"We've seen this on campuses across the country," French said.
Carl Friedlander, president of the L.A. City College faculty union, said there is no monolithic ideology at the campus. Several instructors said they were disturbed by the conduct described in Lopez's lawsuit but emphasized that they hadn't heard Matteson's side, Friedlander said.
Exactly what Lopez said in Matteson's class is unclear. Lopez turned down an interview request, Matteson did not respond to e-mails, and French said he did not know enough about the speech to detail it.
Lopez recited two Bible verses that had nothing to do with homosexuality, French said. He said Lopez also repeated a dictionary definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman and cited a passage from Genesis: "A man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh."
Two students said the speech disturbed them, and one called Lopez's presentation "hateful propaganda," according to court filings.
College President Jamillah Moore said hot-button issues including immigration are regularly debated on campus without incident. Instructors are responsible for controlling their classrooms, Moore said.
Friedlander said racial epithets and bigotry should not be tolerated in class. "Certain kinds of speech, I would not allow," he said.
On campus this week, there was little evidence of anti-religious bigotry. At lunchtime, one church group from nearby Koreatown stumped for an upcoming Bible study course. Another handed out plates of rice and salad to students.
Janette Puerto, 18, of Koreatown, one of the diners, said she feels comfortable sharing her religious views on campus. "I'm a Christian. Let the world know," she said.
Rivera, meanwhile, said he hoped that his club, Rainbow Alliance, would include men and women, gay and straight, and would serve as a haven for anybody who feels different.
And as officials moved the Lopez demonstrators to a campus free-speech zone, Rivera distributed leaflets for the club. Rivera said that many students grabbed them, telling him, "Good job, we're glad to see you're here."
The demonstrators may turn out to be his best recruiters, he said.
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gale.holland@latimes.com
