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Freedom of Faith or Freedom to Love

By Luciana Triolo

One day during my freshman year of high school, I made my way to my small cubby to prepare for the day. On my way there, I walked past two of my friend’s empty desks and thought nothing of it. While struggling to finish the homework I had forgotten about, our teacher called the class to attention for an announcement. She briefly and vaguely announced, “The two girls who are not here today have broken the school conduct codes and will not be here for the rest of the year”. Even though she continued the usual school reports directly after, everything else became fuzzy. I remember looking around the classroom and seeing tears in my friends’ eyes.

Soon after I could not see them either because of the tears welling up in mine. I was more naive than my other friends and figured that the school must have made some mistake since they had not broken any rules I knew. There was no error. The reason both of my friends had been forced to withdraw or face expulsion was because they held hands. This was against their code of sexual misconduct, but everyone knew that the only reason they were kicked out was because they held hands as girls. This was my first encounter with an anti-LGBTQ private school discrimination policy, and I am sad to say that it was far from my last. Whether religious private schools should be exempt from anti-discrimination laws is important because all students deserve equal opportunities and treatment. However, stories like this are still common in conservative religious schools and still repeat themselves.

Title IX was created to prevent discrimination against students in schools; however, private religious schools in the U.S. have an exemption from Title IX. This allows them to discriminate as long as they provide a reason that correlates to their religion, (U.S. Department of Education, 2021). My first opposing source is the exemption from Title IX itself. This source explains Title IX and why there are exemptions, then lists these exemptions. My second opposing source is a Bill passed in Florida. Known as the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill, I pulled some of its arguments like “it exposes vulnerable minds” and “private schools should control what they teach” to define the opposition’s main points and explain why they have this stance. My thirst opposition source is the King James Bible. I used this source for the “It goes against our beliefs” portion of the argument. The first source that I used for my side of the argument was the article titled LGBTQ+ Students at Religious Educational Institutions. This article explains how discriminating against LGBTQ+ students causes more serious issues internally, and can also cause problems in the church. My second source is titled, At What Age Do Kids Identify as Gay? It clears up any misinterpretation about the LGBTQ+. My third source is from the Jesuit Review and is used since it brought up when a religious school abused this power against a teacher with cancer in a court case. This has been a recurring issue since there has been a fight on both sides on whether to allow these schools to exercise their right of religion, or to allow LGBTQ students to have equal rights in these schools. Many believe that private schools should reserve their right to operate apart from the anti-discrimination law due to their religious beliefs, however; this is discriminatory, and anti-gay religious beliefs should not be exempt from anti-discrimination laws in private schools.

The opposing side’s argument boils down to four main points that they base arguments upon. Homosexuality goes against our beliefs, it exposes vulnerable minds, private schools should control what they teach, and they should be able to control who is in their institutions. Many argue that LGBTQ+ students should not be allowed in religious private schools because it goes against their beliefs. They claim that the Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin, which I have found to be true in some texts like Leviticus 18:22 and 1 Corinthians 6:9, (King James Bible 1769/2024). These two verses were the only ones I found that explicitly condemn homosexuality, but there are most likely more verses that support this argument that comes across as vaguer. Their second argument is that homosexuality is not natural and exposes young and vulnerable minds to something sinful, like the LGBTQ+. Their argument also turns into a legal issue since the entire point of a religious private school is their freedom to teach what they want to teach. Since they are not funded by the government, they can legally teach what they interpret from their religion, (U.S. Department of Education, 2021)(CS/CS/HB: Education, 2023). Their last argument is that these private schools should be able to control who is in their institution. Since they are a religious school, it would seem unfit to them if a Muslim student went to a Christian school; or if a gay student went to a school where they discourage homosexuality. From their perspective, it would be counterintuitive for them to allow people inside of their school that is meant to be limited to people of the same faith/beliefs. That is the entire point of a Christian school, so why should they risk ruffling feathers for just 1 or 2 students? This argument might have some strong points; however, there are many holes when it comes to their reasoning.

Starting with the first argument, while the Bible may have some verses that teach homosexuality is a sin, most of these arguments follow the word of the law but not the spirit of what the Bible is truly about. I do not want to tell people what they should or should not believe in their own religion because, in the end, it is their faith and not mine. However, if Christianity could be compressed into a few words, it would be expressed as a gospel of love. Spreading love and forgiveness, treating others how you would want to be treated, and never judging people on what qualities they possess is the entire point of Christianity. So why not express your faith in your religion by embodying love and acceptance? The second argument is based on misinformation surrounding the LGBTQ+. It is a common misconception that being heterosexual is the norm, and any young student is either confused or being groomed into thinking that they are gay, (Davis, 2021). Another common misconception is that the LGBTQ+ is restricted as only sexual, and has no place in the life of someone who is still a child, (Davis, 2021). However, these are both wrong since many students know that they are gay from a young age. I also speak from experience since I knew that there was something “different” about me in the 4th grade when I really liked being around a girl but had no clue why. I had thought that I just wanted to be her friend, but I was soon confused about why my face would always turn red when we talked. There was nothing ‘adult-like’ in those feelings, it was simply an innocent childhood crush. The other two arguments are a little more complicated since they have a more legal basis. Starting with the first is that private religious schools should teach what they would like to teach. Some schools have taken this and decided to teach against the LGBTQ+ and pass it off as the religious part of their education, however teaching students to not only accept but also practice discrimination ends up being harmful to both the institution and religion itself. In the institution, this promotes separation and discrimination and can lead to harmful behaviors once they grow up, (Minter, S.P. 2022).

 I already explained the religious aspect of how religion is supposed to embody love and unity, but there’s also the aspect of how people outside of the church would perceive this behavior. When people outside of the church see this kind of discrimination and hypocrisy, it turns away potential interest, and can even make people become wary of the religion. In the end, teaching young minds to hate a specific group is never acceptable, no matter the religion or belief. This leads to the final counterargument, that private schools should control who can be in their institutions. It is a firm belief of mine that no quality of a student should warrant them being turned away from an education that they deserve. While some may argue that LGBTQ+ students should just go to a public school where they can be allowed to be as open as they want with their sexuality, there are circumstances where this may not be possible. What would you say to a queer student who was bullied in a public school and has no option but to go to a private school? What about a transgender student who is a Christian and would like to go to a private school? There are many circumstances in which students may want or need to go to one of these schools, but may be turned away due to a factor that is a part of their identity and that they do not control.

An additional reason why I believe private religious schools should not have an exemption from anti-discrimination laws is that this power is often abused. For example, St. James School v.s. Biel is a case where a teacher was fired after informing her school that she had breast cancer and would have to take time off for chemotherapy, (Zimmermann, 2020). Let us not forget that there are Christians who also believe in my point of view, and accept and cherish the LGBTQ community. There is also a large community of LGBTQ+ Christians who have to constantly battle between wanting to have a Christian education and being able to express themselves. Should their beliefs be pushed aside as well to keep a school exclusive?

This then becomes less of a question if these schools should be exempt from anti- discrimination laws, and more of a question if they should have had them to begin with. I have shared my personal experience on this matter, we have heard the opposition’s side. We have also seen the LGBTQ+ point of view, with additional reasons as to why these schools should not have this exemption. To many, the correct decision is clear. Religious schools should not have this right since it has been proven to be discriminatory. I hope that more people will continue to press this issue to stop this abuse of power, and most importantly, to prevent any new empty desks from appearing in classrooms.

References

CS/CS/HB 1069: Education, (2023) Reg. Sess. (Fl 2023). House Bill 1069 (2023) - The Florida Senate.

Davis, L. (2021).,At what age do kids identify as gay? Family Resources Inc. At What Age Do Kids Identify as Gay? - Family Resources.

King James Bible, (2024), King James Bible Online. (Original work published 1769).

Minter, S.P. (2022), LGBTQ Students at Religious Educational Institutions. American Bar Association. LGBTQ Students at Religious Educational Institutions.

U.S. Department of Education, (2021). Exemptions from Title IX. Title IX and Sex Discrimination. Exemptions from Title IX | U.S. Department of Education.

Zimmermann, C. (2020), Divided court examines if religious schools are exempt from discrimination laws. America The Jesuit Review.
Divided court examines if religious schools exempt from discrimination laws | America Magazine.