University of California Berkeley student senator Isabella Chow is facing calls for her resignation after she expressed her Christian beliefs and abstained from voting unanimously with the rest of the senate in opposition to the Trump Administration’s proposed Title IX changes.
Hundreds of students protested at UC Berkeley on Wednesday night and called for Chow’s resignation after she had expressed her traditional Christian views at a student senate meeting on October 31, which sparked outrage amongst the student body.
Chow posted to Facebook a verbatim transcript of her statement made before the vote, in the hopes that outrage stemmed from confusion about what she had said, and that offering her full statement would subside students’ anger.
“I have said, and will always say that discrimination against or harassment of any person or people group is never, ever okay,” opened Chow in her statement at roll call, “My God is one who assigns immeasurable value to and desires to love each and every human being. In God’s eyes, and therefore my own, every one of you here today and in the LGBTQ+ community as a whole is significant, valid, wanted, and loved.”
“That said, I cannot vote for this bill without compromising my values,” continued Chow, “As a Christian, I personally do believe that certain acts and lifestyles conflict with what is good, right, and true. I believe that God created male and female at the beginning of time, and designed sex for marriage between one man and one woman.”
“For me, to love another person does not mean that I silently concur when, at the bottom of my heart, I do not believe that your choices are right or the best for you as an individual.”
Chow’s party, Student Action, disavowed its senator in a statement posted to Facebook the following day, stating they had decided to “part ways” with Chow “due to inconsistencies between her beliefs and the mission of Student Action.”
Student Action did not respond to Breitbart News’ request for comment.
Chow was protested by over 100 people on Wednesday at a regular student senate meeting, with some calling for Chow’s resignation, and others carrying a banner that read “Senator Chow Resign Now,” as reported by The Daily Californian.
“Reconciling the LGBT identity with religion is not a Christian issue — it’s a bigot’s issue,” said campus freshman Kaelyn Schlegel during public comment, according to The Daily Californian.
A petition demanding Chow’s resignation is now circulating among students.
The petition, which was created by the “Queer Alliance Resource Center,” accuses Chow of being “blatantly homophobic and transphobic,” and scrutinizes the senator for not voting like the rest of the group in opposition to proposed changes to Title IX.
“The resolution passed with all yes votes but one,” read the petition, “The one abstention was Senator Chow’s.”
“Senator Chow’s actions directly threaten this [queer and trans] space campaign and our organization’s existence,” continued the petition its lengthy critique of Senator Chow, “it is integral to not tolerate her words and actions on the UC Berkeley campus and greater LGBTQ+ community.”
“The Queer Alliance Resource Center demands that Senator Chow resign from her position as a Senator for the Associated Students of the University of California.”
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo and on Instagram.
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