Republicans want colleges to fund student religious groups that discriminate against LGBTQ+ peers

The Republican-controlled U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would require public colleges and universities to recognize and fund student religious groups even if they discriminate against LGBTQ+ people and others, drawing condemnation from the Congressional Equality Caucus and others.

House Resolution 3724, dubbed the End Woke Higher Education Act, passed on a vote of 213-201, with four Democrats joining 209 Republicans in the majority. No Republican who was present voted against it. It is unlikely to pass the Democratic-majority Senate, and President Joe Biden opposes it. So it has little chance of becoming law, but it gives Republicans a chance to flaunt their far-right credentials.

The bill incorporates HR 1816, which would require public colleges and universities “to provide all rights, benefits, and privileges afforded to other student organizations — including funding, access to facilities, and official recognition — to student religious groups regardless of the group’s practices, leadership standards, or standards of conduct,” according to an Equality Caucus press release.

This would mean that religious groups would be exempt from the “all-comers” policies adopted by many colleges and universities. These policies bar student groups from discriminating against LGBTQ+ students and others if they receive recognition and funding from the school; the funding usually comes from student activity fees.

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The 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision Christian Legal Society v. Martinez held that public higher educational institutions could require student groups, including religious ones, seeking official recognition by the school to follow an all-comers nondiscrimination policy.

“To no one’s surprise, Republicans are again using their majority to attack the rights of minority communities, including the LGBTQI+ community,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, chair of the Equality Caucus, said in the press release. “Every student should be free to fully participate at school — including in extracurriculars — without fear of discrimination. By forcing universities to recognize and fund on-campus organizations that discriminate against minority students, including LGBTQI+ students, students of color, and students with disabilities, Republicans effectively want to force minority students to subsidize their own discrimination.”

HR 3724 also would prohibit any accrediting organization from “requiring, encouraging, or coercing” schools to “meet any political litmus test,” which is aimed at diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

“The Biden-Harris Administration’s atrocious Far Left woke policies threaten the values of every American,” says a press release from House Republicans.

During debate on the bill, Democratic U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott called it a “baseless attempt to inject culture wars into an ever-important accreditation process,” States News Service reports.

The White House issued a statement against HR 3724, saying it “would micromanage both public and private institutions, undermining their ability to recognize and promote diversity.” It further notes, “There are more appropriate ways to ensure that schools are free from discrimination and that students may exercise their rights,” including the work of the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.