The Department of Student Housing often invites authorities on topics such as fire prevention, campus safety and stress management to come talk to students.

Today, the department will host a lecture on a very different topic: homosexuality.

John Corvino will give his lecture, “What’s Morally Wrong with Homosexuality?” at 7 p.m. in the Hashinger Hall theater. Corvino, a columnist for 365gay.com, said he hoped students from all backgrounds and opinions would attend the lecture. Much of the speech, Corvino said, was devoted to answering questions or concerns people had with homosexuality.

“This is an issue that, despite tremendous increases in visibility, people still have a hard time discussing,” Corvino said. “I think it will give KU students an opportunity to look at the issue with greater focus and rigor, and thus better understand the topic.”

By openly discussing homosexuality, Corvino said people from any background would gain a better understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues. Corvino, who began lecturing on the subject in the early 1990s, said the speech was an in-depth but humorous response to some of the common arguments against homosexuality. He said his lecture addressed issues such as supporting the LGBT community and gay marriage.

“The lecture addresses that difficulty, not by sidestepping the moral questions, but by confronting them,” Corvino said.

Ryan Campbell, Olathe senior and Queers and Allies president, said the group was helping Student Housing present Corvino’s lecture. Campbell, host of KJHK’s Dick and Dyke show, said he used his program to help spread the word about the lecture. He said his program, like Corvino’s speech, operated on the same belief that open conversations facilitated greater understanding of the LGBT community.

“When you reach out to an audience that isn’t familiar with the concept of homosexuality, if someone is willing to openly discuss the topic, you’re much more able to change minds,” Campbell said.

Rick Lofgren, assistant complex director for Lewis Hall, said students from all backgrounds and sexual orientations lived together in the dorms. Lofgren said Housing was only furthering its mission statement by adding to the diversity of the University and helping students become more socially-educated.

“We are not the experts, so we wanted to bring in the expert,” Lofgren said. “What’s cool about Corvino is he actually encourages students to have a different understanding.”

Corvino’s lecture is scheduled during Freedom to Marry week, which advocates active discussion to promote marriage equality.

Luke Matheis, Overland Park junior and membership coordinator for KU College Republicans, said he supported equality and understanding of the gay and lesbian community. Because he isn’t homosexual, Matheis said he didn’t feel directly involved in issues such as marriage equality.

“I don’t consider it my fight,” Matheis said. “Gay marriage will come in its own time. I agree more with letting people be.”

Corvino said he understood why people didn’t feel connected to the gay marriage movement, but issues such as equality should be important to everyone in a community, not just gay rights supporters.

“The debate over same-sex marriage really didn’t become prominent until the turn of the century,” Corvino said. “ What I discuss is the importance of ‘coming out,’ not just for gay people, but for anyone who is supportive of gay marriage.”

Jeremy Adkison, Leavenworth sophomore, is one of the members of Queers & Allies helping sponsor Corvino’s lecture. Adkison said he believed civil unions could be a step towards marriage equality.

Still, Adkison said gay and lesbian couples cared more about the idea behind marriage than the benefits that came with it.

“The truth is it’s the word marriage. It’s not the rights,” Adkison said. “The 14th Amendment gives everyone equal rights, but people can’t get married or extend insurance to their children because they’re not considered the same.”

Matt Kemnitz, formation director of St. Lawrence Catholic Church, said gay marriage was wrong because acting on homosexual tendencies, not being homosexual in itself, was a sin. Corvino said he would respond to such beliefs tonight.

“I’m definitely going to address this disconnect,” Corvino said. “I understand where it comes from, but there’s something unnatural about drawing a line between orientation and action.”

Corvino said people frequently told him the lecture made them think more about homosexuality. Some, he said, even changed their views completely after his speech. While students may come to the lecture firm in their own beliefs, Corvino said the speech usually caused most of the audience to reevaluate their stance on homosexuality.

“Even if people in the audience have made up their minds on certain things, they haven’t on everything,” Corvino said. “Part of the dialogue we have with each other is to give the audience something to think about.”