Dear Grinnellians,
At the end of the last semester, the Student Government Association (SGA) decided to revoke the official student group status of the Grinnell College Christian Fellowship (GCCF). The decision was solely based on the Non-Discrimination Policy by which Grinnell College abides.
The rationale behind the decision was grounded in a report that a member of the GCCF leadership was questioning his or her sexuality. Because this person was questioning her or her sexuality, the ability for that individual to still be a leader was unclear. After meeting with the leaders of GCCF and explaining the consequences of excluding members of leadership based on sexual identification and orientation, a final meeting was held where we asked directly whether or not a queer-identified individual could be a part of GCCf’s leadership. The response to that question was “no,” which only then led SGA to revoke the group’s status.
In particular, SGA based its decision on the line of the Non-Discrimination Policy that reads, “No person shall be discriminated against on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, religion, creed, or disability.”
SGA’s decision does not reflect a stance on any religion or religious teaching. Rather, it reflects the application of the College’s Non-Discrimination Policy that stands to provide open and accessible means to all individuals.
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at [sgaprez].
Thank you,
Gabe Schechter
SGA President
