Today, the Attorneys General from 18 states and the District of Columbia filed an Amicus Brief in the Religious Exemption Accountability Project’s lawsuit, Hunter et al v. The Dept. of Education, which would prevent the U.S. Department of Education from granting religious exemptions to taxpayer-funded religious colleges and universities that discriminate against LGBTQ+ students.
The Amicus Brief supports some of the key legal claims in the case and affirms LGBTQ+ students in their fight be free from discrimination while attending federally funded non-affirming religious universities.
REAP’s director Paul Southwick celebrated the filing of the brief saying:
“We welcome the support that the Attorneys General are showing for the tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ students attending these universities. For too long LGBTQ+ students have been targeted and forced to suppress or hide their sexual orientation and gender identity while the government has failed to provide them with Title IX protections and ensure their full access to federally funded programs. We cannot leave these students unprotected for even a moment longer. All students must be safe in their campus environments, with the freedom to live authentically.”
Today’s filing by the Attorneys General underscores the urgency of eliminating the systemic discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ students at non-affirming religious universities across the United States.
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The Religious Exemption Accountability Project (REAP) empowers queer, trans and non-binary students at more than 200 taxpayer-funded religious colleges and universities that actively discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. Through civil rights litigation, storytelling, oral history, research and public policy, we work toward a world where LGBTQ students on all campuses are treated equally, with safety and respect.