A Connecticut man
is suing the University of Bridgeport, claiming the
school barred him from campus and ordered him to undergo
psychiatric care because of his homosexuality, reports
the Connecticut Post. Paul Lewis, 55, alleges that university
officials held a disciplinary hearing last spring and
charged him with making other students uncomfortable because
he is gay.
According to
Lewis's lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Milford superior court,
school officials also ordered Lewis, who was studying for a
doctorate in chiropractic medicine, to reapply to the
school if he wanted to continue taking classes. "The
University of Bridgeport had the perception that Paul
had psychiatric issues and discriminated against him based
on that perceived disability," Lewis's attorney, John
Williams of New Haven, told the Post. "They
perceived him as being gay and discriminated against
him on that basis."
Lewis, who
acknowledges being gay, said Wednesday that he believes the
discrimination against him stems in part from the
university's alleged ties to the Reverend Sun Myung
Moon's Unification Church. "Reverend Moon still has a
major influence on the University of Bridgeport, and his
understanding of human sexuality is extremely limited,"
Lewis said. "There is discrimination against gay
people throughout the campus."
John Daley, a
spokesman for the university, told the Post that
the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities
dismissed a complaint on the matter filed by Lewis. He
declined further comment. "It is our policy that we don't
speak about pending litigation," he said. "We will make our
case in court, not in the newspaper." (Advocate.com)