The administration recently decided not to recognize the self-proclaimed "gay-straight alliance" group Reach OUT as an official university club. The decision has led to the creation of a petition demanding the administration reverse its decision.
The story was first reported in the Graphic, the Malibu university's student-run newspaper. The publication reported that Pepperdine Dean of Students Mark Davis said the decision was made to honor "the biblical conviction that sexual activity should be reserved for a husband-wife relationship."
"Pepperdine seeks to be faithful to this teaching because we believe it is God's will, and therefore we cannot endorse another view or take a neutral position on sexual morality." said Davis, according to the newspaper. "Although Reach OUT stated in its application that it has no position on sexual activity, we do not believe it is possible for an LGBT student organization to maintain a neutral position."
The petition in favor of the group was started on the website Change.org, and has garnered more than 4,600 electronic signatures as of Wednesday morning. Anyone can sign the petition.
The petition states, "Pepperdine students often struggle to be honest about their sexual orientation because they fear rejection from their peers as well as the risk of losing their scholarships and leadership opportunities. Moreover, professors do not feel comfortable speaking on the issue, worrying that they will be denied tenure or research grants."
The petition calls for the university administration to "rescind its previous decision and instead grant equal recognition to LGBT students by approving Reach OUT's application."
Pepperdine's main campus is located on Pacific Coast Highway off Malibu Canyon Road, but it is not part of the city of Malibu. The university was not included in the map when voters approved cityhood in 1990 and it does not use the 90265 ZIP Code as the city and other unincorporated parts of Malibu do.
Pepperdine offers 50 clubs for it's students. For Latinos, Asians, Dancers, Athletes, Business students, Democrats, Actors, Women, Republicans, Artists, African Americans, Military, Koreans, Accountants, Japanese and on and on it goes. They can certainly fit in one more club for those kids of all races, of every single religion, of all hobbies and majors - LGBT'S who need the support as much if not more than anyone else. Enough of our children are dying in this country solely because of their sexual orientation. Religion is supposed to define compassion and love . . .and so very often unfortunately as clearly in this case it does not. In fact represents the opposite. For shame. The school may have the right but it is WRONG. Homophobia = one of the last (and grasping) bastions of bigotry. It is quickly and finally, thank God, becoming a dinosaur.
The world continues to change as civil rights are fought for - and won.
Civil rights will - and is prevailing. This tired and outdated thinking is over and will go down in the history books as yet another example of religious bigotry. There is no stopping this march forward for the equality of every human in the USA . . . beautifully so! It is Ian's generation who is winning this right. Bravo!