Catholic university Notre Dame isn't necessarily the most LGBT-friendly institution of higher education. Despite a few progressive steps forward, official university policy -- like that of the Roman Catholic Church -- still takes a hostile attitude toward LGBT people.

Regardless, LGBT students and alumni have banded together for years in efforts to make change. They've found unlikely allies in the university's administration. This year, Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae of Notre Dame and St. Mary’s College (GALA-ND/SMC) honors one of those people: Notre Dame Asst. Vice President of Student Affairs Sister M.L. Gude, C.S.C.

GALA-ND/SMC will also honor Notre Dame alum Lt. Col Victor Fehrenback ('91), an openly gay, 19-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

From a release:

The Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae of Notre Dame and St. Mary’s College (GALA-ND/SMC) will present the 2010 Tom Dooley Award to former Notre Dame Asst. Vice President of Student Affairs Sister M.L. Gude, C.S.C. The group will also give a “Distinguished Alumni” Award to Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, Notre Dame class of ’91 and an openly gay 19-year combat veteran of the United States Air Force. The awards dinner will be in South Bend, IN on Saturday, October 2. Other panels and discussions will occur throughout the weekend.

“Sister M.L. Gude is a true hero for the GLBT community,” said GALA-ND/SMC Chair Liam Dacey, ”She has worked tirelessly to support and advise gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students over the past two decades, and we are proud to pay her a much deserved tribute.” Sister Gude served as Chair of the Notre Dame Standing Committee on Gay and Lesbian Student Needs from the late 90s-mid 2000s, where she pioneered gay and lesbian educational, training, and social programs.

Lt. Col. Fehrenbach has faced discharge from the Air Force against his will because of his sexuality. He is currently awaiting the decision of his case from the Secretary of the Air Force. Dacey said: “Under current Notre Dame policies, a war hero like Lt. Col. Fehrenbach would not be given non discrimination protection at Notre Dame and also would not be able to start his own gay organization. That is an injustice.”

Ticket prices for the dinner range from $50 for members to $75 for non-members. Students and young alumni can get a discounted ticket of $35. All panels during the weekend are free and open to the public. For more information on registration, visit: www.GalaNDSMC.org.

A professor at the University of Illinois, who taught courses on Catholicism in the school's religion department, has not been asked to return next semester. The instructor, Kenneth Howell, says the decision is a violation of his academic freedoms and claims the termination came after a student complained about an email he sent to students, in which he described homosexuality as a violation of "natural law."

According to The (Champaign, Ill.) News-Gazette, Howell wrote the email in preparation for an exam on natural law theory.

"Natural Moral Law says that Morality must be a response to REALITY," he wrote in the email, published by The News-Gazette. "In other words, sexual acts are only appropriate for people who are complementary, not the same."

Later in the email, Howell says society has disassociated sexuality and morality.

The student who complained about the professor's email took his concerns to the head of the university's religion department and other faculty. He called Howell's comments hate speech.

"Teaching a student about the tenets of a religion is one thing," the student wrote. "Declaring that homosexual acts violate the natural laws of man is another. The courses at this institution should be geared to contribute to the public discourse and promote independent thought; not limit one's worldview and ostracize people of a certain sexual orientation."

Howell has retained the services of the Alliance Defense Fund, an anti-LGBT legal defense organization based in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Washington Post, Friday, December 11, 2009
Campus Pride Executive Director
Shane Windmeyer

As quoted:

For decades, public and private universities have grappled with how to support gay students and protect them from verbal or physical attacks. Religious schools also have the challenge of upholding church teachings, such as the Catholic stance that it is not sinful to be attracted to someone of the same sex but it is sinful to act on such desires.

This delicate balance often puts gay students in a “conflicted state of acceptance,” said Shane L. Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride, a national organization that helps colleges assess their gay friendliness. “The church wants to love the person and hate the sin. But what does that really mean?”

So visible support for gay students — such as a resource center, rainbow stickers, club tables and awareness weeks — is especially important at religious schools, he said. But such actions do not change campus attitudes overnight, he said.

Read the Article