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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
The Observer

A natural orientation

While there is no sensible reason for Notre Dame not to include sexual orientation in its non-discrimination clause, certainly everyone can understand from where the underlying prejudice stems. Until religion gives up its monopoly on sexuality, LGBT students at a deeply religious school like Notre Dame (and LGBT persons everywhere) will not receive the respect they deserve. However, together as a university, as thoughtful, intelligent people, we can overcome this antiquated intolerance.
We should not have to consider LGBT students as living an alternative lifestyle any more than those students who eat at North Dining Hall. Whether one thinks it's a choice or not, it's something that has no more potential to be right or wrong than where one eats dinner.
Furthermore, someone being LGBT has no more effect on others than someone being heterosexual. While all of us know the potential consequences of sexual overindulgence and can expect all people to exercise some sort of self-discipline, the uninvolved should not concern themselves with judging a person's responsible private sexual activity.
Sexuality is but another biological and psychological dimension of the human species. To declare homosexual behaviors as deviant is to deny the reality that homosexuality is no less natural than heterosexuality, just as dark skin is no less natural than light skin, blue eyes than brown, red hair than blonde. None of these characteristics has any moral value, and neither does sexuality. As such, for the University to reserve the right to discriminate based on this characteristic is unsound (not to mention wrong). Notre Dame should add sexual orientation to its non-discrimination clause once and for all. It is shameful that a community this bright has not done so already.

Andy Hills
sophomore
Carroll Hall
Feb. 4 


The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.