Gainesville, USA - A Christian fraternity sued the University of Florida on Tuesday, claiming the university is discriminating against them by refusing to recognize the fraternity as a registered student group.
University officials have told Beta Upsilon Chi that it can't be registered on campus because only men are allowed to join, which amounts to prohibited sex discrimination, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Gainesville.
Beta Upsilon Chi is not allowed to join the off-campus Greek system of fraternities and sororities because the rules governing UF's Greek system bar religious discrimination, according to the lawsuit. The fraternity requires its members to be Christians.
Without official recognition, the fraternity is deprived of benefits including access to meeting space and the ability to advertise and recruit members on campus, the suit said.
UF spokesman Steve Orlando said the university does not comment on pending litigation.
The advocates who filed the lawsuit, the Christian Legal Society and the Alliance Defense Fund, had sued the University of Georgia in December because the school wouldn't recognize a chapter of the fraternity because of the religious discrimination issue. The suit was settled two days later when the university changed its policy and allowed the fraternity to register.