He may be the Alpha and Omega, but God hasn’t been a welcome addition to the University of Florida’s official fraternities. Beta Upsilon Chi (BYX or Brothers Under Christ) has more than 60 branches in the United States, but campus officials tried desperately to keep the fraternity off UF grounds because its membership is limited to Christian students.
As others have pointed out, the criteria shouldn’t have been a sticking point with the University since it recognizes groups for Jewish law students and Christian veterinarians. Regardless, administrators cited BYX as “discriminatory” and refused to grant access for meeting space or recruitment.
The BYX leadership refused to be intimidated and contacted the Alliance Defense Fund, which sued the school in a case that was partially decided last week by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The court ordered UF to accommodate the fraternity and stop squelching its rights until the final ruling is made.
BYX faced similar hostility at the University of Georgia but earned the right to gather on school grounds when it threatened legal action. With ADF’s help, we hope for a similar outcome in Florida.
Tony Perkins heads the Family Research Council. This article is excerpted from the Washington Update that he compiles for the FRC.
