Gay Millionaires Tell Alabama It's Too Bigoted for Their Money

[KamaAina]

http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2015/03/16/gay-millionaires-tell-alabama-its-too-bigoted-their-money

A pair of gay, married alumni of the University of Alabama have discontinued plans to leave their estimated $15 million estate to their alma mater because of the state's — and by extension, the state school's — refusal to embrace marriage equality.

Elliott Mitchell, now 65, and Clark West, now 60, met at the University of Alabama in 1972 and have been together ever since, reports AL.com, a website for several Alabama newspapers. The couple married in Hawaii in 2013, and they currently share a home in Sarasota, Fla.

Ten years ago the couple donated $1 million to their alma mater's arts and sciences, business, and athletic departments. They had planned to leave their estate — estimated at $15 million accrued over a lifetime of professional success the couple shared as a real estate developer and mental health counselor — to the university.

After the university rejected the couple's offer to fund a new community outreach center that would include programs for LGBT students, Mitchell and West wrote a letter to the school explaining their decision to remove their alma mater as the beneficiary of the couple's estate, according to AL.com.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

1. Roll Tide

Hope this helps.

[stonecutter357]

5. RTR!

[stonecutter357]

6. Do

Do we have a Alabama group on DU.

[annabanana]

9. one for every state...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1008

[stonecutter357]

10. thanks.

as long as i have been here i should know......

[iandhr]

7. Sure it will.

Money matters to these people way more then "sincerely held beliefs"

[Hekate]

2. That's going to leave a mark. I'm sure any number of other public universities would be...

...only too happy to take their money and build an outreach center that's truly inclusive.

They are being/have been extraordinarily generous to the college where they met and fell in love, but there comes a time...

[KamaAina]

3. One imagines Alabama's archrival Auburn is on the case

[stonecutter357]

4. K&R!

[YOHABLO]

8. Why don't they leave it to all the people living with HIV and on disability. I could use a few bucks

[Doctor_J]

11. speaking in a language the toothless bible thumpers can understand

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Rec

[ProdigalJunkMail]

13. you do understand that the University of Alabama

may be the largest body of liberal minded people in the state?

sP

[TBF]

15. It this is what you consider "liberal minded"

than you have some definitions to check in the dictionary.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

16. how much time have you spent at the University of Alabama

and then, did you bother to compare it to rest of the state? Yes, it is the largest population of liberals in the state.

sP

[TBF]

17. That is not what I said -

Liberal "by comparison" is not always liberal in fact. I'm sorry if your alma mater is being bigoted - I deal with that every day when I glance back at Wisconsin & see Scott Walker sitting in the Governor's seat. Makes me ill.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

12. the endowment for The University of Alabama

is over $630million... this will be missed, but not as painful as some might think. Now, if LOADS of people start doing this sort of thing, then it will have the desired impact.

sP

[madokie]

14. Good for them

[MuttLikeMe]

18. MOney talks