A class for international students asks them to explain why "Gay marriage should not be prohibited." One of the possible answers is shockingly homophobic.

The University of Utah was forced to take action after being exposed for a homophobic question one of its courses asked students to answer.

For international students taking Public Speaking 640, a continuing education class at the Salt Lake City university, participants were presented with a course packet that included an exercise asking for the best answers to certain statements. One of those statements was "Gay marriage should not be prohibited"; students were asked if the best supporting answer to that was "Gay marriage has never been allowed" or "Gay marriage is disgusting" or "Societies should promote traditional marriages as the ideal environment for children."

The "correct" answer was the latter response about society, according to a report in the Salt Lake City Tribune. The newspaper, tipped off by a student who encountered the question, asked for a response from the university.

"The scenarios in each exercise, which were created years ago by an instructor no longer employed by the university, are intended to help students hone their writing skills, not engage students in a debate about laws or values," university spokesperson Maria O'Mara told the Tribune, adding the question would be eliminated from the curriculum "in the future."

The University of Utah is a public college and the state's flagship university, with over 30,000 students enrolled.