Advertisement Legislators seek to punish colleges for "promoting homosexuality" Colleges assigned books about homosexuality to freshmen Share Shares Copy Link Copy

South Carolina legislators want to punish two public colleges for assigning books on homosexuality to freshmen. The House budget writing committee tentatively approved Wednesday a spending plan for 2014-15 that would cut $52,000 from the College of Charleston and $17,142 from the University of South Carolina Upstate. Republican Rep. Garry Smith says that's what the colleges said they spent on what he called a promotion of a lifestyle. He says he made the proposal after college officials refused to give students an option to read something else. He says it's about making a point. The committee defeated 13-10 an effort by Republican Rep. B.R. Skelton to restore the money. Skelton says such retribution is inappropriate. Democratic Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter says legislators have no right to push their own beliefs on to colleges.