Ensure Equal Rights for LGBTQIA+ Students
Non-Affirming Taxpayer Funded Religious Universities
STRIKE OUT Queerphobia: Each year, over 100,000 LGBTQIA+ students at more than 200 religiously affilated, taxpayer funded, univerities throughout the U.S., are denied basic civil rights protections against discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity. These students can be denied admission, disciplined, or expelled, simply for living openly. Not only can this discrimination derail their education and future careers, the harmful and discriminatory atmospheres on these campuses lead to dramatic mental health disparities, and dangerously elevated rates of self-harm, and suicide for LGBTQIA+ students. Please sign our petition, and join the fight to ensure that LGBTQIA+ students are safe and welcome on every federally funded college campus in the U.S.
Sponsored by
To:
Non-Affirming Taxpayer Funded Religious Universities
From:
[Your Name]
We are the Black Menaces. We are the LGBQTIA+ students of the Religious Exemption Accountability Project. We are students and allies from across the nation advocating for ending the legal discrimination of LGBTQIA+ students and employees at taxpayer funded, faith-based colleges and universities across the United States of America.
On October 11th, 2022, National Coming Out Day, students across the nation are joining in protest to STRIKE-OUT queerphobic laws that allow taxpayer funded faith-based universities to weaponize religious exemptions to target and harm queer students and employees. We refuse to be silent while queer communities suffer in these spaces.
The purpose of this petition is to demand that religiously affiliated universities end the utilization of religious exemptions to target LGBTQIA+ students and employees, and to ensure true equality for our LGBTQIA+ community in these spaces. No person should be denied rights, educational opportunities, or safety because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
We set forth the following demands for all colleges and universities that refuse to provide legal protections for their LGBTQIA+ students. These demands reflect the needs and experiences of queer students across the United States and are the minimum that LGBTQIA+ individuals, especially members of the trans and BIPOC community, deserve. Educational institutions must be accountable for treating their queer students and faculty with equality, safety, and respect.
DEMANDS:
➢ WE DEMAND LGBTQIA+ equality at all federally funded schools.
○ End the use of Title IX religious exemptions by faith-based colleges and universities to target LGBTQIA+ students and deprive them of civil rights protections.
➢ WE DEMAND access, support, and education.
○ Require the availability of Title IX education and resources for all students, especially prospective students, during yearly orientations and welcome week events.
○ Ensure the availability of licensed, affirming resources and support for transitioning, exploring, and questioning students.
○ Clearly delineate and uphold protections for students reporting violations of Title IX policies, allowing for access to government websites and concrete resources rather than referring students solely to counseling or other means of overwhelmed/non-functioning resources.
➢ WE DEMAND full inclusion.
○ Establish a national standard of Diversity and Inclusivity to be followed by all Colleges, Universities, and Institutions of Higher Education ensuring that students enjoy equal rights and protections regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, economic status, and other diverse backgrounds.
SIGN THIS PETITION AND HELP US BY CALLING ON FAITH-BASED COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO ENACT OUR DEMANDS. HELP US PROTECT LGBTQIA+ STUDENTS ATTENDING FAITH-BASED COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TODAY!
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
-Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights