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A Central College professor joined in the debate surrounding the Pella Aquatic Center, where a minor biological female was allowed to use the pool without swimming attire covering her top as well as the men’s facilities with boys and men of all ages.

Paulina Mena, a biology professor at the “Christian” college in Pella, spoke out at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Mena said she wanted to thank the council for its decision to not discriminate.

“Thank you for your decision to uphold the law, because really that’s what it’s about,” she said. “The law is made to not discriminate against individuals. It was decided not by people here, but by people making laws, and you guys decided to side with that and I appreciate that. It makes me hopeful that people growing up here will be not discriminated against.”

Mena said she needed to say that because she has a 3-year-old daughter.

“I think that’s a good precedent for her, whatever she is going to grow up to be — she will not be discriminated against because you guys are upholding the law.”

Mena has taught at Central since 2009. In addition to biology, her teaching interests include intersections, introduction to the liberal arts and interdisciplinary senior capstones such as “Pachamama Never Left: Nature and Culture of Peru” and “From Lady Bugs to Lady Gaga: The Evolution of Sex in Nature and Culture.”

Mena also enjoys taking students on short-term faculty-led trips abroad, according to her faculty bio.

Her Twitter profile says she is interested in evolution and the battle to teach evolution.

Central details its relationship with the Reformed Church of America here.

Author: Jacob Hall

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