TCF an Illogical Home For Tufts' Catalano

To the editors:

I must take issue with The Crimson's editorial, "Supporting Diversity at Tufts," applauding the Tufts University decision to prevent the Tufts Christian Fellowship (TCF) from barring a bisexual from assuming a leadership post (Editorial, Dec. 4).

The editors wrote "Any organization that forces an individual to renounce the morality of his or her own identity in order to gain membership or hold office is guilty of discrimination of the worst kind." That is an entirely illogical statement.

First of all, it is entirely appropriate for religious organizations to devise and promulgate their beliefs about morality. The positive effects of religion have been observed throughout the world in countless societies and need not be proven here.

Second, when joining a religious organization, it is always the individual who discriminates. It is up to the individual to decide which organizations share their beliefs and are worthy of their membership. If none share their beliefs, then that individual may start his or her own group. Obviously, Julie Catalano was not in full communion with the beliefs of the Tufts Christian Fellowship. Why did she want to become the leader of an organization that she didn't agree with?

Third, the logic of protecting sexual orientation from discrimination is flawed because it heavily favors homosexual behavior. Under Tufts University's non-discrimination policy, TCF could have successfully barred Catalano from office for admitting that she had sex with a married man (adultery) or that she had sex with a single man (fornication), if Catalano were to state that she thought such practices were not morally wrong (since those practices are also against Christian beliefs). Only having sex with a woman would have been a protected practice.

Joseph Lucas '00