University of Illinois

Professor Kenneth Howell

Summary

For almost ten years, Dr. Kenneth J. Howell taught Introduction to Catholicism (and other classes) in the Department of Religion at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, consistently earning excellent—or even outstanding—marks on his student evaluations. In his class on May 3, 2010, he delivered a lecture outlining Catholic teaching regarding homosexual behavior, explaining how the Church distinguishes between same-sex attraction and homosexual conduct. He outlined how the Catholic Church teaches that homosexual conduct is morally wrong, framing the issue in the context of natural moral law. Though he covered this material in every semester, this lecture sparked an unprecedented reaction from students. So the next day, he sent the class an e-mail to help students understand how different moral systems would evaluate homosexual conduct. In the following weeks, Dr. Howell’s e-mail was circulated to various students, offices, and organizations within the University, often by people who were not even in his class. As a result, the University relieved him of his teaching responsibilities, without even giving him the opportunity to defend himself or explain his remarks. On July 12, 2010, the ADF Center for Academic Freedom sent the University a letter explaining that the First Amendment protects Dr. Howell’s right to teach Catholic doctrine in a class about Catholic doctrine. And it prohibits the University from removing him from the classroom simply because his speech was controversial.