PITTSBURGH -- A Duquesne University sophomore who is in trouble for online comments said he's not backing down -- that he'd rather be thrown out of school than take back what he said.

"I'm stubborn. I stand up for what I believe in," said Ryan Miner.

Miner, a political science major, wrote against the forming of a gay-straight student alliance at his college.

He posted his thoughts at Facebook.com, a private Web site popular with students from across the country.

A complaint was filed against Miner because he used the word "subhuman" when writing about gay people.

The university's Judicial Affairs panel found that those remarks violated the school's university code of conduct.

Miner disagrees.

When asked if he thought calling something subhuman was harassment, Miner replied, "I don't in the context I meant it to be. I meant the actions are subhuman, not the individual."

As punishment, Duquesne University made Miner take the offending blog off his online profile.

We checked that profile and the blog is gone, but Miner is also supposed to write a 10-page paper on homosexuality in the Catholic Church.

He refuses to do that.

"If I write this paper, I'm going against my faith and my beliefs on the issue and topic of homosexuality within the university and the Catholic Church," said Miner.

Arguing that it is a First Amendment issue, Miner is appealing the school's decision.

Channel 4 Action News reporter Gus Rosendale asked Miner if he would be willing to be thrown out of school to stand up for what he wrote.

Miner responded, "Absolutely."

Duquesne University says all of its students have to follow its code of conduct, whether they're on or off campus -- and in this case, online.