Student threatened with rape for supporting traditional marriage
A student Resident Advisor (RA) at Providence College has reportedly been threatened with rape after posting a flyer that expressed a traditional view on marriage.
According to LifeSiteNews, RA Michael Smalanskas has faced severe student backlash since displaying the poster on a bulletin board in early March, with upset classmates gathering outside of his dorm room and endangering his safety.
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“I couldn’t even go brush my teeth for several nights without facing a mob in my hallway,” Smalanskas told the publication.
“There had been a pro-lesbian bulletin board up for the entire month of February in one of the female residence halls,” he continued, adding that “nobody was rioting outside the girl’s door.”
The original display, which has since been vandalized and removed, portrayed marriage “the way God intended it,” and included quotes from Pope Francis and biblical scripture describing marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Screenshots obtained by LifeSiteNews depict students taking pictures of the bulletin board, blasting Smalanskas on social media, and pledging to “NOT STAY SILENT ANY LONGER!”
“There’s a tremendous double standard when it comes to Catholic teaching or conservative views,” Smalanskas told the publication. “They are just not protected in the same way” as other beliefs.
[RELATED: Students accused of ‘hatred’ for defending traditional marriage]
According to the student, other RAs began to gather around his residence hall and “keying into the building after hours” after he put up the display.
“They let themselves into the building and started milling around and they ripped down [the poster],” he said. “I am an employee of the college, and these are other employees of the college behaving this way.”
As the situation escalated, Smalanskas was then reportedly escorted to a secure location by the campus police as authorities became concerned about his safety.
Days after the incident, Smalanskas met with school administrators, who he said “made it abundantly clear that they would do nothing to affirm the mission of the college” or condemn the harassment.
[RELATED: NKU student facing charges for vandalizing pro-life display]
Following the meeting, the campus police informed the student of a cartoon found in a common bathroom, depicting him being raped by another male.
Smalanskas told LifeSiteNews that a lawsuit is “not off the table by any stretch.”
Over 1,000 people have already signed an online petition started on Monday, urging the school to “condemn gay rape threats against pro-family student.”
A Providence College spokesperson told Campus Reform that “this series of incidents is under investigation,” adding that the school “will not comment on the situation while the investigation is ongoing.”
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