College Student Refuses To Retract Gays Are 'Subhuman' Web Posting

College Student Refuses To Retract Gays Are 'Subhuman' Web Posting
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: October 27, 2005 9:00 pm ET


(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) A Duquesne University sophomore says he will risk being expelled rather than accept punishment for writing that homosexuality is "subhuman" in a Web posting.

Ryan Miner, 19, made the posting on an online forum not related to the university.

Several LGBT students who saw the posting complained to the Catholic school. After a hearing, the office of judicial affairs found Miner guilty of violating the University Code which prohibits harassment or discrimination based on, among other groups, sexual orientation.

Miner was ordered to write a 10-page essay on the pros and cons of homosexuality as punishment. He refused, saying the posting was an issue of free speech.

<snip>

Last month a group of Duquesne students sought permission to create a Gay-Straight Alliance. University President Charles Dougherty set up a committee of students, faculty, staff and administrators led by the Rev. Tim Hickey to study the issue.

<snip>

The internet posting by Miner was in an online group he set up to oppose the alliance.

More:
http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/10/102705university.htm

He's willing to take the penalty for his exercising his right to free speech, but, in fact, he should not be penalized.

This is gonna make a good lawsuit.

I say good for him. This is America. Hateful speech needs even more protection than other speech.

He has every right to be ignorant....that's what freedom/democracy is. If he broke any rules of the University they have ever right to dismiss him.

Student punished for blog entry - PittsburghLIVE.com Archive
Ryan Miner says he's willing to risk expulsion rather than write a 10-page essay
as ordered by Duquesne University.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/trib/pittsburgh/s_388236.html


http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=mozclient&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&q=%22Duquesne+University%22+and+%22Ryan+Miner%22

He has every right to be ignorant ASSHOLE{/B}

"Subhuman," eh? Throw him out. I love it when those who wish to oppress and harm others claim they have a right to do it under the First Amendment. A**hole.

Duquesne University is a private university, and private universities are allowed to regulate the off campus behavior of their students (unwise as this may be).

His First Amendment rights were not infringed because Duquense is not the government, and no criminal sanction was imposed. Attending a private university is a privilege, not a right, and his attendance at that school constitutes his agreement to follow their rules (though I personally find the university's definition of "harassment" in this case to be flimsy).

I advocate a preemptive strike
Catholic schools throw people out all the time. This is incitement as good a reason as any.

Hate is part of our discourse, like it or not. Universities should be places where free and open exchange of ideas are welcomed, even hateful ideas.

I stand by Duquense's right to sanction this kid, but unless his words contained a specific call to action urging people to go out and lynch gay people, I don't think it's a wise move for the university.

they want a leaner, meaner,more fundie institution. You are right about hate speech, but that street must be a two way street. Yet the gay group in question is not being allowed a point of view. It's hard to recognize a freedom in others, without experiencing the idea yourself.

... stepping on some obnoxious asswipe's First Amendment rights is not my first concern. I'm more worried about how similar it is the the rhetoric Hitler used to justify killing six million Jews plus assorted Gypsies, "defectives," Catholics, gays, Poles, Seventh Day Adventists, Communists, trade unionists, and the other groups he considered subhuman.

On edit: I'm having second thoughts. I don't think Miss Miner is emulating Hitler so much as screaming: "Someone help me come out of the closet!"

forget a gay strait alliance,, start self defense group

The term subhuman was actually used by the Nazis to describe jews,and now it is being used by white skinheads.My beef is we all are human can we get along through the hurt and discord,through all the wrong in our history through all the wars we should stop trying to divide one another and get along.