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(Frankfort, Kentucky) After chopping $370 million
from the state budget Monday night Gov. Ernie Fletcher spared $11-million
earmarked for the University of the Cumberlands - a small private Baptist school
that made headlines last month for expelling a student it found out is gay.
Fletcher used his line item veto to stroke out
roads and other projects approved by the legislature but allowed the $11-million
for a proposed pharmacy school at school to remain.
However, the governor said he would not allow the
money to be handed over to the university until the courts rule on whether the
use of public funds for a religious college is legal.
The Kentucky Fairness Alliance said earlier on
Monday that if Fletcher did not veto the grant it would file a lawsuit
challenging the constitutionality of the appropriation.
Jason Johnson, 20, was expelled April 6 after
posting his sexual orientation on a Web site. The dean's list student received
all Fs on his transcript when he was expelled. (story)
Last week following public outrage the university agreed to allow Johnson to
send in work to finish his courses and receive final grades. But he
remains barred from the campus.'
Two state Democrats - one an openly gay senator -
joined LGBT rights groups in calling for Fletcher to veto the grant.
Allowing the grant is the second action by
Fletcher to anger gays in the state. Earlier this month he dropped sexuality
from a longstanding executive order that bars discrimination in the public
service. (story)
On the weekend a number of business leaders said
the two issues could hurt the state economically.
"Bigotry is bad for business," said
Alan Hawse, vice president of information technology for the California-based
company Cypress Semiconductor, which has offices in Lexington. (story)
©365Gay.com 2006
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