SOLIDARITY – These American students skillfully denounced the anti-LGBT+ policy of their university, located in Seattle, Washington. At their graduation, they each handed an LGBT+ community flag to the principal of their school, as you can see in our video at the top of the article. Quickly, the images of their action went viral, collecting several million views, especially on TikTok.
According to the organizer, Chloe Guillot, interviewed by CNN, approximately 40 to 50 graduates took part in the collective action during their passage on the stage, also refusing to shake the hand of the president of the university Pete Menjares.
Seattle Pacific University (SPU) is a private Catholic school affiliated with the Free Methodist Church in the United States, whose school rules discriminate against LGBT+ people. He prohibits, for example, the employment of persons who have extramarital relations or with persons of the same sex.
Employees or prospective employees may be selected on religious grounds and must refrain from certain behaviors that are inconsistent with the university’s understanding of biblical standards.
The board of directors decided several weeks ago to maintain its policy despite opposition from students and some professors. In response, students staged a sit-in on campus and in front of the administration offices.
Outside help
If these student protests come in the middle of LGBT+ pride month, thegraduates are determined to continue their fight as long as the rule enacted by the SPU has not been repealed. Hes have also received the support of some teachers from the school.
But the SPU is not the only university in this case. According to a 2019 study published in Sociological Spectrumnearly a third of Christian colleges and universities in the United States prohibit such things as “homosexual acts” or “homosexual behavior.”
This Tuesday, June 14, the students were still camping on the premises, taking turns in teams to occupy the corridors. At a minimum, there are always three people to monitor the premises. Sleeping spaces and gender-neutral toilets have also been set up.
Former students have also made a contribution by joining students in their protest since last month. The organizer said she plans to stay there until the summer. The students have given the school until July 1 to reverse its discriminatory policy, or they plan to sue it claiming the board breached its fiduciary duty. By June 13, more than $26,000 had already been raised to pay court costs (they plan to donate the money to the school if the policy is changed before the deadline).
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