a second year Masters of Theological Studies student at Harvard Divinity School.

This is a shame, but I'm sure the usual suspects will continue to blame Obama and Obama only. Both candidates are complacent in this type of garbage. The event should have never been held here.

[xchrom]

1. the compassion-less debate. nt

[sudopod]

2. Obvious rejoinder

"The school's community covenant prohibits "homosexual behavior" and effectively bans LGBT students who are open and self affirming from attending Messiah."

That's gay.