Evangelical University Lifts Ban On Same-Sex Couples, Then Reinstates It

Azusa Pacific University, one of the oldest Christian universities on the West Coast, is under fire for reinstating a ban on same-sex couples after reportedly lifting it in September.

According to the university-wide regulation, queer students are banned from having romantic relationships even though there's no barrier for heterosexual pupils. In a statement from the board of trustees, the university said that the ban is due to their claim that there was never board approval in the very first place. "Last week, reports circulated about a change to the undergraduate student standards of conduct. That action concerning romanticized relationships was never approved by the board and the original wording has been reinstated," the statement read. "We pledge to boldly uphold biblical values and not waver in our Christ-centered mission. We will examine how we live up to these high ideals and enact measures that prevent us from swaying from that sure footing."

The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported that 200 queer students, allies and faculty members took to the school on Monday (October 1) to protest the reinstated ban. "We poured our hearts out, were vulnerable and relived our trauma telling our stories, telling stories of previous students who were damaged or hurt in some way by the institution ... for being gay or being in a same-sex relationship," Erin Green, a recent APU graduate, told the newspaper. "They looked us in the eye and said this policy is harmful, it's discriminatory, it’s stigmatizing and we’re going to get rid of it," she continued. "And we trusted them."

Photo: Getty Images


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