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ACLU Accuses Fresno Professor of Teaching Religious Bias

By Norma Yuriar

Fresno, Calif.  (KMPH News) — Students and the American Civil Liberties Union say a Fresno Community College professor is improperly teaching religious views on climate change homosexuality and abortion as fact.

"He actually read the bible in a couple of occasions and expressed his opinion on homosexuality," student Jacqui Mahaffey said.

Fresno City College President, Dr. Cynthia Azari said the matter regarding Dr. Bradley Lopez is under investigation.

"The College takes its non–discrimination and prohibition of harassment policies seriously, investigates alleged violations and takes appropriate actions to enforce compliance," Azari said in a statement.  "Beyond that, we don't comment on personnel matters for confidentiality reasons."

The tenured professor is currently teaching within the Department of Health Sciences.

KMPH News obtained a recorded lecture where Dr. Lopez talks about abortion.

"I've had class debates on this issue before.  Nobody changes their mind, at your age level you've already decided... yes, you allow murder, or pro–abortion, or you're against murder or you're against abortion," Bradley told students.  "If people don't want to have children what's the scoop on that? Why put ourselves through the expense and torture and the butchering of children?"

Jacqui Mahaffey, a 24–year old student at FCC took Lopez's class in the fall of 2009.

"Oh, yes there was a very powerful shock factor.  As I looked around the classroom I could not believe what I was hearing, there were some students that had their hand over their mouth, surprised," Mahaffey said.

Mahaffey said she complained about Professor Lopez to the Dean a number of times.

"It's so common for him to talk about religion in his classes that the Dean was not surprised, the only thing the Dean was surprised about was that it had occurred so early in the Semester," Mahaffey said.

ACLU members claim the professor has created a "hostile environment" for gay and lesbian students.

"He's not a bad teacher," David Chenot said of his former professor.  "He's simply going a little too far, overstepping this boundaries, he needs to not do that, to me it's a conflict of interest."

The two students who submitted grievances against the teacher, complained that the class contained inaccurate and biased info.  However Lopez responded to those claims, maintaining that his lesson plan only provided students with "measured, scientific information in current issues in health."

The ACLU is now demanding that Fresno City College, as a public institution, take steps to ensure that their classes are unbiased and provide accurate information.

"A health science instructor is basically using the classroom as a pulpit to teach religious indoctrination," said Elizabeth Gill, staff attorney with the ACLU of Northern California.  "Fresno City College has a legal obligation to prevent religious indoctrination in the class room and it should also make sure that the information being taught objective and accurate."

Mahaffey said the tenured professor allegedly used class time to characterize homosexuality as a mental illness that degrades society.

"The one thing that was the most concerning was when he was going over human sexuality – was that – he posted on a power point presentation that homosexuals are degrading society, he stated, and that if it's less than 5% of the population it should be treated as a mental disorder and that those who are gay or lesbian should be seeking psychological health," Mahaffey said.

The letter sent by the ACLU charges that because the classes are being taught at a publicly funded college, lectures by Lopez violate federal and state constitutional protections guaranteeing the separation of church and sate.

"I hope that he can issue a public apology, but more than anything I want this to stop," Mahaffey said.  "I'm not against spiritualism; I'm not anti–religion.  If he wants to teach these things then by all means, but do it in the appropriate classroom or go to a college that focuses on this not in a health science classroom."

Telephone calls to Dr. Lopez were not immediately returned.

REPORTER CAN BE REACHED NYURIAR@KMPH.COM OR (559) 453-8850.