President of the Family Research Council and anti-gay activist Tony Perkins is scheduled to speak about public policy to 70 graduate students this afternoon in a public administration class.
Perkins will speak about his work in public policy to the public administration colloquium, a course with a curriculum of about 10 speakers from a variety of organizations and 16 group projects, said James Richardson, E.J. Ourso College of Business Public Administration Institute director and the course instructor.
Richardson said the Family Research Council is a large organization in Washington, D.C., with about 60 employees.
“People working in public and private sectors have to appreciate all the different opinions and values,” Richardson said.
Richardson said one student privately approached him with discomfort about the speaker’s views.
Richardson said Perkins will speak about more than just sexuality, and he represents himself, not the University.
“He will explain how his organization influences policy,” Richardson said.
Perkins has what he calls strong Christian values and promotes these values through the Family Research Council, which has advocated against issues like stem cell research and abortion, Richardson said.
“We don’t control what [the speakers] say at all,” Richardson said.
The speakers offer a variety of perspectives, and students must write summaries of their reactions to the speakers’ presentations, Richardson said.
He said some of the speakers presenting to the class throughout the semester are Patrick Goldsmith, Louisiana legislative auditor; Beth Courtney, president and CEO of
Louisiana Public Broadcasting; and Joe Traigle, local businessman and advocate for the “One Baton Rouge” resolution — a resolution for acceptance of all sexual orientations.
Richardson said Traigle and Perkins will offer opposing viewpoints to the class, and both speakers feel strongly about their convictions.
A representative from Pennington Biomedical Research Center, lobbyists and a combination of speakers who are and are not directly involved in public policy will also present to the class.
Richardson said Perkins is a Baton Rouge native, former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and alumnus of the University’s public administration program.