Baptist school ousts gay student LAFAYETTE GRAD'S WEB PAGE UPSETS UNIVERSITY OF THE CUMBERLANDS By Art Jester HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
A Lafayette High School graduate has been kicked out of the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg because he wrote on a personal Web page that he is gay.
The student, Jason Johnson, 20, was officially dismissed either Thursday or yesterday, according to Larry Cockrum, director of media relations at the 1,700-student Baptist institution, formerly called Cumberland College.
Johnson, a sophomore majoring in theater arts, was at home in Lexington last night. The dean's list student said he could not comment under instructions from his lawyer, Don Waggoner.
Johnson was apparently thrown out of school, three weeks before the end of the school year, because his declaration that he is gay on MySpace.com violated a university policy that says:
"Any student who engages in or promotes sexual behavior not consistent with Christian principles (including sex outside marriage and homosexuality) may be suspended or asked to withdraw from the University of the Cumberlands."
Jim Taylor, the university's longtime president, was attending a funeral in Atlanta and was unavailable for comment. However, he released this statement:
"At the University of the Cumberlands, we hold students to a higher standard. Students know the rules before they come to this institution. We've followed our policies and procedures in keeping with our traditional denominational beliefs.
"University of the Cumberlands isn't for everyone. We tell prospective students about our high standards before they come.
"We are different by design, and are non-apologetic about our Christian beliefs."
One of Johnson's close friends, Jennifer Roberts, a senior from Belfry, said "everybody on campus is extremely upset about this."
Roberts said Johnson was a person of high character, honesty and trustworthiness who had distinguished himself in several campus activities, especially theater.
"He's openly gay but doesn't flaunt it," she said, then added: "I think you would be floored by the amount of gay people at our school."
"I would consider Jason a Christian because so many of his values are Christian," she said. "He embodies everything a friend should be. A lot of people are suffering because he is not here."
Roberts and Johnson worked together on a student-run television show, Patriot Talk. "I'm producer, he's director," she said.
Johnson was stage manager for a recent production of Shakespeare's As You Like It, and was a key person in the theater outreach program.
Roberts said some students will not be afraid to express their outrage.
"They're already printing T-shirts that say 'Jesus loves gay people, too,'" she said.