Shorter University in Rome, Georgia is
asking employees to sign a statement declaring they are not gay or
face being fired, The
Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported.
The private Baptist college's Personal
Lifestyle Statement also requires staffers to pledge they won't take
part in premarital sex and adultery. Employees must also agree to
not drink alcohol in public places where students might be present,
including restaurants and sporting events.
“I think that anybody who adheres to
a lifestyle that is outside of what the biblical mandate is and of
what the board has passed, including the president, would not be
allowed to continue here,” Don Dowless, president of Shorter
University, told Channel 2 Action News in Atlanta.
Students, who are not required to sign
the statement, have begun a
protest to stop the policy.
An unnamed gay employee told gay weekly
the GA
Voice that the requirement has left staffers afraid of witch
hunts.
“We now will live in fear that
someone who doesn't like us personally or someone who has had a bad
day will report that we've been drinking or that we are suspected of
being gay,” said the employee.