Jesuit's Boston College to comply with laws favoring homosexuals

Boston, Mass., May 11, 2005 / 22:00 pm

Boston College will change its nondiscrimination statement and make it more welcoming to homosexual students and employees.

The changes were agreed upon and drafted at the beginning of May, after weeks of meetings between the Jesuit school's general counsel, two high-ranking student affairs officials, and student leaders, reported the Boston Globe.

Student activists have pushed for changes in the school's policy for more than three years, since the college appeared in Princeton Review's list of gay-unfriendly colleges.

In the new policy, the college "commits itself to maintaining a welcoming environment for all people and extends its welcome in particular to those who may be vulnerable to discrimination on the basis of their race . . . religion, color, age . . . or sexual orientation."

However, the revised policy also states that the school reserves "its lawful rights [protected by state law] where appropriate to take actions designed to promote the Jesuit, Catholic principles that sustain its mission and heritage."

The exemption allows the college to withhold funding or recognition from student groups that are at odds with Catholic principles, without being vulnerable to lawsuits, reported the Globe.

University spokesperson Jack Dunn told the newspaper that some students think the policy still needs work, but most have reacted very positively. ''Students respect the fact that as a Jesuit university, we have an obligation to uphold our religious convictions," he said.