Proposal To Protect Gays At CU Incites Dissent
Legislator Says Nondiscrimination Policy Goes Against Taxpayers' Beliefs
A Republican legislator and a Christian group are fighting a proposal to protect gays from discrimination at the University of Colorado.
The motion by regent Jim Martin, which was to be discussed at the regent's meeting Wednesday, would include sexual orientation in CU's nondiscrimination policy. The policy protects students, faculty and staff from discrimination based on race, color,
national origin, sex, disability, creed, religion or veteran
status.
Senate minority leader John Andrews, R-Arapahoe County, is
lobbying the nine-member CU Board of Regents to defeat the motion,
and the Christian Coalition of Colorado is campaigning against it
in its monthly newsletters.
Regents are scheduled to vote on the motion in March.
"We're not taking the lead in this by any stretch of the
imagination. We're just catching up," Martin said. "Some of our
corporate leaders like Coors and Hewlett-Packard include sexual
orientation in their nondiscrimination policies."

C.U. students and faculty talk about discrimination on campus
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Several other state schools such as Colorado State, Northern and
Southern Colorado, Fort Lewis, Adams State and Metropolitan State
include sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policies, as
do more than half of the schools in the Big 12, Martin said.
Regents in 1999 defeated such a motion 5-4. However, a Democrat
replaced a Republican on the board in January, which the Christian
group and Andrews fear could sway the outcome.
"To adopt such a policy would put the university at variance
with the deeply held values of most people in Colorado, and outside
the legislative parameters often reaffirmed by the General
Assembly," Andrews wrote in an e-mail sent to each regent member.
"Please do not associate our state's premier educational
institution with a socially radical stance disapproved by so many
taxpayers who fund your budget and the parents who entrust you with
their children."
The Christian Coalition of Colorado in its newsletter said
Martin wants "to spend your tax dollars for special benefits for
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual partners."
Martin said that he received 1,000 phone calls as a result of the
article.
"This is creating no rights or obligations on the university,"
Martin said. "There are no public or private dollars being spent on
this. This is making a statement from the boardroom that behavior
that targets people based on sexual orientation ought not to be
tolerated at the University of Colorado."
More Information:
Contact Regent Jim Martin
Read Non-Discrimination Policy
CU's Office Of Diversity and Equity
Office Of the Chancellor
The motion by regent Jim Martin, which was to be discussed at the regent's meeting Wednesday, would include sexual orientation in CU's nondiscrimination policy. The policy protects students, faculty and staff from discrimination based on race, color,
national origin, sex, disability, creed, religion or veteran
status.

Copyright 2007 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.








