Purdue University professor Bert Chapman has Purdue students in an uproar over an October 27 blog post entitled “An Economic Case Against Homosexuality.” The post on Chapman’s Townhall.com blog, Conservative Librarian, makes a fairly reasoned and dispassionate analysis of various ways in which both homosexual and deviant sexual behavior impact the economy.
Now amid accusations of bigotry and dishonesty students and LGBT activists are calling for his job, claiming that the University is implicitly endorsing homophobia by keeping Chapman on campus. The tenor of the student response is anything but reasoned and dispassionate
Purdue junior Max Vande Vaarst, for example, wrote in the student newspaper Exponent:
“Dr. Bert Chapman surrendered his position at Purdue the moment he decided to publish such intellectual diarrhea on his blog. There are those who would defend this atrocious man by claiming that political correctness has conspired to snatch away his free speech, but this is not so. Dr. Chapman has the right to believe that homosexuals are immoral, just as it would be within his rights to believe the same about any other group of people. The issue is not Dr. Chapman’s views of homosexuality, bigoted and wrong-headed though they may be, but that he has abused his authority as a scholar and an expert to disseminate hate-filled propaganda.”
Grad student Corey Bechtel made similar remarks:
“This is a big story and not something that should merely be relegated to the opinions page; the views espoused by Chapman are nauseating and his employment at Purdue would be akin to Purdue employing someone who was openly racist or anti-Semitic. It is astounding that someone who is both a professor and a librarian, someone who is charged with teaching and assisting ALL students regardless of their sexual orientation, is saying these despicable things publicly.”
Purdue University, however, has taken the side of reason and will not be taking action against Chapman. Purdue spokeswoman, Jeanne Norberg, says:
“The university asks its faculty to make it clear that the viewpoints they express do not necessarily reflect those of the university. Mr. Chapman has gone out of his way to do this with a very clear disclaimer. He also took an extra step and posted his blog on a server not owned by the university. The university has a policy prohibiting harassment if it unreasonably affects a person’s educational or work opportunities or affects his or her ability to participate in a university activity. This does not meet that standard. The First Amendment clearly allows him to state his opinion. The best response is to speak up, which is exactly what our students and some faculty are doing.”
Chapman defends his post and has not taken it down but wishes the matter would go away. “It is sad we live in a time when truly free and open debate on controversial issues is characterized by such virulence,” Chapman said. “As a country, we are in serious trouble if we reach a point when only one side on a public policy issue is allowed to be discussed.”