Vanderbilt Christian Frat Ousted Gays

Two former members of Beta Upsilon Chi, a Christian fraternity at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, say they were asked to leave the organization recently because their sexual orientation violated the group's code of conduct.

According to the Vanderbilt University student publication The Vanderbilt Hustler, the complaints come from a 2010 Vanderbilt alumnus and another former member that left the fraternity's Nu chapter in August, with some fraternity brothers attesting that the latter faced pressure because he is gay. Both former fraternity members remain anonymous.

The Hustler reports that Beta Upsilon Chi is a registered religious/spiritual student organization on campus, but its code of conduct appears to be in violation of the university's nondiscrimination policy.

According to the Hustler, "The Code of Conduct states its beliefs regarding sexuality in the second clause of the document: 'We believe that sex is a gift of God to be enjoyed only inside the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. Therefore, we will not condone such activity as homosexuality, fornication, or adultery.' (I Corinthians 6:15-20; Hebrew 13:4).

"Vanderbilt requires, as stated on the student organization website, student organizations to abide by its anti-discriminatory policy, which states that all student organizations must 'refrain from discriminating in membership selection, officer or adviser appointments, or practices of organizational activities on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, military service, or sexual orientation, in compliance with Federal law, including the provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.'"

Neither the Beta Upsilon Chi chapter president at Vanderbilt nor the organization's national director would comment to the Hustler.