EW’s July 25 Slant column mentioned that a communications professor from Northwest Christian University spoke about “Free Speech vs. Hate Speech” at the City Club of Eugene. Is the word “ironic”? Hypocritical? As a condition of employment at NCU, the instructor who spoke had to sign a “Statement of Understanding,” saying “I am living in compliance with the Employee Handbook dated April 1, 2017.” The new handbook states “Our understanding of marriage as the singularly appropriate context for sexual intimacy is rooted in the Genesis account of creation…” What is a legally same-sex married professor to do?
I know this is now a condition of employment at Northwest Christian University because I didn’t sign and was “unhired” last September, after 12 years of exemplary employment in the school counseling program. I was told I was not “on the list of who could be hired” for not signing the post Trump election, new “Employee Handbook Statement of Understanding.”
I fail to see how creating a condition of employment that basically states that you must be heterosexual (aka sexuality as in Genesis) to work here does not constitute “hate.” It’s certainly discrimination. NCU changed its public polices to sound more inclusive because many community school districts and agencies shunned their student’s placements. But don’t be fooled, practices remain as before. I believe the new handbook is homophobia and I think that is “hateful.” I know, I used to work there.
Debra McGee, Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
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Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
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