Pepperdine University gay and lesbian students, buoyed by on- and off-campus support, are petitioning the administration to reconsider its refusal to recognize their group as an official campus organization. 

Lindsay Jakows, a Pepperdine senior and co-president of Reach OUT, calls the recent denial of her group’s application for club status unfair, saying the administration doesn’t uniformly require other student groups to adopt and promote every university tenet.

When contacted by Diverse, university spokesman Jerry Derloshon issued a statement on behalf of the administration calling the decision “to withhold official recognition of Reach OUT consistent with Pepperdine’s traditional views of biblical teaching as understood by Christian churches.”

Dr. Mark Davis, dean of students, has been quoted in the student newspaper, Graphic, as saying Reach OUT isn’t aligned with the conservative, private school’s position on sexual morality and that it seemed impossible for an LGBT group such as Reach OUT to maintain a neutral stance concerning sexual relations.  

“Our group doesn’t endorse sexual activity,” Jakows says, “but what really bothers me is that this doesn’t come up with other student groups. Graphic openly states that the views expressed in published news and opinions don’t necessarily reflect those of the university. There are political clubs on campus with views different from the university. We are being held to a double standard.”

With 7,700 students, Pepperdine is affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The administration’s refusal to officially recognize Reach OUT is part of its complicated relationship and dialogue with openly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students.

For the past year, Pepperdine has sponsored a faculty-staff committee called Building Bridges to try to address LGBT issues. Jakows and Reach OUT co-president Alexander Cooper are student members of Building Bridges. Among the initiatives resulting from these meetings, Pepperdine officials are in the process of strengthening the institutional anti-harassment policy to include protection for LGBT students.