The 50 Spot: Fighting Symbolism with Symbolism

Last year, in the wake of General Peter Pace's comments that he believed homosexuality was "immoral," Indiana University's (IU) Kelley School of Business granted Gen. Pace an award known as the Poling Chair.  A year later, students and faculty at Indiana University are urging the faculty council to pass a resolution that recognizes that despite Pace's military credentials, his comments about homosexuality being immoral were degrading and offensive to IU's LGBT community.  Will the resolution fly?  More below in the 50 spot, and we're also hitting up Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Colorado.

Indiana:  The Indiana Daily Student brings word today that a Bloomington Faculty Council will decide whether or not to pass a resolution that criticizes the comments that General Peter Pace made last year, when he said that he believed homosexuality was immoral, and that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was a good policy for the U.S. military to keep.  Gen. Pace was honored by Indiana University last year by the school's Kelley School of Business, but faculty and students on campus want the university to acknowlede that Pace's comments on homosexuality were offensive to many within the campus community.  According to Alex Tanford, the chair of Indiana University's Diversity and Affirmative Action Committee, the resolution is meant as a symbolic gesture - much like the award Pace was given - to combat homophobia and discrimination.  "[LGBT people] constitute the most discriminated minority on campus and in the country," said Tanford, who said the resolution will express regret that Gen. Pace was brought to campus in a way that offended LGBT people and straight allies.

Kentucky:  Welcome to Arkansas 2.0.  Arkansas passed a statewide ban on all adoption by unmarried people this past year, as a sly way of banning gays and lesbians from adopting children.  Now, Kentucky wants to follow suit.  Senate bill 68 has been introduced in the State Legislature by state Sen. Gary Tapp, which would allow children to be placed only in adoptive or foster homes with people who "are not cohabiting outside of a marriage that is legally valid in Kentucky."  We know that LGBT adoption is actually in the best interests of states and of children, but people like Sen. Gary Tapp don't have the best interests of children at heart when they draft pieces of legislation like this.  Instead, they're just looking to fan the flames of a culture war.  Chris Hartman of The Fairness Campaign made similar comments to the Lexington Herald-Leader: "We literally can't afford to play politics with these children's lives.  Hundreds of children are awaiting adoption each day in Kentucky, and it should be our politicians' jobs to find them a home, not to categorically eliminate potential loving parents with an anti-gay political attack."  Kudos to Chris Hartman for giving us the quote of the month right there.

Pennsylvania:  The Diocese of Scranton sure has been active on the cranky front lately.  During the 2008 election, the Diocese's bishop, Joseph F. Martino, lambasted Catholics who supported Barack Obama and Joe Biden, because his own personal theology narrowed Catholic identity down to a few socially conservative issues that ran counter to the Obama/Biden platform.  Now, Bishop Martino is cracking his whip again, lashing out at Misericordia University for inviting noted gay author Keith Boykin to campus.  Boykin, who runs his own blog here by the way, is a best-selling author and the founder of the National Black Justice Coalition.  He's coming to campus at the invitation of the Diversity Institute at Misericordia, as a celebration of Black History Month.  But apparently Bishop Martino would rather celebrate monolithic dogma as opposed to diversity.  Again, another glaring example of how the institutional Catholic Church is cracking down hard on academic freedom at Catholic universities.

Colorado:  But to end on some good news...according to Edge Boston, a bill making it easier for LGBT folks to leave property to their partners and visit each other in the hospital is closer to approval in the Colorado Legislature.  About time!  As state Rep. Mark Ferrandino said, "We are basically giving them rights, no more rights than anyone else in Colorado."  Yes, that's right.  Equal rights, not special rights or additional rights.  Just rights that bring gay and lesbian couples somewhat closer to the same level of rights afforded heterosexual couples in the state of Colorado.