Leonard defends lesbian admittance

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Bill Leonard, dean of Wake Forest University Divinity School, Winston-Salem, N.C., has defended his school’s decision to admit a lesbian when it opened last fall.

“I’ll die on this floor of non-discriminatory admissions,” Leonard told a group of self-described “mainstream” Baptists during a late April meeting in Atlanta, Baptist news services reported.

During a question-and-answer session at that meeting, Leonard stated his belief that a seminary should be a place where difficult topics such as homosexuality can be addressed.

The university has been involved in a controversy over homosexuality with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Last fall, the university said it would let a local church that meets in the campus chapel decide whether to hold a same-sex union ceremony. In response, North Carolina Baptists authorized officials to begin steps to sever its fraternal relationship with the university.