Hundreds of Colleges Receive Federal Funding Yet Have Been Granted Waivers Literally Allowing Them to Discriminate – in Jesus’ Name
Hundreds of private religious schools – colleges and universities – receive federal funding, and thus are required to follow all federal guidelines, including Title IX, which bans sex discrimination:
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
And yet, literally hundreds of schools have applied for, and have been granted, a literal license to discriminate, in Jesus’ name. Those discriminatory acts can include banning LGBT people and students who engage in sex outside of legal, different-sex marriage, including pregnant mothers. In other words, your tax dollars are being used to enable discrimination on hundreds of college campuses across the nation.
“Your letter requests a religious exemption from provisions of Title IX ‘to the extent application ofthose provisions would not be consistent with the Convention’s religious tenets regarding marriage, sex outside of marriage, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy and abortion,'” the approval letter to Williams Baptist College in Arkansas reads.Â
The U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Civil Rights continues, writing, “You explain that it would not be consistent with the Convention’s religious tenets for the College to comply with Title IX to the extent that it prohibits the College from ‘engaging in recruiting and admissions under a policy which called for the consideration ofan applicant for admission‘s sexual orientation, transgendered status. marital status, past and present practices regarding marriage, sex outside marriage, pregnancy and abortion; … from subjecting students to rules of behavior, sanctions, or other treatment because of these student characteristics; [or] from making employment decisions… in a manner which takes into consideration these employee characteristics.'”Â
That approval is just one of hundereds, all of which, along with the original applications, are available online. Buzzfeed’s Dominic Holden, who uncovered and has been following this story for months, reported the news Friday. He notes there are currently 232 religious schools who have been granted the exemption, and another 16 under review.
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Another waiver, issued to Blue Mountain College in Mississippi, grants the school “a religious exemption from the provisions of Title IX ‘to the extent application of those provisions would not be consistent with the Convention’s religious tenets regarding marriage, sex outside ofmarriage, sexual orientation, and gender identity.'”
“In support of this request, you cite the Word of God, which your letter states is your convention’s religious authority.”
Holden notes, “It appears no request has ever been denied.”
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Image by Cindy Schultz via Flickr and a CC license