Tennessee college revokes student’s admission after learning he’s gay. That’s allowed
Alex Duron was slated to attend a master’s program in nurse anesthesia this fall at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, about midway between Memphis and Nashville.
But days before classes started, the private Christian college sent him a letter rescinding his acceptance.
“Your request for graduate housing and your social media profile, including your intent to live with your partner, indicates your unwillingness to abide by the commitment you made in signing (the university’s community values statements),” the letter states.
Those community values include a reference to “sexually impure relationships” and the acknowledgment that God’s definition of marriage is between a man and a woman, according to the student life handbook.
“The promotion, advocacy, defense or ongoing practice of a homosexual lifestyle (including same-sex dating behaviors) is also contrary to our community values,” the value statements read. “Homosexual behaviors, even in the context of a marriage, remain outside Union’s community values.”
Duron — who is gay — shared the letter in a Facebook post Tuesday, telling Union “that bigotry masked as religion is not Christian at all.”
“Union University may not be right for me,” he said in the post. “I can accept that, but I cannot accept that our government is giving them the money to discriminate against me.”
In a statement to McClatchy News, spokesperson Tim Ellsworth said “as a Christian institution,” Union has certain “standards of behavior for its faculty, staff, and students”
“We love our students and want them to thrive and succeed, and we believe that a standard of conduct that honors God and submits to his authority is an important part of that success,” the statement reads. “All students who apply to Union University sign a statement saying they will comply with the university’s values. Those students who fail to abide by those values — or who show no intention of attempting to do so — are subject to disciplinary measures that can include dismissal from the university.”
Union University — which touts itself as “the oldest institution affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention” — is home to roughly 3,100 undergraduate and graduate students, according to its website. Tuition and fees for the average undergraduate total close to $45,000 a year.
To help students offset that cost, the university receives federal funding from the U.S. government.
According to the Treasury Department’s data lab, which tracks federal spending, Union received more than $40 million from the government in 2018. The vast majority went toward student aid with a small chunk — about $90,000 — allocated for nursing and health professional grants.
As a recipient of federal funds, Union is subject to Title IX regulations, which bar K-12 schools and institutions of higher education that receive federal funds from discriminating on the basis of sex — including sexual orientation.
But there’s a catch: They can claim a religious exemption.
Union University President Dub Oliver applied for such an exemption in 2015, citing the university’s oversight by the Southern Baptist Convention and beliefs against homosexuality and abortion, according to letters filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
It was accepted that year.
The Title IX religious exemption has long been used to protect colleges and universities from complying with federal discrimination laws that go against their beliefs, though it can be hard to keep track of which institutions have sought one, Teen Vogue reported in 2018.
According to the Office for Civil Rights, educational institutions don’t have to file a written statement to claim such a religious exemption. Christianity Today also reported policies on sexual orientation and marriage at religious schools “are nothing new.”
“Evangelical schools have traditionally asked students to adhere to certain standards in accordance with their faith, with many barring sex outside of marriage,” the magazine reported. “After same-sex marriage was legalized, some schools changed policies to extend benefits to same-sex couples, revise their codes for students, or clarify their commitment to traditional marriage.”
Campus Pride, a nonprofit advocating for the rights of LGBT+ students, keeps an updated list of colleges and universities that have sought a Title IX exemption or otherwise discriminated against LGBT+ students.
It’s called the “Shame List.”
“As an organization, we are not telling campuses that they don’t have the right to discriminate, because … federally that is a right that they have,” Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride, told Teen Vogue. “But parents, families, and young people have a right to know and that’s why we have the Shame List.”
Union University is one of more than 100 campuses across the U.S. on the list.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled businesses can’t discriminate against employees who identify as LGBTQ+, and a lawsuit filed in California last year challenges religious exemptions to Title IX.
Two former students at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena have accused the evangelical seminary of unlawfully discriminating against them in violation of Title IX after they were expelled for being apart of same-sex marriages, media outlets report.
Christianity Today reported the lawsuit “is believed to be the first of its kind.”
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Tennessee college revokes student’s admission after learning he’s gay. That’s allowed."
