Gonzaga
University, which has rejected recent attempts to bring a
Planned Parenthood speaker and The Vagina
Monologues to the school, is under fire for the
campus appearance of a conservative who contends
homosexuality is a matter of choice.
The College Republicans brought in John Diggs
for a lecture titled "The Medical Effects of
Homo-Sex." Some students criticized the lecture in the
student newspaper, the Bulletin, as antigay and
promoting stereotypes.
Diggs's appearance Tuesday was intended to
foster open debate and inquiry, said Daniel Brutocao,
president of the Gonzaga chapter of College
Republicans. The speaker focused on homosexual promiscuity
and asserted that "homosexuality is the result of a
bad relationship with one's same-sex parent," said Rod
Aminian, president of the gay and lesbian campus
organization, Helping Educate Regarding Orientation, in an
e-mail message.
Aminian's group had encouraged attendance and
debate about the lecture--and he said he
supported the university's handling of Diggs's
appearance, which included limited publicity. But in a
letter to the Bulletin, he criticized the lecture and
labeled Diggs "an ideologue of vulgar proportions."
Brutocao acknowledged that the university,
located in Spokane, Wash., sought to limit
publicity about the event. "The university did not
want us to advertise because it was a controversial
topic, but they permitted us to bring the speaker to
campus," he told The [Spokane]
Spokesman-Review newspaper. "We acceded to
their wishes in this matter."
The newspaper was unable to reach the Reverend
Robert Spitzer, Gonzaga's president, and his office
did not immediately return a message left by the
Associated Press Sunday evening.
In 2000 and 2001, Spitzer barred a Planned
Parenthood speaker and an on-campus performance of
The Vagina Monologues, an all-woman play
made up of monologues about sex, masturbation, and
lesbianism. Critics said the decisions undercut
academic freedom. Spitzer said a Catholic university could
not appear to endorse ideas that challenge church
opposition to abortion, birth control, and homosexuality.
After those controversies, the university
adopted a policy governing outside speakers. Barred
are those who are disruptive, promote a message
contrary to the school's Catholic teachings, or might create
a hostile learning environment. The policy also says
that "members of the university community must be free
to engage the full range of views on a variety of subjects."
Mark Alfino, a professor of philosophy and
critic of the decision to ban The Vagina
Monologues, helped devise the new policy. He said
he believes it has been working well and characterized it
as an attempt to balance academic freedom and the mission of
a Catholic institution.
While he did not see Diggs's presentation,
Alfino said the main question was not whether his
views were controversial but whether he has legitimate
knowledge, background, and understanding to present a point
of view. Beyond that, campuses should be accepting of
"every legitimate point of view," Alfino said. "So
far, nothing's shaken my confidence in that policy."
According to an online biography, Diggs "exposes
the real-world effects of sexual permissiveness
through a message that is logical, consistent,
coherent, and inspiring." He doesn't believe
homosexuality is innate and says most antigay violence is
domestic, perpetrated by same-sex couples.
In 2001 Diggs wrote that thousands of people
have stopped practicing homosexuality, saying they
"offer hope to those trapped in a self-destructive activity."
In an e-mail interview Friday, Diggs said he
believes the university acted inappropriately in
attempting to limit publicity about his appearance.
"This school frequently pushes the homosexual agenda. To
have one seminar where ideas in opposition are expressed can
hardly be called balanced," he told The
Spokesman-Review. (AP)
Charlie Kirk DID say stoning gay people was the 'perfect law' — and these other heinous quotes