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Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

Abstract

Though the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) rights movement has made immense strides in recent years, there are many people who have been left behind in the sprint towards LGBT equality. Some of those are students or prospective students at religious schools, who can face discriminatory attitudes or be rejected outright by these institutions. While religiosity is generally associated with positive mental health outcomes, research shows that LGBT people who experience religious identity conflict are at significant risk of suicide. Religious institutions, for their part, are scrambling to adjust to the new reality in which their positions on LGBT issues collide with expanded legal rights for LGBT students as well as social shifts in favor of LGBT individuals. Activists have pressed for change at religious colleges nationwide, with varying results. Student activism led to the highly publicized changes at Azusa Pacific University in California, where activists' efforts led to coordinated discussions between students and administration, resulting in a change in the school's code of conduct and the opening of an LGBT student center on campus. By contrast, religious Christian schools and leaders have publicly worried and strategized about how to face activists' demands and withstand the rising tide of LGBT rights. A solution to allow religious LGBT students to study within campus communities that validate both their religious identity and sexual orientation is imperative.

Keywords

Education Law, Public Schools, Schools, Students, Education (General), Discrimination, Social Group Issues, Gender and the Law, Gender Identity, Sexuality and the Law

Disciplines

Civil Rights and Discrimination | Dispute Resolution and Arbitration | Education Law | Law | Law and Gender | Sexuality and the Law

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