Belmont University Board Of Trustees Vote To Add Sexual Orientation To Non-Discrimination Policy; President Bob Fischer Says The University Was Already Practicing Such A Policy; Former Women’s Soccer Coach Lisa Howe” “This Is A Landmark Day”

University of Belmont in Nashville, Tennessee has stepped slowly into the 20th century, President Bob Fischer announcing Tuesday that the school has added sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy, covering students and faculty, reports the Associated Press. Fischer, who made the announcement following a Board of Trustees vote, said that the change merely puts into writing what the university has already been practicing, which may come as a surprise to former Belmont women’s soccer coach Lisa Howe, who left the school after announcing she and her same sex partner were expecting a child. Belmont denies that she was asked to resign, and Howe has never explicitly explained the circumstances of her departure. In a statement today Howe said “This is a great victory for the values of inclusion, human dignity and respect. I am grateful to the Belmont board for recognizing that being gay and being Christian are not mutually exclusive. This is a landmark day.” Fisher was asked whether the new policy mean openly gay individuals could work at Belmont, the president answering “I would put that in the category of a hypothetical.” Belmont policy was also changed Tuesday to articulate that the private Christian college looks to Jesus as the “measure of all things.” Despite today’s proclamation, Belmont continues to deny official student group status to Bridge Builders, an organization whose mission is support gay students and to explore the intersection of Christianity and homosexuality. Asked about the group, Fischer said that they were resubmitting their formal application. “We’ll see where that goes,” he said.