Kentucky students rally in support of gay classmate

College students from across Kentucky gathered in Williamsburg Wednesday to support a gay student.

Jason Johnson was suspended from the University of the Cumberlands when administrators found out he was gay.

The president of the University of the Cumberlands released a statement Wednesday saying the administration has come to an agreement with Johnson. They say they will allow him to finish this semester's work and transfer to another school.

But the students at Wednesday's rally say that does not change what happened. Through signs, speakers and songs, Kentucky students stood behind Jason Johnson at a rally in a Williamsburg park.

Earlier this month Johnson was suspended from the University of the Cumberlands after administrators learned about his MySpace.com page on which he discussed his boyfriend.

"I was shown a photocopy of my MySpace page, a paper copy of it," said Johnson. "They asked me if it was my page, I told them it was, and then they asked me to go ahead and leave campus." In a statement the Uuiversity president said, "Jason was suspended by the university for violating the university's code of conduct, which clearly states that students should not engage in sex outside of marriage, including homosexual acts, and that students who engage in such conduct may be suspended."

"You can't be unfair and kick one student out because he's gay when there are many more left or because there are students over here having premarital sex," said University of the Cumberlands student, Jennifer Fore.

"I just didn't see how a Christian establishment could kick him out because of sexual preference. I just thought that was really, really wrong and just very discriminatory against him," said student Renee Kuder. Now his fellow students, both gay and straight, are speaking out on his behalf.

"I'm sad by what happened but at the same time honored by the position that the community has sort of thrust upon me as a person who can finally speak out and say this was wrong, this is injustice," said Johnson. Johnson plans to transfer to Eastern Kentucky University in the fall.