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A
proposal to form a club at the Univer
sity of Portland that promotes toler
ance of sexual minorities has been
rejected by Vice President of Student
Services Guy SieverL
Sophomore Jeff Conn and freshman Brandon
Clark submitted a proposal for the club called
University of Portland Needs Outreach, Under
standing and Tolerance, or Up-N-Out. in early
October. It was rejected because it “goes against
Catholic values," Sievert said. The university is a
private Catholic institution.
The student senate voted on Nov. 1 to support
the group. The senate vote is non-binding and
does not affect university policy.
Without official recognition, the group cannot
put up flyers on campus, reserve campus space for
meetings, or receive university funds for speakers
or events.
Currently, a support group for gay, lesbian and
bisexual students meets on campus. That group is
not visible and cannot hold special events on
campus. Conn said a student club would provide
visibility to gay, lesbian and bisexual issues and
give all students a chance to discuss those issues.
“Basically, our purpose is to educate the cam
pus,” Conn said. “No where in our writings do we
say we advocate gay sex. But that’s why the
administration opposed it.”
The group’s proposal makes clear that it is not
about exploring sexuality, it is about openness and
tolerance. “The purpose of this organization is to
provide the University of Portland community
with an active and positive atmosphere of open
ness, understanding and tolerance for all people.”
It adds that Up-N-Out is “not just a ‘gay’ and
‘lesbian’ club,” and encourages membership from
the whole community.
Conflicts surrounding celibacy and the Catho
lic Church is one of the main reasons the group was
rejected. Conn said. The official word from the
Church is that having sex outside of a legal mar
riage is wrong; therefore, because gay and lesbian
marriages are not legally recognized, sex between
two people of the same sex is considered a sin.
Some Catholic groups have distinguished be
tween the act and the person, Conn said. He points
to a 1991 article by the United States Catholic
Conference that says, “Homosexual genital activ
ity, as distinguished from homosexual orientation,
is morally wrong. Such orientation in itself, be
cause not freely chosen, is not sinful.” Conn is
asking the university to make that distinction as a
compromise.
This case is similar to one at Georgetown
University in Washington, DC. There, a gay and
lesbian club that was denied funding took its case
to court, charging discrimination. In a 1991 settle
ment, the group received more than $7,000 in back
funding. Sievert said the situation at University of
Portland is different, because the District of Co
lumbia has an equal access law. There are no such
laws in Oregon.
Up-N-Out has been in contact with the Oregon
Bureau of Labor and Industries to examine the
possibility of filing a discrimination complaint. It
is not clear if a private university falls under the
jurisdiction of Portland civil rights law, which
includes protections for sexual minorities.
Conn said the group has gotten support from
faculty members at the university and from
Portland’s sexual minority community, including
Dignity, a gay and lesbian Catholic organization.
Each year, the school chooses an issue to focus
on throughout the year with speakers and events,
called the Dedicatory Topic. ‘T he Challenge of
Diversity” is this year’s topic, and Conn said it’s
ironic that the university turned away the club
while focusing on diversity.
The university supports other minority student
clubs, and it sponsors “Campus Crusade for
Christ,” which is not a Catholic organization,
Conn said.
Up-N-Out maintains that a visible group to
discuss sexual minority issues, along with a sup
port group, is a basic need for all students.
“The campus provides a support group, but
thatdoesn’tprovide the information to other people.
And that segregates us,” Conn said.
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