Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies

Apology and retraction of letter to the editor from anti-LGBTQ writer

The editorial staff of The Miami Student has removed the letter to the editor, "Liberalism in the Classroom More Dangerous than Conservatism" from our website, and we wish to apologize for its publication and our failure to research the author's affiliation with a hate group.

Though the column itself did not express anti-LGBTQ views, its author is publicly associated with those views through the organization Heterosexuals Organized for a Moral Environment, which is recognized as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

This columnist targets college newspapers, and, in the last two years, his letters have also appeared in university publications like The Post (OU), The Mount Holyoke News, The Oberlin Review, The Daily Campus, The DePauw and several other student publications.

The letter has been removed from our website, but we cannot retract what remains in print, and we apologize for any harm the printing of the letter caused our readers.

As a student newspaper, every mistake is a learning opportunity. This error has raised our consciousness to the importance of thoroughly vetting authors of letters to the editor, in every instance. Had we researched and realized the author's affiliation, the letter would not have been published.

While we welcome a diversity of opinions, we do not condone giving a platform to individuals associated with this type of intolerance.

We welcome any further feedback, suggestions, letters and comments from our readers.