Friday, February 13, 2009

L.A. College Professor Calls Down Christian Student

Prof stops student's class presentation when the student gave a biblical definition of marriage -- weeks earlier, the prof told the class "if you voted yes on [the pro-marriage] Proposition 8, you are a fascist bastard."

-- From "Los Angeles City College Is Sued Over Alleged Bias Against Christian Student" by Josh Keller, Chronicle of Higher Education 2/13/09

The Alliance Defense Fund sued the Los Angeles Community College District on Wednesday, asserting that a student at Los Angeles City College was shouted down and called a “fascist bastard” by his Speech 101 professor while giving a presentation about his Christian faith.

The lawsuit says that a student at the college, Jonathan Lopez, was giving an in-class presentation last November that involved “reading the dictionary definition of marriage and reciting two Bible verses” when he was interrupted by his professor. The professor, John Matteson, insulted the student and later refused to give him a grade, the suit says, instead writing on an evaluation that Mr. Lopez should “ask God what your grade is.”

“Professor Matteson clearly violated Mr. Lopez’s free-speech rights by engaging in viewpoint discrimination and retaliation because he disagreed with the student’s religious beliefs,” David French, a senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, said in a statement. “When students are given open-ended assignments in a public-speaking class, the First Amendment protects their ability to express their views.”

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

Expanded coverage is available at WorldNetDaily