In 2022, Samford University president Beck Taylor declared that the university would not recognize OUTLaw, a progressive group of law students from the school's Cumberland School of Law. According to the group's Instagram account, it was not just LGBTQ+ but also pro-abortion and pro-child abuse under the guise of "gender-affirming care."
In a statement reported by AL(dot)com, Taylor reportedly wrote, "I am ever mindful of the array of views and opinions on LGBTQ-related issues in contemporary culture, including among Samford's students and employees."
"Civil discourse on matters of human sexuality and other subjects at the forefront of the public debate will always exist at Samford, and the university is not retreating from those discussions. Nevertheless, extending official university recognition to a student organization that advocates for beliefs and behaviors contrary to the religious values of Samford would be inconsistent with my responsibilities as president," he added.
RELATED: Activists protest Samford University for not recognizing LGBTQ law student organization
The school has not retreated from those discussions, allowing radical gender ideology to be included in the "Samford University Undergraduate Honor Code Manual." The honor code, which is required to be agreed to by each student, treats one's "gender identity" as a protected class alongside sex, race, ethnicity, religion, disability and sexual orientation.
The language is in section four, "Standards of conduct and violations":
Engaging in unwelcome conduct that is sufficiently severe and pervasive that it alters the conditions of education and creates an environment that a reasonable person would find intimidating, threatening, harassing, or humiliating. The frequency of the conduct, its severity, and whether it is threatening or humiliating are factors that will be objectively considered in determining whether conduct is abusive. Abusive conduct includes behavior that is objectively calculated to devalue, demean, or abuse another individual or group because of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Such actions may include, but are not restricted to, using racial epithets, slurs, making racially derogatory remarks, or using racial stereotypes. Simple teasing, offhanded comments, respectful statements of sincere religious convictions, and isolated incidents (unless extremely serious) do not constitute the abusive conduct prohibited by this paragraph.
The University of Alabama recently deleted "gender identity" from its required non-discrimination statement for student groups after students protested.
Christian organizations across the nation have spoken out against the pervasive recognition of "gender identity." For example, in 2014 at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting the group passed a resolution that said in part, "God's design was the creation of two distinct and complementary sexes, male and female (Genesis 1:27; Matthew 19:4; Mark 10:6) which designate the fundamental distinction that God has embedded in the very biology of the human race," and that, "Distinctions in masculine and feminine roles as ordained by God are part of the created order and should find expression in every human heart (Genesis 2:18, 21–24; 1 Corinthians 11:7–9; Ephesians 5:22–33; 1 Timothy 2:12–14)."
The resolution resolved, "That we oppose all cultural efforts to validate claims to transgender identity," closing with, "That our love for the Gospel and urgency for the Great Commission must include declaring the whole counsel of God, proclaiming what Scripture teaches about God's design for us as male and female persons created in His image and for His glory (Matthew 28:19–20; Acts 20:27; Romans 11:36)."
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