Student Expelled For Coming Out

[Joe Brummer]

Student Expelled For Coming Out
by The Associated Press
April 8, 2006 - 11:00 am ET

(Williamsburg, Kentucky) A University of Cumberlands student who revealed he was gay on a personal Web page has been expelled.

Jason Johnson, 20, of Lexington, was asked to leave the small Baptist school earlier this week, according to Larry Cockrum, director of media relations at the university.

Johnson's dismissal came after he posted on his Web page at the popular Internet site MySpace.com that he was gay. The university has a policy that says it reserves the right to expel a student who "promotes sexual behavior not consistent with Christian principles," including homosexuality.


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[schoolboi]

I think we should do some kind of rapid response. It would tie in great with the EQ Ride. Jamie is this near you at all?

[Joe Brummer]

Flood the Papers in that area with letters to the editor educating people on the issue. The school may respond to the bad press.

[pnggrad79]

Joe, I would like to respond, but don't know the email address of this place. Do you know it?

pnggrad

[Jamie McDaniel]

I did a search on MySpace. Let's show him support.
http://www.myspace.com/runnienoz

And if his MySpace webpage is any indication, he's coming out big time. Good for him.

Originally Posted by schoolboi

Jamie is this near you at all?

Cumberland College is located in Williamsburg, which is 2 hours south of Lexington. According to the article, Jason is from Lexington.

[Jennifer5]

Yeah, he really has come out.... I guess he doesn't have to many questions... he seems very comfortable

[Emproph]

They have a theater arts program you can major in? So they were asking for it?
-Why not just put a sign in the window saying “Gay Homosexual Female Impersonator Drag Queens NEEDED for enrollment.” ...I’m just saying it would’ve been more subtle...

-A snippet of that is serious though from what his friend said, “...the amount of gay people at our school.”

What hit’s me, and this may be typical of these schools, is that they may know for certain that some students are gay, but once it’s on the internet, technically it’s in print, albeit electronic, but they then have verifiable proof to ‘justify’ their actions. Conversations are more difficult to prove in discrimination court.

Might want to flood the mainstream media too.
-In fact we might want to get into the habit of doing so.

[zacxdreyer09]

Hi everyone, I just joined soulforce. As I have read you guys are doing everything you can to help my boyfriend, Jason Johnson, through this whole ordeal. Thank you, your support is greatly appreciated.


Thanks for everything,
Zac

[Jamie McDaniel]

Hi Zac, we're glad you found us. I forwarded the link to the article Joe posted onto the Equality Riders because what they are on the road speaking out against is happening in our state too.

--------------

So I'm working on my letter to the newspaper. Here's the first draft.

Dear Editor,

I read with sadness the news of the University of the Cumberlands expelling student Jason Johnson for revealing on his personal webpage at MySpace.com that he is gay.

President Jim Taylor defended the Southern Baptist school’s action by stating, “We are different by design, and are non-apologetic about our Christian beliefs.”

It is bad enough that the school administration committed this sin, but they double it when they link their discrimination to Jesus. To comprehend how they could justify such injustice, one must be aware of the history of the Southern Baptist Convention. They are the one denomination born specifically out of a belief that slavery was biblical. In the 161 years since they broke away from other Baptists, they have exchanged one prejudice for another – favoring slavery and Jim Crow laws, opposing women’s suffrage, resisting civil rights for blacks, limiting women’s role in ministry, and fighting against equality for gays and lesbians. A review of history shows Southern Baptists have done all these things while citing scripture.

Southern Baptist fundamentalists may never understand how expelling students due to sexual orientation is unfair, but middle America is certainly coming around. Actually, some Southern Baptists in the pew are starting to see the injustice as well. Sadly, when they voice their beliefs against discrimination, they too find themselves in trouble with the leaders of their denomination.

[Jennifer5]

Welcome Zac! I was hoping one or both of you would show up here. While looking through his myspace, it sounds like he thinks very highly of you... welcome

[Mia14]

Welcome, Zac! We're so happy to have you here!

It's hard to believe that what happened to your boyfriend happens in this country, where we pretend to put such high priority on personal freedom.


You're among friends here. Welcome.

[zacxdreyer09]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I cannot thank you guys enough for the support that you have offered to Jason. He really needs it right now. If anyone has any questions about Jason's story feel free to let me know, I would be more than happy to answer them.

[Jamie McDaniel]

Originally Posted by zacxdreyer09

If anyone has any questions about Jason's story feel free to let me know, I would be more than happy to answer them.

Zac, the article did not go into details about how the school went about expelling Jason. Did someone show the school administration his webpage and then they immediately expelled him? Did he have a meeting with the school president? Are these some things you can share with us?

[Joe Brummer]

Great letter Jamie.

I also think it is good we are following the steps of nonviolence.

1. Gather information from all sides including the school
2. Education of all parties invovled including the school and Soulforce
3. Negotiation. Lets negotiate with the school or try to before doing anything else.
4. Self purification. For most of the civil rights movement MLK had people in the churches singing and praying nightly to renew commitment to the cause. We need to do some type of self commitment before taking any action to insure we remain nonviolent in our words and our actions.
5. Direct Action. If neccessary this is a good place for the Freedom Riders to pay a visit to the school on Jason's behalf. Assuming her would be okay with it. This is only to provide tension enough to bring the school to the table to work on step #4.
6. Reconcilitation. The goal of nonviolence is always reconciliation. You can skip around all the other steps, even not use some, but you must use this one! This is were we find a win-win solution for everyone including the school.



Emorph: Thank YOU! THat was a sweet thing to say!

[zacxdreyer09]

We had just gotten back from EKU, where I attend. He was picking me up for the weekend so that I could hang out with him and see the play that he was stage managing. However, he was running a little late he said that I could sit in on his Chorale class. Upon entering the music building at the University of the Cumberlands, he was instructed to go to the Office of Student Services, Col. Colegrove's office (I do believe, Jason would know more of the details)... he was then shown a picture of his myspace homepage (www.myspace.com/runnienoz) and was asked if it was him. Jason, being proud of who he is, said that it infact was his. He was then handed a letter and read a section of the hand book that says, and I quote...

"Any student who engages in or promotes sexual behavior not consistant with Christian principles (including sex outside marriage and homosexuality) may be suspended or asked to leave the University of the Cumberlands."

He was then told that he had to be out of University housing that night, no ifs, ands, or buts. Later that night he went to see if he could say goodbye to all of his friends, he was told by several faculty memebers that he wasn't allowed on University grounds and that he could be arrested for tresspassing.

Litterally, the only reason he was asked to leave was because he is gay. He was also told that someone, an anonymous person, reported him. We, however, don't know how much truth is in that statement... and it could have been a witch hunt.



Well, that's how it happened. Any other questions?


Thanks again for your support!

[zacxdreyer09]

Oh, and about that bit from the hand book, it was added this year! Jason was about to finish his sophmore year there... he had decided to to there before that was put into the handbook!

[cris]

Zac,
God bless you for being there for Jason at this time. Rejection, in particular at the hands of those who are supposed to represent Christ, is painful, even if it is a benefit to him later. (And I believe living openly and honestly is a very healthy way to be.)
Thanks also for explaining about how Jason was expelled. I really wonder how these folks get involved in perusing websites, obviously with an agenda in mind. Pitiful!
I wish you could meet my cousin in Corbin and her partner of 27 years.
Warm regards-

[zacxdreyer09]

I'm just glad that I could be there for him... it has been tough on him but he's doing a lot better!

[Jennifer5]

I'm glad you're there for him. Be sure to tell us if you have any ideas of how we can help

[Joe Brummer]

Please let us know how Jason would feel about being the catalyst for a movement against this college?