Students and faculty urged Virginia Commonwealth University administrators this morning to take a strong stand against Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's opinion that gays cannot be included in state anti-discrimination policies.
About 250 people attended the first of four forums being held today on VCU's academic and medical campuses in response to the opinion Cuccinelli sent to public universities last week.
In sometimes-emotional comments to VCU Provost Stephen D. Gottfredson, students and their teachers described Cuccinelli's action as a threat that reaches beyond sexual orientation.
"This hits me personally and professionally," said Carol Schall, an assistant professor in the School of Education.
The opinion affects more than the gay and lesbian community, she said. "It is about the university's right to establish its own scholarly community and its right to maintain academic freedom."
Describing the opinion as "mean-spirited," Gottfredson said it was just Cuccinelli's interpretation of the law. "I personally beg to disagree," he said.
Diversity and inclusion are "embedded in the very fiber of VCU," he said, and those policies will stand unless the board of visitors acts to change them.
"If VCU did not protect sexual orientation, I wouldn't have come here," said Luke Schlimme, a graduate student in social work who pointed out that diversity protection is required in the code of ethics for his field.
Schlimme said Virginia was taking "huge steps backward" just as other states and the District of Columbia were moving ahead in recognition of same-sex marriages.
Some students questioned why VCU had not already forcefully rejected Cuccinelli's opinion.
"I'm kind of confused why we're having a conversation about this," said senior Ashley Collier, who wondered why board members were not at the meeting.
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