College of the Ozarks represented by Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed suit in court Thursday, April 15, against the US Government. A directive from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires religious schools to openly share dormitories, including washrooms with members of the opposite sex. The directive forces entities covered by the Fair Housing Act to not “discriminate” based on sexual orientation or gender identity but to modify their policies on sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
President of the College, Dr. Jerry Davis announced the lawsuit Thursday at a press conference challenging the directive from the Government. The lawsuit explains that the HUD directive contradicts the historical judicial interpretation of the Fair Housing Act, which confirms that “sex” means biological sex. The suit also argues that the directive exceeds the administration’s authority and violates the constitutionally protected freedom of College of the Ozarks and similar religious institutions to operate consistently with their religious beliefs.
“The government cannot and should not force schools to open girls’ dorms to males based on its politically motivated and inappropriate redefinition of ‘sex,’” said ADF Senior Counsel Julie Marie Blake. “Women shouldn’t be forced to share private spaces—including showers and dorm rooms—with males, and religious schools shouldn’t be punished simply because of their beliefs about marriage and biological sex. Government overreach by the Biden administration continues to victimize women, girls, and people of faith by gutting their legal protections, and it must be stopped.”
College of the Ozarks holds to the Christian belief that biological sex is not changeable, and it operates its dorms accordingly. The college’s sincerely held religious beliefs influence their policies, including dormitory policies, which prohibit male students from living in female residence halls, and vice versa.
“Religious freedom is under attack in America, and we won’t stand on the sidelines and watch,” said College of the Ozarks President Dr. Jerry C. Davis. “To threaten religious freedom is to threaten America itself. College of the Ozarks will not allow politicians to erode this essential American right or the ideals that shaped America’s founding.”
College of the Ozarks is a private, Christian, liberal arts college in Point Lookout, Missouri.
