The California Supreme Court ruled June 28 that two girls who were expelled from a Lutheran high school last fall can sue the school under the state’s anti-discrimination law on the grounds that they were kicked out because of homosexual behavior.
California’s Unruh Act prohibits businesses from discriminating on the basis of a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, but the California Lutheran High School Association is trying to make the point that as a private religious academy, the school should be able to decide who is enrolled. Because it is not a business, it should be exempt from the rule, school officials say.
But the court unanimously denied an appeal by the school and cleared the path for the students’ lawsuit to proceed to trial, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The 16-year-old girls were expelled last September when their behavior was deemed “contrary to Christian decency,” and a lawsuit was filed in December, claiming the girls’ civil rights were violated.
The lawsuit seeks readmission for the students, damages and the admittance of homosexual students to the Christian school, AP said. (BP)
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