Letter to the Editor: Response to article "Alabama not included in same-sex marriage legalization"

In response to some remarks expressed in a Plainsman article entitled, "Alabama not included in same-sex marriage legalization," which ran on October 30, 2014, the College of Education Diversity Committee would like to express our resolute support of LGBTQ rights and marriage equality.

The College of Education holds Diversity to be one of its core values. The College's Commitment to Diversity statement states, "We embrace all aspects of human diversity and value its necessity to ensure a vibrant learning community. We are committed to providing a college community that is supportive, safe and welcoming. We are committed to ensuring intercultural and international diversity in our curriculum and our people." This commitment is evidenced most recently by the 2014 Social Justice and Equity Lecture Series, Beyond Tolerance: Conversations on LGBT Advocacy, which the Diversity Committee co-sponsored with the College of Education's Dean's Office.

We believe it is our role to prepare students to be culturally competent practitioners, researchers, and instructors in education, counseling, kinesiology, and psychology. In accordance with this pursuit, we will continue to promote our students' development in an LGBTQ-affirming educational environment. We are grateful to the Plainsman for this opportunity to reiterate our utmost support for marriage equality and active commitment to LGBTQ advocacy.

The College of Education Diversity Committee