Lawsuit accuses University of Michigan of discriminating against straight, cisgender men

An anti-diversity group sued the University of Michigan for discriminating against straight white men.

Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.

Faculty, Alumni, & Students Opposed to Racial Preferences (FASORP) filed a federal lawsuit in Michigan against the university and individuals working at the Michigan Law Review, alleging discrimination based on “race and sex preferences” to select members.

“The plaintiff brings suit to enjoin these illegal discriminatory practices, and to ensure that all components of the University of Michigan comply with their obligations under federal anti-discrimination law,” the lawsuit reads.

FASORP also sued Northwestern University in January, alleging that the Northwestern University Law Review there openly discriminated by “hiring women and racial minorities with mediocre and undistinguished records over white men who have better credentials, better scholarship, and better teaching ability.”

The latest lawsuit against the University of Michigan said practices at the Law Review changed in recent years based on practices of “left-wing students and affirmative-action devotees.” It focuses more on discrimination related to sexual orientation and gender identity, and claims applicants to the Law Review were encouraged to identify those attributes in personal statements even though the institution legally cannot ask applicants to identify those attributes.

“The Michigan Law Review, with the approval and acquiescence of the University of Michigan general counsel’s office, has implemented a corrupt and illegal scheme of race and sex preferences to select its student members,” the lawsuit reads.

The federal complaint uses the term “sex preferences” on 36 occasions, and alleges that the editor-in-chief of the Law Review “selects applicants from these preferred demographics over heterosexual and non-transgender white men with better grades and better scores.”

The lawsuits come amid a push by conservatives nationwide against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Indeed, Florida’s Board of Governors recently rejected former University of Michigan President Santa Ono as the next leader of the University of Florida based on his past support of a “DEI 2.0” program he later ended, as reported by Florida Politics.

The University of Michigan denied allegations in the lawsuit that it had violated the rights of straight and white students.

"The University remains steadfast in its commitment to following the law," spokeswoman Kay Jarvis told the Detroit Free Press. "We will vigorously defend against these allegations."

Of note, the lawsuit follows a threat from President Donald Trump’s administration to higher education institutions nationwide to withhold federal funding from schools deemed to be discriminating against whites and Asians.

Craig Trainor, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, sent a letter to universities claiming “American educational institutions have discriminated against students on the basis of race.”