You’ll remember a few weeks back that a beloved soccer coach had been fired, by most accounts directly related to the fact that she told her women’s soccer team that she and her partner were expecting a baby. The board of trustees has now voted to add sexual orientation to the school’s nondiscrimination policy. There’s a bit of a weird X-factor still in play though:
A university that came under fire from students for the departure of a lesbian women’s soccer coach has added sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy, but it was not clear whether it covered sexually active gays.
President Bob Fisher announced the policy approved by trustees, but wouldn’t answer questions Wednesday regarding ex-soccer coach Lisa Howe. The private university has said her departure on Dec. 2 was a mutual decision. But students and players protested, saying Howe was let go because she told them she was having a child with her same-sex partner.
[…]
Several reporters wanted to know whether Belmont was making a distinction between sexual orientation and sexual practice.
Belmont’s student code of conduct lists sex outside of marriage as “sexual misconduct.” Since gays and lesbians cannot marry in Tennessee, there is no way for them to be sexually active without violating the code.
Fisher would not say whether the new policy meant whether openly gay people could work at Belmont.
“I would put that in the category of a hypothetical,” he said.
What on earth is “hypothetical” about that?
I, for one, still smell wingnuts.
