A bill pending in
the U.S. Senate could exempt private Christian colleges
from local nondiscrimination laws, allowing them to legally
reject gay students. A proposed amendment to the 1965
Higher Education Act would make it easier for
faith-based schools to discriminate against gays.
The amendment to the act, which was originally
created to provide schools with the resources to let
low-income students in, was proposed by Utah
congressman Chris Cannon. It would require accrediting
boards to consider an institution's "religious and
moral goals" during evaluation.
The bill could also prevent accrediting boards
from requiring adherence to state and local
nondiscrimination laws if they conflict with
those goals. Many denominational schools have already voiced
their approval of the bill, including Brigham Young,
Notre Dame, Baylor, and Pepperdine.
The measure passed the House last week and was
then sent to committee in the Senate, which also
passed it. But before it did, the committee added
language to the measure stating that it is "not meant to
allow an institution to discriminate on the basis of
race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or
disability," leaving out only sexual orientation.
The bill, with the new wording, is now pending
on the Senate floor. (Sirius OutQ News)
