Stephen Lovegrove, a junior at Charleston Southern University in
South Carolina, has lost his work-study position as a resident
advisor (RA) after openly discussing that he's gay.
Lovegrove told NBC
affiliate WCBD that he lost his post over Internet posts in which
he openly discussed being a gay Christian.
“This is the situation they brought up – any parent who has a
student coming to CSU can Google my name or just come across it and
they can call the school and say I'm not comfortable with my child
being in the same suite with a gay individual,” Lovegrove said. “I
am not comfortable with my child having a gay R. A. I am not
comfortable with this person being in a ministry role. And so they
basically said the issue is, it's on the World Wide Web and now there
are parents and administrators and donors.”
Dr. Rick Brewer, dean of student affairs at Charleston Southern
University, refused to discuss why Lovegrove was removed from his
post, citing only personnel issues.
Lovegrove said he had decided not return in the fall.
“All and all it's thousands of dollars that were helping me go to
school that I am not receiving anymore. And so between that and the
fact that I have been removed from everything that was my heart and
soul and my passion being at CSU, I have just decided that it doesn't
make sense and it's not a healthy environment for me to go back to in
the fall.”