Georgia Tech student sues for right to be antigay

A Christian student at the Georgia Institute of Technology is suing the school for the right to be intolerant of gays. Ruth Malhotra, 22, filed suit last month with a Jewish classmate in the hopes of overturning Georgia Tech's ban on antigay speech, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Malhotra, chair of the Atlanta university's College Republicans, believes she should be able to express freely her religious views opposing homosexuality, although what she considers freedom of expression is seen as harassment by others. In 2004 she sent a letter to a gay student activist that described the campus's gay rights group Pride Alliance as a "sex club...that can't even manage to be tasteful," adding that it was "ludicrous" for the university to fund the group. Malhotra was later reprimanded by the dean.

She also raised the administration's ire when she protested a school production of The Vagina Monologues by displaying a sign that condemned feminism, part of which she was forced to paint over.

"Whenever I've spoken out against a certain lifestyle, the first thing I'm told is, 'You're being intolerant, you're being negative, you're creating a hostile campus environment,'" Malhotra told the Times.

Her suit against Georgia Tech, filed by the conservative legal group the Alliance Defense Fund, is part of a growing campaign by the Christian right to invalidate all kinds of common tolerance initiatives at schools and businesses across the country, including diversity training promoting the acceptance of gays and lesbians, speech codes, and antidiscrimination protections. The goal is to eliminate all policies protecting LGBT people from harassment.

The argument of groups like the Christian Legal Society, which recently formed a national group dedicated to challenging such policies in federal court, is that by preventing discrimination against gay people, conservative Christians are then discriminated against.

"Christians are going to have to take a stand for the right to be Christian," said the Reverend Rick Scarborough, a leading evangelical. (The Advocate)

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Be the first to comment on this story.

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above.

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives

View From the Hill: The End of DADT?
Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed that lawyers are exploring ways to ease enforcement of the military's gay ban, but cautioned that the law doesn't leave much wiggle room. He need look no further than DOD history for a lesson in altering the policy.

Hot Sheet: Week of July 5
When you get back from that big 4th of July barbecue, unwind with Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno and your favorite B-movie-mocking, basic cable robots.

Hungry Like the Wolf
A master of viola, ukulele, piano, and harp, Patrick Wolf is a music prodigy -- one who, the night before this interview, spit on a cop and got himself arrested.

Soapside: Advocate's Guide to Daytime
Forbes March talks about playing gay, Otalia fans outraged, update on One Life to Live’s Patricia Maurceri’s firing over gay plot point, Phillip Chancellor III big reveal, and Erica Kane goes to Africa.

The Faces of Federal Prop. 8
With the federal challenge to Prop. 8 moving full speed ahead, Advocate.com sits down with the two couples named as plaintiffs in the suit.

Mommy, the Gays Are Coming
After a year of advancements and celebration for gay and lesbian Colombians, the community takes to the streets of Bogota for the country's biggest pride ever.

The Pride of Antwerp
Advocate.com hits the gay-friendly streets of Antwerp with openly gay police commissioner Serge Muyters.

Excerpt: Mean Little Deaf Queer
In an excerpt from her humorous and harrowing new memoir, Mean Little Deaf Queer, Terry Galloway recalls her early childhood, describing feelings of ugliness, confusion about gender, and being one of the boys.

Top Political Blogs
From Joe.My.God to The Daily Beast, Advocate.com spotlights a few of the best blogs that cover politics, inside and way outside the Beltway.

The Diva of French Television
A hot young screenwriter who has made gay OK for millions of French viewers, Nicolas Mercier sips champagne, dons a feathered hat, and says he wants to see Colin Farrell and Jude Law go at it.