FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12,
2014
CONTACT
Voice of the
Voiceless
571-379-4546
Virginia
Universities an ‘Unsafe Zone’ for Students with Unwanted Same-Sex Attractions
Groundbreaking
Campus Climate Report Documents Medical
Inaccuracies, Discrimination, and Bias at Virginia University LGBTQ Resource
Centers
The report, which contains links to video and audio recordings,
documents seven undercover visits to Virginia University LGBTQ Resource Centers
made by two former homosexuals in September 2013, as well as evidence of
discriminatory conduct from at least two universities towards Parents and
Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), a national non-profit organization
advocating for individuals with unwanted SSA and ex-gays. Click here to download
the 86-page report.
Liberty Counsel, an international
nonprofit litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing
religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family continues to represent
VoV, and is engaged in ongoing negotiations with the universities and the
Virginia office of the Attorney General in the effort to bring reform in the
2014-2015 school year.
“As students and teachers begin to
depart for their summer breaks, we are pleased to release this groundbreaking
report on our findings. At the same time, we are concerned by the amount of
medical inaccuracies and lack of equity for students with unwanted SSA at these
centers,” commented Christopher Doyle, President and Co-Founder of VoV. “We
look forward to working with university administrators in Virginia over the
summer to make meaningful policy reforms for the 2014-2015 school year so that
all students experiencing homosexuals feelings in our public higher education
institutions are given appropriate, culturally-sensitive resources and counsel.”
Detailed in the Campus Climate Report is the following:
·
Evidence
documenting a pattern of dishonest communication between the University of Virginia
administrators and organizations advocating for students who are ex-gay and/or
have unwanted SSA. Specifically, this included an effort to suppress resources
that were donated from PFOX to the LGBTQ Resource Center for students seeking
sexual orientation change and tolerance for the ex-gay community.
· Serious medical
inaccuracies at James Madison University regarding the heath risks of
homosexual anal intercourse and the resulting disparities of HIV infection
rates between men who have sex with men and heterosexual students.
· Inaccurate and
unscientific opinions on the outcomes of Sexual Orientation Change Effort
(SOCE) therapy at George Mason University, including biased counsel that
students would become anxious, depressed, and ultimately commit suicide should
they seek help to change sexual orientation.
· Misleading statements on
the etiology of homosexuality at Old Dominion University and the College of
William and Mary, including the unscientific assertion that homosexual feelings
are genetic and/or in-born.
· Inappropriate referrals
and a lack of culturally-sensitive resources at Virginia Commonwealth University,
including the recommendation that Christian students with unwanted SSA attend
gay-affirming places of worship, rather than be referred to faith-based
ministries that support their desire to change sexual orientation and/or remain
chaste/celibate.
“LGBTQ
Resource Centers can be a place of support to all sexual minority students
struggling or seeking assistance, but when university administrators favor one
viewpoint over another, it becomes a discriminatory and unsafe atmosphere,”
commented Doyle. “By offering services in a public forum, universities are
obligated to represent all views of sexuality and sexual orientation and
provide competent services and referrals. In our visits to these universities,
we documented a clear pattern of bias, insensitivity, and discrimination
towards students with unwanted SSA, especially towards those who hold to a
traditional Biblical view of homosexual behavior.”
The
Campus Climate Report concludes with
a quote from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that is especially
relevant to these injustices: “How
much we value the right of free speech is put to its severest test when the
speaker is someone we disagree with most. Speech that deeply offends our
morality or is hostile to our way of life warrants the same constitutional
protection as other speech because the right of free speech is indivisible:
When one of us is denied this right, all of us are denied . . . this is
particularly true at universities, whose mission is to facilitate learning through open debate
and study, and to enlighten. Speech codes
are not the way to go on campuses,
where all views are entitled to be heard, explored, supported or refuted.”
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Voice of the Voiceless is the only anti-defamation league for
former homosexuals, individuals with unwanted same-sex attractions, and their
families. For more information, visit: www.VoiceoftheVoiceless.info
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