Fraternity Sues To Keep Out Gays
fraternalnews@yahoogroups.com
March 1, 2005
Chapel Hill, North Carolina) A conservative Christian fraternity is
suing University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill over the school's gay inclusion policy.
Alpha Iota Omega's status as an official campus group was revoked after it refused to sign the university's nondiscrimination policy.
The policy specifies that groups cannot deny membership to students based on personal characteristics such as age, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation and gender.
The fraternity says it shouldn't be forced to admit nonbelievers or
gay students. It claims the university has infringed on its members' rights to free speech, free association and free exercise of religion.
Alpha Iota Omega has only three members. But, they hired a lawyer and launched their lawsuit. The three members will not say who is paying the legal fees.
An attempt at mediation between the university and the students
failed on Monday - setting the course for the case to go to trial.
The suit comes as students at the university demonstrated Tuesday evening to show support for a gay student who was taunted and beaten. The student was attacked by a gang of six or seven men last Friday as he walked along a street. Police have labeled the beating a hate crime. The victim suffered broken bones but wasn't hospitalized.
The suit is the latest in a series of legal actions by conservative
students against universities which have gay civil rights protections.
In California a Christian group is suing the University of
California's Hastings College of the Law in federal court for not
recognizing it as an official campus organization.
The Christian Legal Society says it should get campus funding and other benefits, but does not have to open its membership to gays, lesbians and nonbelievers - all requirements of the San Francisco law school.
Ohio State University is also facing a suit by the CLS after the
college refused to recognize the groups when it barred gays from
joining.
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