Harding Blocks Access to Website About Gay Students and Alumni

Harding University, a Christian institution in Arkansas, has blocked access to a website created by some of its gay and lesbian students and alumni, The Arkansas Times reported. A statement from the university said that the university's "student handbook states that the university holds to the biblical principle that sexual relationships are unacceptable to God outside the context of marriage and that sexual immorality in any form will result in suspension from the university. Based on that policy, university administrators felt that having this website available on campus goes against said mission and policies." The website, called HU Queer Press, gave this explanation of its mission: "The voices enclosed are the unedited and uncensored voices of individuals who are all too familiar with censorship. In truth, there is no single, identifiable goal of this zine other than to put our voices out there. Our aim is that through reading these pages you might become the ones to create the zine's ending — to usher in its full political, social, and religious implications. We fully believe in the potential of communities to be free of oppression, hatred, and misunderstanding of queer individuals — will you help us create that reality at Harding and beyond?"