A private Christian school in Tennessee has just implemented a new policy banning anything and everything about homosexuality. Rossville Christian Academy is home to about 300 students. Its new anti-gay policy states:
“Homosexuality is forbidden in scripture (Romans 1:27, Leviticus 18:22). A staff member or student who promotes, engages in, or identifies himself/herself with such activity through any word or action shall be in violation of this policy. Should the administration determine a violation of this policy, the person involved will be subject to disciplinary action with the possibility of permanent dismissal. Any applicant who is not in compliance with this policy will not be admitted.”
On their website’s from page, Rossville Christian Academy states:
“Rossville Christian Academy exists to challenge a diverse student body through high academic standards, seeking to instill and inspire Christian virtues in a safe and nurturing environment.”
Apparently, their “diverse student body” cannot include homosexuals.
School officials may find it challenging to enforce the policy, although given that Tennessee has no laws that protect LGBT individuals, and given that the school is both private and religious, this may actually be legal.
Local News station WREG News Channel 3 quoted a parent who said, “There’s a lot of ambiguety [sic]. I believe that it can’t be enforced, how it’s worded,” the parent said. “If my daughter spoke about someone who was gay is she going to be expelled for that or is she going to be put in detention?” That parent added, “If you’re going to single out one thing that you say is a sin, then maybe we have to address every single thing.”
WREG also reported:
News Channel 3 took the policy to University of Memphis Law Professor Steve Mulroy who said the policy is legal.
“It’s entirely legal. There’s no federal or state anti-discrimination law that protects gay people,” Mulroy said.
Mulroy, who has fought for gay rights in Shelby County, says there are a few scattered local ordinances across the country that protect gays, but none in Tennessee.
“If this were a government school, a public school, there might be a free speech problem to the extent that it says “any word or action promoting it,” but there’s really no legal problem I see with this,” Mulroy said.
“Not only is this a private organization, it’s also a private religious organization, so it would probably have even more latitude under the law to have its policies about gays be whatever they want it to be,” he added.
How will the school decide what’s “homosexuality”? Listening to a Lady Gaga song? Two girls holding hands — even if they’re “just friends”? How will the school know the extent of their relationship? Watching “Will and Grace” re-runs? Even if it’s in private? How about playing rugby? There are gay rugby players, you know. Or, what about supporting a company that has a non-discrimination policy? What if a teacher has a part-time job at a company that supports equality?
And, as the parent said, let’s go after other sins in the Bible. What if they fire all teachers who don’t honor their parents?
What if they expel a student for eating shrimp, or for wearing a school uniform that’s poly-cotton?
Blasphemy is considered a sin. The Second Commandment states, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” If a football player who misses a pass utters, “Jesus Christ” in anger, does he get expelled?
Many consider the Sixth Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery,” to include masturbation, and consider masturbation to be a sin. Some have said it’s a sin of homosexuality, as it’s “sex with yourself.” Will the school fire teachers who masturbate?
It boggles the mind.
Earlier this month, a Tennessee high school teen, Jacob Rogers, succumbed to suicide after years of anti-gay bullying that friends charge went unacknowledged by local school officials. This new policy will make tragic situations like this more commonplace.
School officials will have blood on their hands.
An email to the school did not receive an immediate response.
Care to say something? Here’s the Rossville Christian Academy’s Board of Directors’ home page.
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{ 4 comments }
I have one minor point to 'refudiate' in this article. A pet peeve of mine is the misunderstanding which implies that a cloth made of poly-cotton is a 'sin' according to the Purity Code. It is explicit in the Leviticus passage and supported by Jewish scholars, both religious and linguistic authorities, that the restriction is against blending wool and linen into the fabric of a garment. It is the principle of "mixing of kinds" which is at the root of nearly the entirety of the Holiness Code. The intent seems to be the mixing of an animal fiber and a vegetable fiber. Perhaps it would have also applied to poly-cotton had synthetic fibers existed in that time; but it makes no sense whatsoever in the 21st Century.
Interesting. So, wearing a sweater made of, say, cotton and wool is a sin? What about making that sweater? Just really curious. Thanks!
I just had a ahaw moment…as I was reading your article it dawned on me anything that is natrual doesn't have laws to ban it (I can't think of anything right now..so could someone help) but religion seems to want to ban sex, books, knowledge, dancing (I guessed I answered my own question) these things to me are only natural to have sex, read books from all points of view so then you wont become so closed minded and knowledge would fall into this catergory and dancing is very natural and its good for the body to get moving to get experice…it seems religions want to ban to keep people from gaining knowledge outside of their own religion…Mormons ban books, x-tian schools ban books, and etc…
Feel free to copy or adapt the letter below which I've mailed to all 3 administators and 9 directors (e-mail addresses are at their Web site).
Dear __________:
The Academy’s new policy forbidding the existence of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people, words, or actions contradicts the Academy’s mission of providing a “diverse student body” with a “safe and nurturing environment” and leaves the Academy at risk of litigation.
Extensive historical records:
• prove that such policies create harmful, hostile, and dangerous environments; and
• prove that it is unethical to deny students their innate, birthright sexual orientations; and
• prove that such policies result in medical/mental health malpractice.
Under such policies, students, faculty, and staff feel free, justified, and even encouraged to deride, demean, degrade, and bully certain students — physically, mentally, and spiritually. Students subjected to such policies suffer significantly more illnesses, and suffer them more often, up to and including suicide.
Every major medical/mental health profession in America has long proscribed policies such as the one the Academy just adopted.
As written, the Academy’s new policy allows punishment of students merely for discovering that sexual orientation and sexual identity exist throughout human nature, and merely for knowing that such persons exist throughout human history, and merely for knowing that all major religions now have some clergy who bless same-sex unions and perform same-sex weddings. Furthermore, words or actions that constitute bisexual, lesbian, gay, or transgender orientation in one student often constitute nothing of the kind for other students.
Consequently, with no useful, fair definition of what is forbidden versus what is not, and with no reliable, fair method for measuring such events, and with no consistent, uniform policy, the Academy remains open to litigation for gender discrimination, and for physical and mental harm to students, up to and including suicide. Years of bullying recently drove Tennessee high school student Jacob Rogers to suicide because school officials allowed and encouraged his maltreatment using policies such as the Academy now is using.
Knowing this, all Rossville officials now are aware of the risks that they and their policy pose to students, faculty, and staff. As soon as even one such suicide occurs or is even attempted at Rossville, all the responsible officials will have blood on their own hands.
Numerous Christian organizations exist which can help Rossville develop a humane, safe, and healthy policy. But Rossville must choose to do so first.
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