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Notre Dame Students Protest for Gay Rights

by Rhonda J Mangus | January 30, 2010 at 03:58 am

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Notre Dame students continue protesting for Gay Rights after the University's student newspaper, The Observer, ran a cartoon earlier this month that advocated beating, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people into vegetables.

Even though the University and student newspaper apologized for printing the gay bashing cartoon, it is thought that, "the very sentiments behind the comic are fostered by a university that has consistently fought to keep sexual orientation off its non-discrimination policy, and has consistently refused to recognize LGBT student groups on campus."

On Wednesday, students marched on Notre Dame to deliver a letter to University President Father John Jenkins.

The letter called for the University to allow a gay/straight alliance on campus (something it has repeatedly refused to do) and to add sexual orientation to the nondiscrimination policy.

According to demonstrators, of the top-20 universities in the country, Notre Dame is the only one that doesn't include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policy. The students drew a direct connection to the gaps in LGBT protections on campus and the atmosphere at the school:

When the University refuses to acknowledge club status for [gay/straight alliances] and refuses to add sexual orientation to the non-discrimination clause, we are reminded of our other-ness.

What You Can Do To Help

Change.org has started a petition to urge the Notre Dame administration to change the atmosphere on the campus. Sign the petition here!