Free Republic

Texas A&M University is discontinuing its LGBTQ+ minor due to low enrollment, following criticism of the program from Republican lawmakers over what they called “liberal indoctrination.”The Battalion, the school’s student newspaper, reported last week that the university is cutting 14 minors and 38 certificates following an internal review that deemed them “low-producing” programs.The university slashed programs that awarded “fewer than five degrees per academic year and fewer than 25 degrees in five years.”The description of the LGBTQ+ minor on the school’s website states that it “prepares students to examine the ways in which gender and sexuality are socially constructed and...

Amnesty International has accused Ukraine of war crimes during its ongoing military conflict with invading Russian forces. The humanitarian organization said in a release on Wednesday that the Ukrainian military's tactics "violate international humanitarian law and endanger civilians" by operating weapons out of bases established in residential areas while civilians are present.

Are we really surprised that these professional lecturers do not follow their own lessons? Instead of a welcome release from a quarantine monotony, the return of professional sports has become a tiring lesson in patience. The NBA has been on a perpetual performance of activism and posturing for social causes, Major League Baseball has followed suit, with Black Lives Matter insignia on the fields and players kneeling for the anthem. And grudgingly the normally politics-free NHL has seen instances creeping into their league.Not coincidentally, fan interest in the sports has waned since their return to play, and it was exacerbated...

'The condition of every mission in the Church is that we are united to the Risen Christ', the Pope saidIf one’s work as a Catholic is not united to Christ Jesus, it is no longer the “mission” to which the Church is called, Pope Francis told a group of religious brothers Monday. “Let us not forget that the condition of every mission in the Church is that we are united to the Risen Christ as branches to the vine. Otherwise what we do is social activism,” the pope said Oct. 29. “This is why I repeat to you the exhortation...

Regulators on Friday shut down a big community bank based in Chicago that has been known for its social activism but racked by financial troubles in recent months. It was the 114th U.S. bank to fail this year. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over ShoreBank, with $2.16 billion in assets and $1.54 billion in deposits. Urban Partnership Bank, a new institution comprised of several big Wall Street banks and a private foundation, agreed to assume ShoreBank's deposits and nearly all its assets... In an unusual move, the FDIC allowed some of ShoreBank's executives to continue running the restructured bank......

The Social Action Committee of the Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church of Portland has won a national award for its work in the field of social justice. "It's quite an honor, and it shows we're on the right track," said Debbie Atwood of Falmouth, who chairs the committee. The award, called the James Bennett Award for Congregational Action on Human Justice and Social Action, was awarded by the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is given annually to the Unitarian Universalist congregation that has done the most to support human rights and social-justice activism. The association represents more than 1,000 Unitarian Universalist...