(Chicago, Illinois) After being criticized by gay and lesbian groups, the president of the American Medical Association said Thursday his views were misrepresented in a newspaper article that quotes him defending a Roman Catholic-affiliated medical school's decision to ban a gay student group.

The Journal News of White Plains, N.Y., said Dr. John Nelson likened the ban at New York Medical College to Brigham Young University's decision to suspend four former football players accused of rape, and with the Mormon school's refusal to allow caffeinated soft drinks on campus. (story)

Joel Ginsberg, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, said Nelson's comparison criminalized and trivialized homosexuality, and prompted dozens of complaints to his organization.

"His comments were inappropriate and hurtful," Ginsberg said.

Nelson issued a statement Thursday saying his views "were grossly misrepresented" by the Feb. 12 article.

"I apologize to anyone who may have been offended by what they read," but the article "does not represent my views or the policies of the AMA," Nelson said.

CynDee Royle, the newspaper's senior managing editor, said the reporter taped the interview and that neither Nelson nor the AMA had requested a correction.

"We absolutely stand by the story," Royle said.

The AMA says it does not support the gay student group ban at the Valhalla, N.Y., medical college, which is affiliated with New York's Roman Catholic archdiocese.

As quoted by reporter Keith Eddings, Nelson said gays should be treated with dignity and respect, but that gay students' rights should be balanced against the private school's right to set its own policies.

"For example, if you come to Brigham Young University, where my children happen to go to school, there are certain things you do not do, among which is, you do not drink Coca-Cola on campus because that's against the rules," he was quoted as saying.

He then mentioned BYU's suspension of the former football players. "They said, 'You're off the team,'" Nelson was quoted as saying. "The point is, you have to follow the rules."

Joshua Sahara, 27, an NYMC student and president of the gay student group, said Nelson's analogies were offensive.

He said the group, which supports health-related issues for gays, was banned last fall after changing its name to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People in Medicine. It had been the Student Support Group.

NYMC spokeswoman Donna Moriarty said under the former name, the group did not stress a homosexual agenda.

She said the college "does not discriminate" but has the right "to preserve its identity ... in the Catholic tradition."

Nelson's "apology" was not not accepted by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association.

“While we appreciate Dr. Nelson’s comments, they are not really a retraction of these hurtful analogies," said GLMA’s Executive Director, Joel Ginsberg.

"As gay and lesbian people we try to live their lives with integrity and honor and being compared to sexual predators is callous and degrading.

I’m sure that, like the vast majority of people who go into medicine, Dr. Nelson wants only the best for people. But most of the homophobia in medicine comes not from a desire to discriminate but from this sort of thoughtless disregard of the realities of people’s lives.

"Casually homophobic remarks like this are damaging to people’s health and are a large part of why GLMA still needs to exist. That’s why GLMA will continue to work with the AMA to ensure that when the AMA talks about health disparities, sexual orientation and gender identity are included.”

©Associated Press 2005

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