WHAT'S NEXT

Belmont University: Employees Shouldn't Be Forced to Resign for Being Gay
  1. Signatures
    21,979 out of 25,000
    Petitioning
    1. President (+ 3 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • President (Bob Fisher)
      • Office of Communications (Greg Pillon)
      • Vice President (Todd Lake)
      • Dean of Students (Andrew Johnston)
  2. Created By
    Michael Jones
    Boston, MA
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates
How We Won

Jan 30, 2011

Lisa Howe was a celebrated soccer coach at Belmont University, a liberal arts university in Nashville. When word broke that Coach Howe was starting a family with her same-sex partner, Belmont terminated her employment. That decision led scores of students and activists to demand that Belmont's nondiscrimination policy be updated to include sexual orientation. One of Coach Howe's soccer players told Change.org, "This needs to be addressed on a larger scale in which changes are made to fight this type of injustice." Thanks to Belmont students and faculty, as well as over 21,000 Change.org members, Belmont's policy has been updated.

It's been quite the month for Belmont University, at least in terms of LGBT rights. In mid-November, school administrators refused to approve a campus group for gay students, going so far as to say that allowing groups of gay students to meet on campus would violate the school's moral code. Dean of Students Andrew Johnston even went on record to say that gay Christians could be disruptive.

Now Belmont University has stepped in it again, with students on the university's women's soccer team saying that their coach, Lisa Howe, was forced to resign because she was about to have a baby with her same-sex partner. Howe had been a coach there for more than five years, and was well regarded by her players. She even coached the team to the Atlantic Sun Conference regular-season championship in 2009.

But Belmont University apparently doesn't care about the talent of their coaching staff. They're more concerned about policing the bedrooms of their employees.

Send the University a message that denying LGBT students the chance to meet, or firing employees because of who they want to start a family with, is not only offensive, it runs counter to the "Christian" values that the school is supposed to espouse. Values like loving your neighbor, showing respect for all, and welcoming all to the table in the spirit of love and forgiveness.

Recent Signatures

Belmont University should not be an epicenter of intolerance

Dear President Fisher, Mr. Pillon, Vice President Lake, and Dean Johnston,

I am deeply dismayed at the events going on at Belmont University over the past month, and the message of intolerance your University continues to send. First came word that the university was denying a request from a group of gay students to form an organization on campus. Dean Johnston, you even went so far as to suggest that gay Christians could be disruptive.

Now comes word that a successful soccer coach, Lisa Howe, has been removed from her position because she chose to have a child with her same-sex partner. While statements from you, Mr. Pillon, suggest that Howe resigned, students on the women's soccer team are saying that Howe was put in the position of choosing to resign, or be fired, solely because she wanted to start a family.

Both of these actions are offensive, intolerant, and completely contrary to the Christian values of loving your neighbor, showing respect for all, and welcoming all to the table. Being a religiously-affiliated school does not mean having to be a place where intolerance toward gays and lesbians thrives.

The reputation of Belmont University has decreased in my eyes, and I'm saddened that while students at your school seem willing to love everyone and work with everyone without judgment, university officials are all too eager to create a climate of intolerance and discrimination.

I urge you to allow gay students to meet on campus, and to enact a non-discrimination policy that protects gay employees from being fired because of their sexual orientation. These aren't radical requests. They come from the heart of someone who does not want to see "Christian" values become synonymous with bigotry.

Thank you for your time.

[Your name]

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