Exactly my view. It looked to me like it could be used to stifle legitimate debate, and with regards to things like gay marriage maybe even necessary debate. Shutting down the side you don't agree with can have bad consequences. The issue can fester and periodically erupt in ugly maybe even violent ways.

Much better to just throw it out there for discussion with a more simple rule of:

Treat your fellow students with respect and civility. Seems like that would cover most of the problems above and get rid of many of the problematic issues.

Good morning, heterosexuals! I trust all of you still have the same sex organs you were born with? Ha. Ha. ?!

That was funny. I don't know how you'd treat a class as if they were all heterosexuals. Personally as a heterosexual I'd be thinking: WTF?!?!? This one weird guy (or gal).

Yeah--I expect so. :)

1. It's California.
2. It's academia.

Generally speaking, that kind of political correctness is the norm in California and academia.

No?

Likely true re: California.

Not supposed to be so re: academia. An essential ingredient of a professional professoriate is the ability to express oneself honestly, openly, and without bowing to the political whims of the administration.

I, being a former student, know that the ideal is not real in all too many cases on college campuses.

(Yes, I know you were a student, too. Work with me...)

I'm looking at these rules as they'd pertain to the course instructor, which seems to be the intended target. There's not much students could do about most of these issues.

If I encourage open discourse, and someone says something against LBGT students, I'm in trouble if I don't step in and lecture on the "heterosexism" of the offender?

But if I - not wanting to be the center of campus controversy because I'm up for tenure - refuse to talk about matters of sexual orientation, then I'm also in trouble?

I can see where this puts way too much power in the hands of LBGT students who know the rules better than their instructors.

Totally off topic here but I've often thought that the burqa has a few advantages for spies.

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