George Fox University forbid Jayce Marcus, a transgender student who identifies himself as a male, from living with other male students in on-campus housing. Instead, they offered him a single apartment for him to live in, which Marcus refused. George Fox University is a Christian College located in Oregon.
In response, Marcus and his attorney filed a Title IX complaint, which was rejected by the U.S. Department of Education. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 forbids universities from discriminating students based on gender, and the Department of Education granted George Fox an exemption from Title IX on the basis of their religious beliefs.
The main issue that Marcus and Paul Southwick, his lawyer, have a problem with is the fact that George Fox University acquires some funding from the government.
"It's not like the student has broken a rule. He's just being himself," said Southwick.
"George Fox claimed the [Title IX] exemption because a local attorney/activist was threatening to use federal intervention to force the university to act in a manner inconsistent with its religious convictions," said a statement by George Fox University.
The university further said that their "residential facilities are single sex because of [their] theological commitments. The student's request to switch from female-only on campus housing to male-only on campus housing is one that many institutions would struggle with."
