Did This Prominent Faith-Based Institution Just Quietly Embrace the Transgender Agenda?
Pepperdine University requested to absolve any exemptions the school once had from Title IX, according to multiple reports.
Some report the move reflects President Barack Obama’s push to allow transgender students to use the bathroom/locker room of their choosing.
“Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools and other education programs that receive federal funding,” according to an education website. “Given that the vast majority of schools receive some form of federal funding, Title IX’s reach is wide. Although many people associate Title IX with college and high school athletic programs, the law applies to participation in other extracurricular activities such as school bands and clubs, and it protects students from sex-based discrimination in general.”
Pepperdine President Andrew Benton asked for the exception early this year. His letter was leaked during a Department of Education information dump.
“Pepperdine requested religious exemption from Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 in 1976, and it was granted by the Department of Education in 1985,” the University said in a statement. “Early this year, the university withdrew from the previously granted exemption because it does not fully reflect Pepperdine’s values today. We believe that Pepperdine’s mission and the goals of Title IX are aligned, and we are committed to complying with Title IX in its entirety.”
Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeye sees the move as a step toward embracing the LGBT Community.
Pepperdine withdrew its ability to discriminate against LGBT students, and other previously granted restrictions, during the same time period that a fury of other religious campuses were applying to openly discriminate against LGBT youth. Bold move? Odd, maybe.
Furthermore:
Whether they intended to or not, Pepperdine is signaling the need for change among its peer religious institutions. The campus currently has a visible, recognized LGBT student group called Crossroads as well as a LGBT Legal Society group. These actions and efforts should be applauded and encouraged.
Pepperdine is affiliated with the Churches of Christ.
According to the school’s website, founder George Pepperdine desired a university committed equally to academic excellence and Christian values.
Now, the university’s vision statement entails:
Our vision statement declares what we intend to become. George Pepperdine envisioned an institution that would transform students’ lives so that they would, in turn, impact culture. He imagined a vast body of alumni—men and women conscious of their good fortune, recipients of the generous gift of a Christian education—who would feel the moral imperative to serve others sacrificially. Hence, the school’s motto: “Freely ye received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8).
