Quick action: sign in support of anti-discrimination policy at Belmont Univ

[EFerrari]

Fyi from Change.org

Help fight anti-gay discrimination at Belmont University

Sign the Petition

Dear E

Until three weeks ago, Lisa Howe was a beloved soccer coach at Belmont University in Nashville. Then she announced that she was having a child with her same-sex partner, and was asked to resign.

Students protested, and helped to start a petition on Change.org to fight back – demanding that the school stop discriminating based on sexual orientation. After several articles on Change.org's Gay Rights blog, the story gained national attention, including coverage by the New York Times and an eight-minute segment on ESPN’s Outside the Lines.

The incident has now become bigger than Belmont. Conservative colleges around the country are watching closely – if Belmont decides to adopt a policy of non-discrimination on sexual orientation, they’ll likely do the same to get ahead of the curve and avoid their own controversy.

And pressure is mounting: Faculty have passed a resolution, major donors are speaking out, and the Metro Council of Nashville is considering legislation that would sever contracts with the school. But the students have repeatedly told us that they need all the help they can get.

Join Belmont students and call on Belmont University to enact a non-discrimination policy that includes protections on the basis of sexual orientation. Click here to add your name.

Belmont has had a disturbing track record on LGBT issues in recent months. In addition to Coach Howe’s termination, gay students were denied the opportunity to form a student group on campus, with the Dean of Students calling them “disruptive.” One scholar says that she turned down a teaching job because of a pervasive homophobic climate on campus.

The school can take a major step by making it an official policy to welcome students and faculty of all orientations.

But as one soccer player told Change.org: “This is a much bigger issue than our situation. This needs to be addressed on a larger scale in which changes are made to fight this type of injustice everywhere.” Winning at Belmont is an important first step.

Sign the petition to Belmont’s president to help push Belmont in the direction of equality and fairness for all of its employees and students:

http://change.org/petitions/view/belmont_university_employees_shouldnt_be_forced_to_resign_for_being_gay?alert_id=fqnmDyIDqX_FNXnYQrHPN&me=aa

Thanks for taking action,

The Change.org team