Apples and Oranges or: How the Christian Legal Society spent thier summer vacation
the Christian Legal Society denied membership to an openly gay student, and yet still expected that same student to subsidize their club. Anybody can see how ridiculous this is. A student shouldn’t have to pay fees that go right back to organizations that discriminate against him or her.
By Frank LadraThe Guardsman
Imagine your school campus has a club for avid iPhone enthusiasts. Members are true devotees to the Apple product, and they regularly have discussions about its awesomeness, often in public around campus grounds. They even set up tables where new members are invited to come and participate in sharing each others’ mutual adoration for their beloved smart phone.Now imagine a student who has a similar devotion to the Android phone, but is curious about joining this iPhone club. Members of the iPhone club vehemently deny the student’s membership request, saying people with opposing views are not allowed. What if I told you that the iPhone club was partially subsidized by mandatory student fees, fees that even the Android-loving student is required to pay every semester?Almost exactly the same thing has happened at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, where the Christian Legal Society denied membership to an openly gay student, and yet still expected that same student to subsidize their club.Anybody can see how ridiculous this is. A student shouldn’t have to pay fees that go right back to organizations that discriminate against him or her.Thankfully, a U.S. Supreme Court decision has since denied the Christian group’s participation in the student organization program based on their unwillingness to comply with the school’s “all comers welcome” policy. The court ruled that if you want to have a club on campus that gets money from the school, you have to let anybody join.Some opposition to the court decision has surfaced, saying that it threatens the free speech and assembly rights of students everywhere. The Christian group still has the right to assemble on campus. Nobody is stopping them. But the students still have no say in determining to whom their money goes.Private clubs on college campuses have existed for generations. Fraternities and sororities have been discriminatory toward membership, even in matters regarding race, economic standing and sexual orientation. But we don’t generally see court cases popping up from that since unaffiliated students aren’t being asked to subsidize them.When it all comes down to it, the Christian group still has constitutional rights to voice their beliefs. Any college freshman can see signs of free speech scattered across campuses nationwide, be it through posted leaflets, classroom debates or peaceful demonstrations. Everyone is not going to agree with every opinion, but everyone should be allowed to attend meetings of a club they help support financially.As a student I depend upon my freedom of speech and right to peacefully assemble. As a journalist I rely upon my freedom of press to report the news. As an American I respect my ability to exercise religion freely. These are our First Amendment rights, and they aren’t going anywhere.There will always be apples and oranges, iPhones and Androids, right wing and left wing. Because of this, there will always be differences in opinion leading to discussion. Our responsibility lies in respecting each others’ given right to freedom regardless of whether or not we agree.
