A group of employees of Notre Dame University including many of the faculty members want the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender community on campus to feel secure and not discriminated against in the catholic research university based in South Bend, Indiana.

In first step toward their goal, a total of 366 employees have already signed a statement urging the university to add sexual orientation to its non-discrimination clause.

The statement and the names of those who have pledged their support for the cause appeared as a full page add on the campus newspaper, The Observer, Wednesday.

One of the paragraphs on the full page ad reads:

"We value the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning members of our community exactly as we do all those who are part of the Notre Dame family. As faculty and staff, we affirm that our offices and classrooms will be safe and open spaces, where anti-LGBTQ discrimination, harassment, or violence will not be tolerated."

The initiative was spearheaded by Richard Williams, a sociology professor at Notre Dame who joined the university faculty in 1986.

Following the ad, The South Bend Tribune, a local newspaper published a story on the effort of the employees of Notre Dame to make the LGBT community on campus feel safe.

Williams told the newspaper that since the appearance of the ad, the number of people signing up has been increased steadily. Notre Dame employees -faculty and staff-are still welcome to join the effort, he said.

Earlier this year, the South Bend Common Council voted to add sexual orientation to the city's non-discrimination protection.

"This is not just Notre Dame alone," Williams told Tribune. "This is something that is happening in South Bend and nationwide."

Citing its status as a Catholic institution, Notre Dame in 1997 adopted a 'statement of inclusion' describing the university's regard for all people, with specific reference to lesbians and gays. But, they are not included in the non-discrimination clause.

Last spring, they turned down the latest request to add sexual orientation to the university's non-discrimination clause, but delayed until this fall a decision about whether to recognize a gay-straight campus alliance.

The decision was delayed so that a full administrative review of existing non-discrimination practices and protections could be conducted.

Notre Dame students are still waiting for a decision from the administration about whether a gay-straight student alliance will be officially recognized on campus.