Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin on Monday
signed a bill into law that allows religious groups at public high
schools and colleges to turn away LGBT students.
Senate Bill 17 protects the religious
expression of students. It also ensures “no recognized religious
or political student organization is discriminated against in the
ordering of its internal affairs.”
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, criticized the new law in a
statement, saying that it jeopardizes non-discrimination policies at
public schools.
“No student should fear being
excluded from a school club or participating in a school activity
because they are LGBTQ,” said Sarah Warbelow, legal director at
HRC. “While of course private groups should have the freedom to
express their religious viewpoints, they should not be able to
unfairly discriminate with taxpayer funds.”
Bevin signed the bill without public
comment.