Indiana Professor says homosexuals should not be hired as teachers

[varun]

http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v50/i11/11a01001.htm (subscription site)

A Weblog Starts a Fire
At Indiana U., a professor's comments on gay schoolteachers cause a controversy


By SCOTT SMALLWOOD
Bloomington, Ind.


The trouble began when Professor Eric B. Rasmusen wrote that hiring a homosexual man as a schoolteacher was akin to putting the fox in the chicken coop.

"Male homosexuals, at least, like boys and are generally promiscuous," he wrote on his Weblog, which is resides on the Indiana University at Bloomington's Web site. "They should not be given the opportunity to satisfy their desires."

Students and staff members complained about his comments, asking that they be removed from the Web site. Some even suggested that he should be fired. Mr. Rasmusen, a professor of business economics in Indiana's Kelley School of Business, agreed to remove his blog from the university's server while officials reviewed the complaints. But it returned a day later, after university lawyers concluded that it did not violate any policy.

During the next several weeks, vigils, town-hall meetings, and lectures were held to react to what gay activists saw as hate speech.

Many critics question whether a gay student can ever again be at ease in Mr. Rasmusen's classroom. "I don't think he should make that view public at IU, because it can affect the way students may be in his class," says Matt Brunner, a political-science major, who is gay. "You may be distracted, thinking that 'he may know that I'm gay.'"

The controversy has prompted questions about free speech, about what restrictions universities can place on material on their Web servers, and about whether faculty members should limit comments, even outside the classroom, that might make certain students uncomfortable.

For his part, Mr. Rasmusen has not backed down a bit from his view. "The fact that some people get so upset makes me think they see some truth in it," he says....

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

1. No straight man should be a teacher either

I mean lets be honest, most adult men find young women attractive, so it's like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse right?

[MrPrax]

25. Heh...

Yeah but that is normal
:eyes:

[rucky]

2. Waddayaknow...a business prof

There'll be a spot waiting for him at Bob Jones Academy after he's fired.

[varun]

12. He was not fired...

..and his weblog with this hate speech still resides on Indiana University's website.

:eyes:


I wonder if someone had spouted such hatred against an ethnic group - the University would have allowed it on their website citing "freedom of speech".

:puke:

P.S. You can give this prof a piece of your mind by writing him at:

[e-mail]

[La_Serpiente]

3. Geezus

I think Gays and Lesbians have faced enough discrimination already. Can't they just leave us alone???

[FDRrocks]

4. Pennsylvanian civilian says

Indiana professor is a jackass. Story at 10.

[camero]

5. What business of his is it?

Who goes to bed with who. I don't think sexuality is a qualification of any job the last time I looked. And I'm a hetero.

Edit: except maybe the porn industry, ok.

[camero]

6. What business of his is it?

Who goes to bed with who. I don't think sexuality is a qualification of any job the last time I looked. And I'm a hetero.

Edit: except maybe the porn industry, ok.

[camero]

7. What business of his is it?

Who goes to bed with who. I don't think sexuality is a qualification of any job the last time I looked. And I'm a hetero.

Edit: except maybe the porn industry, ok.

[sexybomber]

8. Homophobia makes me sick.

<rant>

As if homosexuality is a god-damn choice people make... ignorant Neandertals. Why doesn't this idiot pick up a f***in Human Genetics book and read that shit sometime? Get a clue, dipshit. This f***ing homophobic-ass bigot should be removed from his position and never be allowed to teach again. Maybe somebody could beat him up and tie him to a fence post? See how he likes that? Maybe then he might rethink society's treatment of homosexuals. F***ing crackhead.

</rant>

I'm straight as they come and stuff like this still brings out the demon in me.

[dfong63]

18. not to defend the prof's remarks, but

As if homosexuality is a god-damn choice people make... ignorant Neandertals. Why doesn't this idiot pick up a f***in Human Genetics book and read that shit sometime? Get a clue, dipshit.

not to defend the prof's views, but:
i don't believe the prof said explicitly or implicitly whether homosexuality is a "choice", only that gays should not be hired as teachers. the validity (or invalidity) of his "fox in the henhouse" argument does not depend on whether it is a choice or genetic.

This f***ing homophobic-ass bigot should be removed from his position and never be allowed to teach again.

personally although i disagree with his statement, i believe in the principle of freedom of speech, especially in the form of "academic freedom". if we start firing profs because of their political views, then basically all of our left-wing friends in academia might as well kiss their jobs goodbye.

i disagree with what he says, but i defend his right to say it. if we abandon that prinicple, it'll hurt "us" more than it'll hurt "them".

[sendero]

9. I have a better idea....

... I don't think idiots should be teaching. You are dismissed.

[HFishbine]

10. Achoo

[e-mail]

[veganwitch]

11. i try to be proud to be from indiana

but its assholes like these that make it very very difficult.

but then again i also went to a college in illinois and had a professor that equated gays with alcoholics that would have to fight "that inclination" their entire lives.

i hate people.

[glarius]

13. Weelll....I don't think anyone with blue eyes should be allowed to teach.!

So there!....Is that ridiculous enough?...What do these people use for brains???

[Skittles]

14. A PROFESSOR

who doesn't know the difference between HOMOSEXUALITY and PEDOPHILLIA???? Now that is f***ing SAD.

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

31. ahhh, but that tends to be a problem in society as a whole

Many see homosexuals as deviants, and pedophiles are clearly deviants, so ignorant people label homosexuals and pedophiles in the same deviant category.

Until we start having regular, open discussions about the types of issues where ignorance plays a huge roll, discrimination will never leave our society.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

41. Yeah, but he's a BUSINESS professor

As a veteran of 11 years of college teaching, I can assure you that a majority of the business professors I met were Repiggies.

In fact, I'm convinced that I am out of the teaching profession today because I corrected a business professor who was making racist statements about "over-sexed" people in the Third World causing overpopulation. I told him that the educational level of a country's women was the most reliable predictor of a low birth rate, not the color of the people's skins.

As luck would have it, he turned up on the tenure committee when I was up for consideration, and also as luck would have it, nobody else on the committee really knew me.

[JHB]

15. Yawn... let me know when he's speaking in his field...

...then his title might (might) be relevant.

Otherwise it's like having a geologist judge a sewing bee -- if s/he's qualified to judge, it'n not because of the degree.

[Deja Q]

16. Freakin' homophobe

Promiscuous, maybe. But I am so fucking tired of the "all male homosexuals prey on little boys" schtick. I'm fucking sick of it. x(

That mud-slinging bastard can fry in hell.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Just So We're Clear On This. . .

I LIVE IN ILLINOIS, NOT INDIANA!

Just didn't want any confusion! This guy makes me ashamed to use my sig line.
The Professor

[HFishbine]

19. Here's his blog

But be warned, it's freeperville meets academia as he rails on topics ranging from support for an IU "anti-affirmative action" bake sale, to the leaked intellegence committe memo, to defense of the Patriot Act -- and no facility for comments either.

http://php.indiana.edu/~erasmuse/w/0.rasmusen.htm

[PVnRT]

20. Old news, but still relevant

This happened a while ago, and I'm torn - I can't decide whther he has a right to post his stupidity on the university webspace, or if they have a duty to remove it. At any rate, there are plenty of free blog hosting services that will let him post that tripe, so it's really moot...

And before people start jumping on IU as some Freeper U. stock full of hillbillies (and I know some of you on the East Coast are already thinking that) IU is actually a pretty liberal school.

[varun]

22. He's from East coast...

...product of MIT

[polmaven]

21. Substitute the words

"Negro" or "Jew" and this is the same article written during the 50s and 60s. When will the bigots in this country be the ones who are determined to be unfit to teach the youth of the country? They should not be given the opportunity to satisfy their desire to inflict their hate and fanaticism on anyone.

I am a straight, white, Christian female, so I fit into none of the catagories these imbeciles hate. This kind of hatred is so not what America should be.

This is NOT what the veterans of this country fought for. I haven't asked him, but I'll bet MATCOM will agree that is not what he was protecting.

[Mairead]

35. "I fit into none of the catagories these imbeciles hate"

You don't think they hate women?? We top their lists!

[polmaven]

38. Well, yes, but

they don't hate us a teachers....Teachers and nurses and maids...that's what we do best, isn't it?

[Mairead]

46. Sex toys too. You forgot sex toys.

[polmaven]

49. By George (so to speak)

you are right! I did forget the old time honored sex toys profession for which we are so well honored. Thank you for reminding me, Mairead!!

[patdem]

45. I recall one of the most freightening things I have ever heard

A woman with whom I worked with 20 years ago wanted to be a teacher. And I wondered before I really got to know her if she really had the 'smarts' to be a teacher. Then during one conversation she told me of a harrowing experience she had and went to the emergency room and there was a 'Chinese looking' doctor who was working on her and she said...'I really don't think his head was large enough to have a brain big enough to be a doctor'...this was her atitude about all Orientals...although they are the 'smartest by far'??? That is when I became VERY afraid that she wanted to be a TEACHER...I thought..what will she teach? That the heads of Orientals are not large enough to house brains smart enough to be doctors???'

[IndianaGreen]

23. What Hoosiers are trying to do to protect GLBT workers

I encourage all Hoosiers, whether hetero or GLBT, to join Indiana Equality in our efforts to bring our state into the 21st century. It may come as a surprise to some that Indiana law does not protect a worker from being fired at will, simply because your employer thinks the worker is gay.

If you are not a Hoosier, please check the laws in your state to see if GLBT workers have any protection.

To all of us, please write to your Congressperson or Senator and encourage them to vote for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2003 (H.R. 3285 and S. 1705 respectively).

INDIANA EQUALITY

Every day across this state, good people are losing their jobs or being denied credit, housing, or other services simply because they are gay or transgendered.

Good workers shouldn’t be fired just because of who they are.

To rectify this injustice, an unprecedented coalition of civil rights organizations from across the state has come together to persuade the Indiana legislature to amend the state's Civil Rights Law to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Some may ask, "Is Indiana ready? After all, we’re part of the Bible Belt." As we all know, some faith traditions affirm gay and transgendered persons. Others do not. It’s a big religious debate these days. But, regardless which side of that debate we may be on, we can all agree on this much—religious debates don’t belong in the workplace.

This is not a religious issue.

This is not a conservative or liberal issue.

It’s an issue of basic fairness . . . . and of economic sense.

We’ve seen a lot in the news lately about how jobs are migrating out of Indiana. We’ve heard a lot about our best educated young people leaving the state to find the better jobs. Indiana will continue to be seen as a backward place where high tech businesses and educated people are reluctant to settle, until we start dealing with some of our issues. And one of those issues is that, in Indiana, it’s still ok to discriminate against gay and transgendered people. For sophisticated companies considering where to locate, that’s a big issue.

It’s time our community and our economy stepped into the 21st Century.

Hoosiers believe in fairness.

Let’s make sure our laws reflect that.

http://www.incoalition.org/

Indiana Civil Rights Law

Indiana Code Title 22, Article 9, in relevant part: It is the public policy of the state to provide all of its citizens equal opportunity for education, employment, access to public conveniences and accommodations, and acquisition through purchase or rental of real property, including but not limited to housing, and to eliminate segregation or separation based solely on race, religion, color, sex, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, or gender identity, since such segregation is an impediment to equal opportunity. Equal education and employment opportunities and equal access to and use of public accommodations and equal opportunity for acquisition of real property are hereby declared to be civil rights.

http://www.incoalition.org/amendment.php

[veganwitch]

28. what about former hoosiers

i hate it that these assholes (refering to the prof, not IN equality) are the first thing people think of when they hear indiana.

[IndianaGreen]

33. Indiana does ban discrimination against GLBT for State workers

Thanks to our late Governor O'Bannon and an executive order. I am sure that if Mitch Daniels gets in he might change that.

[Ishoutandscream]

24. So much for "radical leftist academia"

Ranks right up there with "liberal media."

[kodi]

26. aren't most child molesters hetero-sexual?

.

[veganwitch]

30. bing bing bing we have a winner

[Mairead]

37. All too often they're not really very much anything except paedophiles

They tend to marry heterosexually, but too often that relationship is only a cover.

It must be truly awful to be a paedophile, when you think about it.

[DrWeird]

27. Strip his tenure.

nt

[Love Bug]

29. What decade is this? The 70s?

This is the same crap Anita Bryant was saying in the 70s (and lost her job for, BTW). This guy has a right to spout his nonsense but why is the university obligated to support his blog?

[Plaid Adder]

32. You know what, male heterosexuals

like girls and are generally promiscuous. So I guess we shouldn't let them teach either.

Putz,

The Plaid Adder

[Mairead]

36. All together now...a-wun, a-too-, a-three

BUT THAT'S NORRRR-MALLLL!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

42. I once brought that fact up

during one of Oregon's periodic anti-gay campaigns.

When a woman told me that she didn't want gay teachers molesting her son, I told her about the male teacher in my high school who molested girls. I added, "Maybe only eunuchs should teach school."

That actually made her laugh.

[Mairead]

47. Good one!

If only hormone deprivation could actually 'cure' them. :(

[RandomUser]

34. What an idiot

I suppose he's opposed to co-ed classrooms too? For fear that a heterosexual teacher would single out the opposite sex for mischief?

And this idiot is actually teaching young minds? Egads!

[xchrom]

39. yet another pig

of the same old variety.

[salin]

40. right... because people object... it proves I am right? sounds like Rush

didn't he use that kind of screwed up logic leading up to his big druggie confession?

Fundies are always right - and when people call them on how wrong they are - they take that as PROOF of their screwed up righteousness.

[varun]

44. and like Rush...

...I'm sure he has a couple of skeletons in his closet...

:evilgrin:

[LWolf]

43. I have 3 male colleagues

who are gay. That I know of. They are as far in the closet as you can get. One whisper could end their careers. And they spent time, effort, and plenty of $$$ to get the credentials. They have put years into the profession. They are self-supporting. They are not pedophiles.

We could probably solve this problem by staffing our classrooms with priests and nuns. They don't have sex, so the kids should be safe. Right? Right?

[Mairead]

48. ooOOOoooooo vicious!

:evilgrin:

[polmaven]

50. Absolutely right!!

We'll let Cardinal Law be in charge of placing them. He hasn't got much to do these days.