WACO, Texas (ABP) — Matthew Bass, a former Baylor University seminary student who was denied a scholarship in 2004 because he is gay, now is being sued by Baylor University for allegedly sending lewd e-mails to employees and their families and sending fictitious news releases about the school to media outlets.
Baylor initially filed the lawsuit in district court in November but only recently named Bass in the suit.
According to the school, Bass sent more than 1,000 e-mails containing pornographic images and messages to school personnel. The university has obtained a restraining order against Bass, prohibiting him from sending any e-mails to Baylor officials and their families.
Bass could not be reached for comment.
In the lawsuit, Baylor asks for unspecified damages caused by the e-mails, as well as reimbursement for costs incurred from efforts to track and limit the e-mails.
Bass, 25, lost his scholarship to Truett Theological Seminary when school officials discovered he told friends he is a homosexual. Seminary dean Paul Powell said a homosexual lifestyle is inconsistent with the seminary's standards. Questioned by administrators at the time, Bass declined to discuss his sexual orientation.
After his scholarship was revoked, Bass said he could no longer afford to attend the seminary. Later he was offered scholarships at several seminaries and enrolled at Candler School of Theology, a Methodist school at Emory University in Atlanta.
Bass is scheduled to appear before a Waco judge Jan. 21, where he is expected to be ordered to turn over any computer equipment from which he has sent e-mails.
The suit alleges that Bass sent more than 1,000 e-mails to various Baylor employees — many of whom are Truett faculty members — containing “highly offensive pornographic images and/or lewd descriptions of various sexual acts attributable to various Baylor employees or their family members.” Other e-mails contained “inflammatory sacrilegious and pornographic content attributing various sexual activities to Jesus Christ,” the suit alleges.
About 10 false e-mail addresses were set up using the names of some Baylor faculty– including Powell — and their family members, Baylor said. The e-mails reportedly were traced to e-mail addresses linked to Bass's roommate. According to the suit, Bass allegedly logged into services hosted on Baylor's computers from the computer in question.
E-mail news releases, purportedly from the seminary, erroneously announced Powell's resignation and later his death.
— This article includes information from Sandi Villarreal of the Baylor Lariat.