Gay Rights Coalition of Georgetown University Law Center et al. v. Georgetown University

The Gay Rights Coalition of Georgetown University Law Center (the coalition) (plaintiff) filed an action in District of Columbia district court against Georgetown University (the university) (defendant). The coalition argued that the university violated D.C.’s Human Rights Act (the act) by failing to grant recognition to two gay-rights student groups. The act prohibited educational institutions from discriminating against students based on sexual orientation. The coalition alleged that the university’s failure to recognize the gay-rights groups resulted in discrimination based on sexual orientation because the students in the groups did not receive the tangible benefits associated with university-recognized student groups, such as access to the university’s facilities and services. The university argued that the act violated the Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The university claimed that it was rooted in Roman Catholicism and that the act forced the university to endorse gay rights. The university also argued that it had not engaged in sexual-orientation discrimination, because it had denied the gay-rights groups university recognition because of its purposes and activities rather than because of the members’ sexual orientation. The district court held that the act violated the First Amendment by requiring the university to endorse the gay-rights groups and provide the gay-rights groups with equal tangible benefits. The district court granted the university summary judgment. The coalition appealed.