Antigay Professor Cancels on Law School

A visiting law professor scheduled to teach at NYU law school this fall has canceled, citing the uproar over her antigay views, reports Agence France-Presse

Thio Li-ann (pictured) of the National University of Singapore was invited to teach courses on Asian human rights law and constitutionalism at NYU law school, but some members of the campus community balked when they discovered statements she made against homosexuality.

Dr. Thio, a distinguished academic and former nominated member of parliament, fought the repeal of a law in Singapore that punished adults for consensual gay sex. In a 2007 speech, she compared anal sex to "shoving a straw up your nose to drink."

NYU OutLaw, the campus group for LGBT students, had issued a statement calling on the law school to condemn the views, although the group stopped short of asking the school to retract its invitation, instead calling for "dialogue" with Dr. Thio. More than 800 campus members signed a petition against Thio.

Richard Revesz, dean of NYU law school, issued a statement saying that Thio informed him that the controversy prompted her to cancel. "She explained that she was disappointed by what she called the atmosphere of hostility by some members of our community towards her views and by the low enrollments in her classes," said Revesz.

Dean Revesz said that he and his colleagues were not aware of Thio's antigay views at the time they extended the invitation, although he added that such knowledge would not have factored into their decision.