University Fires African-American for Supporting Ex-gays
May 14, 2008 – News Advisory
Contact: Regina Griggs, Director, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX)
804-453-4737 PFOX@pfox.org www.pfox.org
University of Toledo punishes African-American Speech
Crystal Dixon, a black employee, fired after writing letter to the editor of local paper
Toledo, Ohio – Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) says the University of Toledo’s firing of administrator Crystal Dixon for speaking out about PFOX and the ex-gay community is an act of bigotry.
After writing a letter to the editor of her local newspaper, Dixon, associate vice president of human resources, was suspended with pay, and then terminated. Dixon, an African-American, challenged the civil rights comparison of race with homosexual behavior, saying that science has never found a genetic cause or DNA for homosexuality. Dixon said many gay people have overcome unwanted homosexual feelings as evidenced by the growing population of PFOX and ex-gay organizations.
“African-Americans like Dixon have the right to defend their race without being subjected to punishment,” said Regina Griggs, Executive Director of PFOX. Dixon was responding to an article by Toledo Free Press Editor Michael Miller, who had compared gay rights to the African-American civil rights movement. Miller also wrote that three women he had dated subsequently declared themselves gay.
The University of Toledo reportedly has a “Safe Places Program” designating space for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning individuals.” According to Lloyd Jacobs, president of the university, there is a Safe Places sticker on his door of the president's office. “Mr. Jacobs needs to add ex-gays and African-Americans to that list of campus ‘safe spaces,” said Griggs. “His firing of Dixon creates an unsafe environment for minorities.”
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