Liberty University Denies Tuition Discounts to LGBT Military Spouses  

Lynchburg, Va.'s antigay Liberty University was caught engaging in a discriminatory policy that refuses tuition discounts to the same-sex and trans spouses of military personnel, while offering dramatic cost reductions to heterosexual spouses.

The news was reported by Spousebuzz, which detailed the situation of Army spouse Janay (her surname was omitted in the piece). While Liberty University is a private institution and has no requirements when it comes to parity, many find it hypocritical that the school will take money from gay students yet deny them discounts.

Liberty's rules on tuition for military spouses is as follows:

"Any scholarship, voucher, grant, benefit, or other assistance, funded by or facilitated at the discretion of Liberty university, that is made available to spouses of military service members or veterans due to their status as such, will only be available to 'spouses' as defined by Liberty University as a husband or wife of a service member who together are in state-sanctioned marriage and are natural-born members of the opposite sex."

Opposite-sex spouses utilizing the discount pay $275 for a credit -- the regular price is $590 per credit.

The American Military Partner Association blasted Liberty's policy.

"This is absolutely outrageous," AMPA president Ashley Broadway-Mack said in a statement. "What kind of university thinks it's ok to exclude a military spouse from the support they need just because they happen to be LGBT? Do they somehow think LGBT service members and their families sacrifice any less than their straight counterparts and are less deserving of this discount? Shame on Liberty University!"

Liberty University has a long history of antagonizing LGBT students and employees and this year was the place where antigay U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas announced his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.