Dear President Jacobs (UTPresident@utoledo.edu):
I am writing to express my grave disappointment with media relations personnel at The University of Toledo. I have submitted to them a series of very simple questions concerning your recent decision to fire Crystal Dixon because she exercised her First Amendment religious liberties in a public forum outside the university.
Since your media representatives have not given me the courtesy of a response to even one question I am going to direct all future questions to you. I will take up where I left off with them by quoting text from Mrs. Dixon’s opinion column. I will stop to ask you some questions from time to time.
“Daily, thousands of homosexuals make a life decision to leave the gay lifestyle evidenced by the growing population of PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex Gays) and Exodus International just to name a few. Frequently, the individuals report that the impetus to their change of heart and lifestyle was a transformative experience with God; a realization that their choice of same-sex practices wreaked havoc in their psychological and physical lives. Charlene E. Cothran, publisher of Venus Magazine, was an aggressive, strategic supporter of gay rights and a practicing lesbian for 29 years, before she renounced her sexuality and gave Jesus Christ stewardship of her life.”
1. Is the university angry with Mrs. Dixon because it is believed that she has exaggerated the number of individuals who are leaving the homosexual lifestyle daily? If so, what about those who argue that the number of individuals leaving the homosexual lifestyle daily is exactly zero? Is the university only interested in condemning error in one direction? If so, does this mean that is has chosen sides on a political issue? Can a public university do that?
2. Is Mrs. Dixon right when she says that the gay lifestyle is bad for one’s physical health? If she’s right, is she engaging in, a) hate speech or, b) love speech, by encouraging people to change?
“The gay community vilified her angrily and withdrew financial support from her magazine, upon her announcement that she was leaving the lesbian lifestyle. Rev. Carla Thomas Royster, a highly respected New Jersey educator and founder and pastor of Blessed Redeemer Church in Burlington, NJ, married to husband Mark with two sons, bravely exposed her previous life as a lesbian in a tell-all book. When asked why she wrote the book, she responded ‘to set people free... I finally obeyed God.’”
3. Speaking of angry vilification, I have now had an opportunity to read all of the letters to the editor printed in response to Dixon’s column. In those letters, Dixon’s detractors characterize her as “resentful,” inflammatory,” “homophobic,” “hateful,” “intolerant,” “misguided,” “bigoted,” “intolerable,” “outrageous,” “ignorant,” and “narrow-minded.” One writer called her opinion a “religious rant” and another compared her to a “white supremacist.” Do you have any misgivings about firing Mrs. Dixon to appease these people? Do you really think it’s going to work?
4. Do you find it at all ironic that the gay community characterizes Dixon’s speech as both “intolerant” and “intolerable”? Which do you agree with? Is Dixon’s speech a) intolerant, b) intolerable, or c) both?
“Economic data is irrefutable: The normative statistics for a homosexual in the USA include a Bachelor's degree: For gay men, the median household income is $83,000/yr. (Gay singles $62,000; gay couples living together $130,000), almost 80% above the median U.S. household income of $46,326, per census data. For lesbians, the median household income is $80,000/yr. (Lesbian singles $52,000; Lesbian couples living together $96,000); 36% of lesbians reported household incomes in excess of $100,000/yr. Compare that to the median income of the non-college educated Black male of $30,539. The data speaks for itself.”
5. Given these data, would you say that Crystal Dixon, a black female, is at a disadvantage when gay “civil rights” activists organize to have her fired from her position at The University of Toledo?
6. Which group gives the higher average contribution to The University of Toledo: a) gays, or b) blacks? Has this been a factor in your decision-making process?
“The reference to the alleged benefits disparity at the University of Toledo was rather misleading. When the University of Toledo and former Medical University of Ohio merged, both entities had multiple contracts for different benefit plans at substantially different employee cost sharing levels. To suggest that homosexual employees on one campus are being denied benefits avoids the fact that ALL employees across the two campuses regardless of their sexual orientation have different benefit plans. The university is working diligently to address this issue in a reasonable and cost-efficient manner, for all employees, not just one segment.”
7. Did Mrs. Dixon in any way misrepresent the policies of the university?
8. Or do you just think she was being uppity for speaking without your permission?
“My final and most important point: There is a divine order. God created human kind male and female (Genesis 1:27). God created humans with an inalienable right to choose. There are consequences for each of our choices, including those who violate God's divine order. It is base human nature to revolt and become indignant when the world or even God Himself, disagrees with our choice that violates His divine order. Jesus Christ loves the sinner but hates the sin (John 8:1-11.) Daily, Jesus Christ is radically transforming the lives of both straight and gay folks and bringing them into a life of wholeness: spiritually, psychologically, physically and even economically. That is the ultimate right.”
9. When Mrs. Dixon speaks of a divine order, do you not think she is speaking of fairly obvious physical facts? When a man, for example, allows a body part designed for a non-sexual purpose to be used for a sexual purpose is he not opening himself up to certain health risks? Is this a novel idea at The University of Toledo?
10. Which of the following views is supported by less evidence? a) The existence of a gay gene; or b) The existence of a single gay individual who has suffered discrimination at the hands of Crystal Dixon.
I look forward to hearing back from you. And I know you’ll give straight answers to all of my questions.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member