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Loading ...Calif. college: Teacher violated gay bias policy
03.19.2010 11:59am EDT
(Fresno, Calif.) A Fresno City College science instructor violated a campus anti-discrimination policy when he told students that homosexuality is a mental disorder that should be treated with psychotherapy, campus administrators have concluded.
Christopher Villa, vice president of student services, reported the findings last week in a letter to three students who had lodged complaints against health sciences instructor Bradley Lopez. The campus’ student newspaper published Villa’s letter Wednesday.“Dr. Lopez engaged in conduct that could result in the creation of a hostile learning environment by unreasonably interfering with students’ learning by making insulting comments directed at homosexuals,” Villa wrote.
He added that while instructors are free to offer opinions that may offend students or be at odds with other professionals, Lopez crossed the line by making statements “unrelated to any legitimate course objective.”
Lopez’s lawyer, Charles Magill, said that only one of the three complaining students was enrolled in Lopez’ class and she had misinterpreted his remarks.
“It has been blown out of proportion dramatically,” Magill said. “Academic freedom means professors say things that are offensive sometimes, and critical thinking means you say things to kids that are challenging sometimes.”
In his letter to the students, Villa said Lopez also ran afoul of campus regulations prohibiting religious indoctrination “by assigning readings from the Bible, reading the Bible in class, and otherwise relying on the Bible as an authority in the assigned subject matter.”
The finding came in response to student allegations that Lopez last semester quoted the Bible as proof that human life begins at conception, assigned his class to research the Bible for Jesus’ genetic makeup, and discussed apocalyptic Christian prophesies during a lesson on climate change.
“Instructors are not required to hide their own religious belief or non-belief, but they may not engage in religious indoctrination as Dr. Lopez did here” because Fresno City College is a public school, Villa said.
Villa wrote that the college “will take appropriate action” to address the violations but did not elaborate.
Magill said he expects the school to put a letter of reprimand in Lopez’s personnel file, a move Lopez would challenge through an administrative appeal. During a hearing last month, Lopez “denied that he did anything wrong, he denied that he was teaching from the Bible,” Magill said.
The three students brought formal complaints against Lopez in December, but their concerns became public after the American Civil Liberties Union contacted Fresno City College’s president demanding a response.
Honestly, who’s to say that me being gay is or isn’t a mental disorder. With all of the disorders being diagnosed now of days I wonder who doesn’t have some kind of emotional/mental disorder. I know what I’m saying will be seen as self loathing but that is far from the truth because even if evidence did point to my sexuality as being some kind of disorder, well I’m in love and in no way looking for a cure.
And another thing to point out. When somebody in the family has a disorder like skitzophrenia, bipolar. PTSD, manic depression, whatever, is that any excuse to love that family member less. When one has a relative who’s autistic or physically or mentally challenged, is that any excuse to love them any less? In my opinion there is too much labeling and diagnosing going on and when we can all just see each other as the imperfect humans that we all are than maybe we could finally come to the conclusion that in my opinion is the best one and just live our lives and love one another as long as nobody is getting hurt, who cares?
Who’s to say that being gay is or isn’t a mental disorder? The American Psychiatric Association for one and the American Medical Association for another.
I knew what I wrote would be taken out of context. But my point was why does everybody care to throw labels on everybody. It only does a disservice to others and not one person is more superior than another. too many people are stuck on labels and in my honest opinion, if every person in the world went to a therapist wanting to know what’s wrong with themselves than everybody would walk out with a new diagnosis. Nobody is normal therefore we are all normal by definition that to be normal is to be like everybody else. We’re all different which makes us all the same in that way. My point wasn’t to say that being gay is or isn’t a disorder my point was even if it was a disorder that wouldn’t make how we are treated around the world any less unjust.
DJAlexander89–it has nothing to do with being loved. Would you go to a doctor who was sitting at a card table in front of MickeyD’s? Would you stay when the doctor promptly diagnosed you with “demons,” then proceeded to remove the “demons” by manipulating your body and holding up a bloody chicken liver as proof of success? Probably not.
It doesn’t say here just what kind of doctor Lopez is. Neither does the Fresno City College site. Finally I found a page for a friend of his. http://garryrkennedy.com/?p=191 According to Mr Kennedy, Dr Lopez is a Doctor of…Psychology? No. Psychiatry? No. Education? Yes. In some places (including my workplace), you can get your happy self in some real deep trouble if you make a diagnosis without appropriate licensure or credentials. You can also get yourself in trouble for claiming that something is a disorder or illness when the official position in that field says the opposite.
I could see reading certain Biblical passages to illustrate how kosher standards evolved from practical observations on food safety. That’s not what Dr Lopez was doing. He was pushing that Old Time Religion in a health class. It was completely irrelevant to the course material, unless Dr Lopez’ actions were intended to be a demonstration of what a whackjob looks like teaching a class.
What right-wing outfit is the attorney from?
Wow. What I was actually saying went over another reader’s head. I was hardly quoting the article but this stupid disease argument. Even if it was a disease or disorder it’s clearly incurable and labels are so 1900s. I don’t care about labels or what some pompous religious nut professor over in cali has to say about us because it’s not relevent. And over in Cali he’s going to get fired anyway for his lude comment. I simply found that the whole disorder coversation was a good place to bring up the conversation of labels and how we use them in our “human” community period. Does everybody need to be diagnosed and medicated?
“When somebody in the family has a disorder like schizophrenia, bipolar. PTSD, manic depression, whatever, is that any excuse to love that family member less.”
No, it’s not, but Christianity treated it as a reason for centuries until science proved that the reasons for these disorders were not Satan’s minions. Even now, tell some good Xtians you have a mental problem, and see how they shun you.
The undeniable fact is that far too many Xtians today still do use sexual & affectional attraction as a tool for treating others badly. To allow someone to use her position as educator to promote her religious biases against others is untenable.
No DJ What you were saying is a Rationalization used to attempt to make a point and a poor one at that. the choice of words “disorder” implies that something is less than ordered, when other words, like variation, indicate that something is simply different but still related.
Your argument about “labels” is also unrepresentative of the issue. The only LEGITIMATE issue with a label, any label, is when it is seen as being a definition of the whole of the object or person being discussed. Without a “label” people grope blindly in an attempt to find what it is they desire.
Sent to Robin Readytorumble McGeehee of GET EQUAL! She was arrested loaning Danial Choi the handcuffs he used! … and will be in Virginia demonstrating against Cuccinelli on March 23…but When the Cats Away!…
So still very needed at home in Fresno too.
http://www.change.org/actions/view/sex_is_private_even_gay_sex
I don’t believe in mental disorders. I believe we are all simply imperfect human beings meant to live our lives and love one another.
I sill stand by my argument that labels are simply a crutch that people use to establish some kind of identity for themselves. Christians, Gays, Muslims Everybody, wants to feel important and there are some “crazy ones out there too just like there is in every other religion but ya’ll forget about the christians, muslims, republicans, pagans, potheads, atheists, unitarians, democrats, also other existing parties that may be good to look into but so many people want to belong to the vast majority while maintaining some sort of individuality.Everybody wants acceptance in this world right? Why is anybody still bashing any persons particular belief system. Even if ya’ll do think that some belief systems are a bit dated that is still no reason to panic. It’s like when I have yelled at my boyfriend and no matter how right I may or may not be, he still isn’t really going to hear what I am saying because I am yelling and shouting and panicking and talking over him. We all need to calm down figure out exactly what the best strategy to gain acceptance is and stop the members of our community who are also sexist, racist, anti-semites because the Pink Swastika is an actual group and get everybody within our own GLBT community to actually work together with our straight and religious family and friends and leave out all of the hate that emminates from our own group because the hate is there and we don’t need to have our half of the battle looking “IRRATIONAL” because if we want to get anywhere with the straight “MAJORITY” we need to be more “RATIONAL” and stop sounding like the enemy. I see it so much with my anti-religion friends in the GLBT community and the anti MARRIAGE friends. Just as judgemental as the enemy in my opinion. How is it even our business to ask anybody to stop judging us when in our community people judge each other, judge women and talk to each other about who else is gay. Johnny Weir doesn’t need to come out!!! It’s his freaking business!!http://www.change.org/actions/view/sex_is_private_even_gay_sex
@DJAlexander: And your Ph.D. is in what? psychology? sociology? “Belief systems” are just that. Beleif is not fact. Universities should be teaching facts, not beliefs.
Homosexuality is no more or less a mental or medical disorder than heterosexuality.
As a college professor Lopez should be aware of non-discriminatory policies and hopefully will be punished for his transgressions. I suggest he find a job at one of the many religious colleges that pander to his misguided beliefs.
I think I would prefer to have sat in his class and have heard for myself exactly what he said rather than judge it second or third hand.
However, if he did what was said of him. Then that would be highly innapropriate. Same as racist or sexist remarks by a professor should be called out,the same for homophobic remarks regardless of whether or not it was backed by any scriptural references.