Religious Discrimination Lawsuit Against Wayne State to Continue
A lawsuit against Wayne State University brought by campus group InterVarsity can proceed, according to a ruling by a federal judge last week. The lawsuit stems from the university’s decision to de-certify InterVarsity due to language in the groups bylaws that stipulated the leaders of the organization must be Christians. Benefits of being a certified organization on campus include free usage of certain gathering spaces on campus, and the ability to apply for funding from the university under Title IX.
In a statement to InterVarsity, Wayne State noted that the by-laws violated the university’s non-discrimination rules, however InterVarsity pointed to other instances where the policy was applied in a manner that seems to suggest selective application. Lawyers for InterVarsity point to allowances made for other organizations, which actively violate the non-discrimination policy but are allowed to retain their certified status. Examples given are organizations like fraternities, sororities, and selective gender sports clubs. The university, says the lawyers, applied the rules to InterVarsity because the organization is Christian.
You can read the full decision denying Wayne State’s motion to dismiss here.
You can read recent information on the case here, and background information about the case here.
CTV will update this article as the case progresses.
