Campus Pride, the LGBT activist group, is compiling a “Shame List” to highlight “harmful and shameful acts of religion-based prejudice and bigotry” allegedly committed by religious colleges in the United States. Numerous schools listed have requested a religious-based exemption from Title IX which prohibits discrimination against LGBT students and faculty. Two Massachusetts colleges made the list.
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Andrews University and Spring Arbor University are among those considered “dangerous” for LGBT students, according to Campus Pride.
“And the reason why we call it a shame list is because, you know, Campus Pride believes that anytime you use religion as a way to justify discrimination and harm toward a group of people, than that’s wrong”, Windmeyer said. Campus Pride claims all colleges discriminate against LGBT youth in policies, programs and practices. At that time, the campuses applying for these discriminatory waivers did so privately, Campus Pride says.
They based their conclusions on two things: “A college received and/or applied for a Title IX exemption to discriminate against LGBTQ youth and/or demonstrated past history and track record of anti-LGBTQ actions, programs and practices”.
Multnomah University applied for a Title IX waiver in 2015 on religious grounds but has not been approved. The school did not respond to a request for comment. Without the exemption, the school claims it can not teach a religious belief it holds that gender is pre-determined.
Windmeyer said in a statement, “Ultimately these campuses are unsafe for vulnerable LGBTQ youth and others”. “All families and youth deserve to know this information – and so do corporations who do business with these campuses”.
If the school explicitly states in its official publications that it is controlled by a religious organization committed to the teachings of a particular religion, and it receives significant financial support from the controlling religious organization.
For example, at Brigham Young University, the Mormon school located in Utah, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that any activity perceived as homosexual or gender-nonconforming can violate the strict honor code, leading to sanctions of LGBT students – even if they are raped or sexually assaulted.
The nation’s first accredited Muslim college, California’s Zaytuna, isn’t on the list, perhaps because President Hamza Yusuf Hanson personally signed a letter against SB 1146.
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Boston Baptist College has qualified for the Shame List because it has applied for an exemption to Title IX in order to discriminate against its students on the bases of sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy or receipt of abortion while still receiving federal funds.
