Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on the decision by Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) to ban Christmas music from this year’s Christmas concert:
“Four years after it was founded in 1997, FGCU made big news when its head librarian banned stickers saying, ‘Proud to be an American’; this occurred in the wake of 9-11. Now it will be known as the school that banned Christmas songs from its Christmas concert.
“Naturally, they call the Christmas concert the ‘winter concert.’ But it is pure fiction. Christmas decorations are all over the campus, and the student union is adorned with bows, garland and lights. Nevertheless, there will be no Christmas carols sung this year: the choir director pulled a song from the concert because it mentioned the word Christmas.
“The decision to treat the word Christmas as an obscenity is defended by the administration. Susan Evans is Special Assistant to the President and the University Spokeswoman, and it is her belief that Christmas should be banned from the campus. ‘We just think people can celebrate in their homes with their families in ways that they may not celebrate on campus,’ she said. This is rather bizarre given that FGCU lists diversity in its Mission statement. Moreover, one of its ‘Guiding Principles’ commits the university to ‘individual, social, cultural, and intellectual diversity.’ But this is obviously a lie: it is precisely because it abhors diversity that it seeks to censor Christmas.
“On December 3, FGCU will have a ‘Coca-Cola Holiday Party’; on December 12, there will be a ‘Holiday Party’ for the College of Health Professions; the Library Staff will hold its ‘Holiday Party’ on December 14; and the Administrative Services ‘Holiday Party’ will be held the next day. What holiday they are celebrating is never acknowledged, though we suspect that even the dumbest diversity despot on campus has a hunch.”
