Iowa diocese reaches ‘compromise’ on scholarship award for gay student

May 14, 2012

The Diocese of Davenport has reached a “compromise” that will permit a representative of a foundation founded by a gay activist to present a scholarship award to an openly gay student at a Catholic high school.

Staff at Prince of Peace Catholic School encouraged Keaton Fuller, a senior, to apply for the Eychenar Foundation’s Matthew Shepard Scholarship and wrote letters of recommendation on his behalf. According to the foundation, the scholarship is awarded to “openly LGBT Iowa high school seniors with a GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale, an ACT score of 22 or better, demonstratable [sic] LGBT activism and community service, and a history of high moral and ethical standards and conduct.”

School officials also permitted Fuller to attend the school prom as part of a same-sex couple.

After the foundation decided to award a scholarship to Fuller, school staff told the foundation that a foundation representative would be permitted to present the award to Fuller. Later, Bishop Martin Amos “expressed his congratulations for Keaton’s reception of the award and recognized his hard work in achieving it”; at the same time, the diocese ruled that school officials, rather than Eychenar Foundation staff, would present the award to Fuller, since “we cannot allow any one or any organization which promotes a position that is contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church to present at a diocesan institution.”

Under the “compromise,” however, an Eychenar Foundation will be permitted to present the award to Fuller but will not be permitted to speak; diocesan spokesman David Montgomery explained that “we meant to say ‘speaking,’” rather than “presenting,” was forbidden under diocesan policy.

Instead, “Dr. Lee Morrison, diocesan superintendent of schools, will read a script prepared by the Eychaner Foundation, which was reviewed and approved by the Most Rev. Martin J. Amos, Bishop of Davenport,” according to a diocesan statement.

“Principles of mutual respect and careful listening exhibited by all parties allowed a solution to emerge,” said Bishop Amos.

“We have many things we agree upon, and have also agreed to accept the fact that we also have some things we disagree about,” the bishop added. “But that shouldn’t prevent all of us from celebrating Keaton Fuller’s success over 13 years in Catholic schools and our mutual hope for his success in college and beyond.”

“I leave Prince of Peace, it’s comforting to know that this experience may make it easier for the next gay student who attends this school,” said Fuller. “This school has taught us time and time again that we are all made equally, and we all must continue to spread that message through our words and our actions.”

 

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Further information:

• Agreement Reached Between the Eychaner Foundation and the Diocese of Davenport (Diocese of Davenport)
• Catholic diocese, gay Iowa grad reach compromise on award presentation (Des Moines Register)
• Keaton Fuller's Thank You to Prince of Peace (Eychanar Foundation)
• Iowa: scholarship for gay student at Catholic school sparks controversy (CWN, 5/8)