Prof fired for teaching what the Catholic Church actually says

S. T. Karnick, over at The American Culture, draws my attention to this story:

University of Illinois Instructor Fired Over Catholic Beliefs

The University of Illinois has fired an adjunct professor who taught courses on Catholicism after a student accused the instructor of engaging in hate speech by saying he agrees with the church's teaching that homosexual sex is immoral.

The professor, Ken Howell of Champaign, said his firing violates his academic freedom. He also lost his job at an on-campus Catholic center.

Howell, who taught Introduction to Catholicism and Modern Catholic Thought, says he was fired at the end of the spring semester after sending an e-mail explaining some Catholic beliefs to his students preparing for an exam. (July 09, 2010, Associated Press)

I always say that students who cannot deal with ideas they disagree with should find a well-recognized trade school, not a university. They can earn a good living on graduation, and if some of the ideas they encounter are upsetting, that is only because no one wants them to lose a hand or a foot on the job.