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U. Colorado Students Protest Finalist for School President Over Past Stance on Gay Marriage

U. Colorado Students Protest Finalist for School President Over Past Stance on Gay Marriage

“Like many friends and colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Congress, my position on marriage has evolved.”

Mark Kennedy opposed gay marriage when he served in Congress from 2001 to 2007, but has since changed his mind. Just like former President Obama. Do you think the students would protest if Obama was the finalist for school president?

9 News reports:

CU students to host rally Monday to protest university president finalist

The selection of University of North Dakota President Mark Kennedy as the sole finalist for president of the University of Colorado system has raised concerns from some CU students and faculty.

The concerns deal mainly with Kennedy’s votes against marriage equality when he represented Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007 as Republican.

“He cosponsored a bill against same-sex marriages and voted on a lot of things that were anti-women’s choice, anti-reproductive, anti-queer people,” said Rachel Ward, a CU Boulder student. “So kind of doing a deep dive into his voting record and his practices in business and feeling like they’re not reflective of the leader CU should have.”

Students have planned a protest for noon Monday in front on the Norlan Library on the CU campus in Boulder.

Finalist Mark Kennedy, on Friday, wrote an open letter to students and the CU community.

“Some of you have voiced concern about my voting record when I served in Congress more than a decade ago. While in Congress, I cast perhaps 4,000 votes, many on difficult topics,” Kennedy wrote in the letter.

“Like many friends and colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Congress, my position on marriage has evolved. Would I vote the same way today? No. My record in supporting the LGBTQ+ community reflects a deep respect for the dignity of each individual. Students, faculty, staff, and members of our community will have my full support and respect no matter who they love or how they identify.”

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