RA claims Catholic school tried to make him promote LGBTQ Mixer

A group of universities recently joined up to host an “LGBTQ Mixer,” and at least one Catholic institution allegedly required resident assistants to advertise the event in their dorms.

According to one RA, Student Life officials at Fairfield University, a Jesuit institution in Connecticut, required RAs to post flyers promoting the LGBTQ “mixer” in various places in the residence halls, including personal bulletin boards.

Jimmy Lipko, an RA at Fairfield, told Campus Reform that he was “mandated to post flyers no matter what the material on it is," adding that he did not end up posting that particular flyer, but was told that he had to post anything given to him in the future.

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Lipko said that he was being forced to “hang up something that is in direct conflict with [the university’s] mission as a ‘Catholic, Jesuit institution,’ which in its mission statement says it educates its students to be ‘morally responsible persons.’”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered” and are “contrary to the natural law.” Lipko, a devout Catholic, was specifically disturbed that a university that prides itself on its Catholic nature would require students to post such material, and he felt it was against his moral beliefs.

Lipko confronted university officials about their mandate, and said they pointed him to a section of the student handbook that outlines the university’s policy regarding posting flyers on campus. Nowhere in the specified section, however, is there any mention of individuals being required to post certain flyers.

“I fail to see how this section of texts mandates me as an RA to post flyers that are against my morals, but this is what they are using,” Lipko said.

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The LGBTQ mixer was held on October 27 and included groups from Southern Connecticut State University, Sacred Heart University, and the University of Bridgeport.

Another RA contacted by Campus Reform for this article declined to be interviewed out of concern he could be retaliated against.

“He is scared he'll get in trouble,” Lipko said.

Campus Reform reached out to Fairfield University for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @JJ_Poff