Massachusetts mayor pledges to donate to LGBT charity in response to anti-LGBT calls

[Fearless]

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll terminated a contract with Gordon College on 9 July after college president D Michael Lindsay signed an open letter to US President Barack Obama demanding that the college be granted an exemption to his planned executive order to ban LGBT discrimination in employment.

Without the contract, the Christian college is not allowed to use city-owned property, including Salem Town Hall to conduct business.

Since terminating the contract, the mayor’s office has received a flood of anti-LGBT phone calls from right-wing supporters, which came after conservative television host Glenn Beck commented on the case on his website.

The mayor announced via letter and a Facebook post yesterday that she would donate to a local LGBT charity in protest of the negativity.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/07/17/us-massachusetts-mayor-pledges-to-donate-to-lgbt-charity-in-response-to-anti-lgbt-calls/

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$5 for every negative call goes to an LGBT youth charity? Money well spent.

[Cooperstown]

1. I think it's just fine to object to such restrictive hiring and employment

I think it's just fine to object to such restrictive hiring and employment practices.

However, Gordon Cromwell Theological Seminary and Gordon College are both NOT located in Salem, Mass, but one and two towns away.

Yes, it makes a statement in this part of New England, Gordon is practicing some crazy religiously based discrimination, but the relationship with the city of Salem I fail to understand.

Making a statement about discrimination is important. I agree. But what relationship does the city of Salem, Mass have with this college and theological seminary?



Can someone clue me in as to the direct connections?

[Fearless]

2. The school had an agreement

With the city to use some city facilities for university purposes. I'm not sure if the details were released.

[Cooperstown]

3. The city would be right in cancelling those agreements, for sure.

Yes, there are parks and recreation facilities and docks and access to the Salem harbor, where boats could be launched.

There are places where the colleg and theological school could hold picnics, cookouts, maybe even use the town meeting halls.

That should be cancelled if Gordon doesn't rescind their policies.

But some interesting things happen on their campus, drawing people to concerts and plays, etc.

Massachusetts is very open to gay marriage, gay events in may public forums.

I really don't see this college as a threat to so many other dozens of colleges in the state who welcome open expression of gay love.

Yes, there are bigots everywhere, obviously next door to Salem, Mass, where there is a small state university, Salem State University, which has a very open gay friendly policy, and more students undergrad and graduate, than Gordon ever could boast.