Is Pepperdine the Next Bob Jones University?

Ken Starr is many things. He's a former Solicitor General. A former prosecutor who led Bill Clinton's impeachment. Current dean of Pepperdine University's Law School. And lead attorney arguing on behalf of supporters of Proposition 8, who hope to take marriage equality away from LGBT couples in the Golden State.  It's that last role, as uber-champion of Proposition 8, that have people wondering whether Starr's anti-LGBT positions are harming Pepperdine.

More than 150 alums of Pepperdine University have signed a letter to Ken Starr (which you can see here on Facebook), where they say that Starr's support for Proposition 8 is a disgrace to the education they received at Pepperdine, and a threat to the reputation to the University (especially the School of Law):

Not only does your public position and active support of Proposition 8 offend and embarrass many alumni, one must imagine that the LGBT students at the School of Law are feeling even more marginalized being subjected to their dean's public support for discrimination against them. Moreover, you are sending a very clear message about Pepperdine's culture to prospective students, not only LGBT students, but also their straight allies, and all other minority groups.

Does Starr's active participation in fighting for Proposition 8 trickle down to the University that he works for?   Well, to paraphrase the magic 8-ball, all signs point to yes.   Ken Starr's decision to be the public face of Proposition 8 in California sends the message that Pepperdine would trust a leader who so vehemently supports discrimination against LGBT people.  Couple this with the fact that another Pepperdine educator, Special Education Clinic Director Richard M. Peterson, appeared in advertisements for Proposition 8 in the lead up to the November vote, and you've got a real problem in public relations for Pepperdine.  Is this a school that tolerates open discrimination against LGBT people?

The Facebook group of Pepperdine Alums against 8 close their letter to Ken Starr by saying:

There can be no doubt that a perceived lack of tolerance and diversity will impact the distinguished US News & World Report ranking so coveted by Pepperdine, thus adversely affecting not only your personal reputation and the reputation of the school, but also the value of generations of alumni's degrees.

There's a lot of truth in that statement.  Pepperdine runs the risk of heading down the road of Bob Jones University, the South Carolina-based school that has long been a beacon of hate when it comes to LGBT rights.  And that would be the ultimate disservice to Pepperdine's student body, alums, and faculty who recognize that Proposition 8 is as great an injustice as banning inter-racial marriage.

One last point worth noting: the group of Pepperdine alums who created this Facebook group have pledged to not give any money to Pepperdine, and rather send their donations to organizations that support equal rights.  These donors want Pepperdine to issue a public statement distancing themselves from the positions of Starr and Peterson, and to emphasize that the University values diversity, including sexual orientation.