Legal News

Judge rules religious school can discriminate based on sexual orientation

By Jason Siegel

A Riverside Superior Court judge tossed a discrimination lawsuit against a Lutheran high school that expelled two girls in 2005 when the principal suspected they might be dating.

Judge Gloria Trask ruled on Jan. 11 that the Wildomar school did not fall under California's civil right law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in business settings, despite the school collecting tuition.

The school?s principal Gregory Bork wrote in a letter to the 16 year old girls' parents that he'd seen no physical contact between the girls but deemed their friendship "?uncharacteristic of normal girl relationships and more characteristic of a lesbian one.? The girls alleged in the lawsuit that they were called into Bork's office, grilled on their sexual orientation and ?coerced? one into saying she loved the other.

Legal experts told the Press-Enterprise that the case (Mother Doe v. California Lutheran High School Association) might set a state precedent allowing religious schools to expel students deemed lesbian, bisexual and gay. The plaintiffs are expected to appeal.

"Teens suspected of being lesbians sue school," Associated Press, Dec. 30 2005

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on January 23, 2008 (boomark / email).