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Aquinas's outcry reveals power of Corvino's words, free speech

It's no secret that philosopher, gay rights advocate and Wayne State University professor John Corvino is controversial. He's been debated, argued with and, recently on a Catholic message board, called a heretic.
However, love him or hate him, it's hard to deny that he's a powerful speaker whose voice deserves to be heard. Listening to his speeches and reading his blog posts, it's easy to see why he's difficult to negate and why some might fear his words.
This is exactly the mentality that caused the Grand Rapids-based Catholic school Aquinas College to postpone Corvino's scheduled presentation at their school until they could find someone to adequately present the opposing viewpoint. At least that's what they said.
It seems to us here at Between The Lines that the real feeling is that Aquinas' administration doesn't want Corvino there at all. Or, if they do, it's only because the backlash from students and media would be so great that it would do them more harm than supposed good to keep Corvino's wicked, pro-homosexuality, anti-Bible banter out. Aquinas's president, C. Edward Balog, is no fool. He knows full well the repercussions of trying to silence free speech – especially free speech with the backing of such a fiery community as LGBTs.
Balog contends that the university only wants to present both sides to a subject that is so disputed in Catholic teaching. Interestingly enough, however, the school experienced the opposite situation during their last Pro-Life Week, which is held annually. Last year, students called for the presentation of the pro-choice opinion, accentuated by an editorial published last October by their newspaper, The Saint, titled "No Choice." Administration fought hard to see that it didn't happen, and a professor's reply to the editorial stated that to present pro-choice beliefs would be to go directly against Catholic moral teachings.
So since when is Aquinas' administration so concerned with free speech and presenting both viewpoints to a controversial issue? Oh, that's right. Since it served their purpose perfectly and appeased their alumni, donors and local Bishop, all of whom pressured the school to cancel Corvino's event, or at least postpone it until an adequate Catholic rebuttal could be mustered.
But Aquinas' main concern should not be what its alumni and donors want. It should be what it's students want. They are the ones whose student fees are going to support the event and they are the ones who are attending it. And the students have shown, overwhelmingly with informal and formal responses to the president himself, that they want to hear what Corvino has to say.
Moreover, it seems hypocritical that a school that has a Gay Straight Alliance and promotes its "Safe Zone program" as creating an accepting and safe place for diversity of all types should feel the need to negate a speech like Corvino's just as it happens.
We hope that the only effect this will have is to create a bigger turnout for his presentation. If anything, all this has shown is exactly how powerful John Corvino's arguments really are.

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