You can’t say that Christian Colleges aren’t keeping up with the times. Now they’ve discovered transgender people. As a target of discrimination, of course.
Two conservative Christian colleges have been granted an exemption to federal education regulations on religious grounds. The regulation, Title IX, provides nondiscrimination protections that the Department of Education recently determined apply to transgender students. Needless to say, two colleges have stepped forward to say that they don’t want to offer those protections because they want to kick transgender students out of their schools.
The colleges, Spring Arbor University in Michigan and Simpson University in California, argue that they should be able to expel students at will because the Bible tells them so.
“The university has deeply held religious beliefs, based upon Biblical principles and the Book of Discipline, which do not allow for any sexuality, other than heterosexuality,” Spring Arbor wrote in its request to the Department of Education. “The university also believes, based upon Biblical principles, that a person cannot change their birth gender.” Spring Arbor also sought–and was granted–the right to expel lesbian and gay students.
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Simpson was equally unapologetic about this request. “[S]exual practices that are divorced from loving, conventional relationships between men and women pervert God’s intentions and result in sinful behavior that ruptures relationships between men and women, and erodes the relationship between human beings and their creator.”
The Department of Education said that it had no choice but to grant the exceptions, which are readily available on the basis of religious grounds.
Spring Arbor has a history of anti-transgender discrimination. In 2007, the school reached an undisclosed agreement with a former dean who claimed to have been demoted and restricted to online instruction after transitioning.
Of course, the schools don’t have any compunction about taking federal money. They just don’t want to follow federal policy. Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride, said that colleges like Spring Arbor and Simpson are “dinosaurs of bigotry.” We look forward to the day when their policies are extinct.
Gothrykke
I hadn’t realized that Romney won the election and they successfully suspended our constitution.
money718
Why would any gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgender or whatever even attend or work at these schools?
jwrappaport
They shouldn’t get federal monies, but at the same time, students know or should know full well what they’re getting when they enroll in Patriot Bible University or what have you.
doug105
Cut them off.If your ability to practice your religion is dependent upon obtaining a government contract, you’re not practicing any religion recognized by the federal government or the American people anyway.
Lvng1tor
It’s a private organization. If you enroll and you know they have a policy against it then that student agreed to it. If a newspaper editor can be fired for expressing anti gay views in his private arena then this student can be expelled. Do I think it’s right? HELL NO but it is a two way street. I hope that the Universities tax status is revisited and any GOV kickbacks, breaks, incentives and financial aide is cut off though. If you are going to discriminate you can not use or benefit from any public money. Hit them where it hurts…the ALMIGHTY $$$$$$!
Merv
They should be expelled for being morons. Any transgender person who wanted to be a Christian or attend a Christian university would have to be a moron.
Mike
Not that it makes it right, but I have a hard time believing that there are more than a handful of bona fide trans people at these schools. What LGBT person in their right mind would want to attend one of these schools anyway?
masc4masc
But God is the prankster that gave these ‘women’ penises and ‘men’ vaginas, so why would they be at a Christian college to begin with? *scatches head*
jayj150
The heading makes it look as if it only discriminates againts transgendered students, whereas their policy directly condemns homosexuality, but it seems that Queerty is again interested in making the trans look like the victims.
Andreusz
Transgender people pay tax.
Taking people’s tax money, but refusing them admission to your college is called theft.
Fortunately, theft is not a sin.
JennyFromdabloc
If these colleges & universities are private and receive no public funding, so be it. Why would a transgender or openly gay student want to study at one of these schools?
stranded
@JennyFromdabloc: I agree with your point.
Teeth
Before the whole word police poop storm, I would have cared about this.
LynneaofHeaven
A private religious institution has the right to discriminate against anyone for whatever cause may be dictated by their religion. But the federal government has a responsibility to not send our tax dollars to those institutions that flaunt federal policy respecting civil rights, regardless of what those forms of financial backing may be. More than that, religious institutions that discriminate like this also are often involved in political gain, in which case their tax exempt status should also be revoked.
Like JennyFromdabloc said, “Why would a transgender or openly gay student want to study at one of these schools.” I would also ask why any compassionate straight person would want to study there either.