All-male Christian fraternity sues UF

A Christian fraternity filed a federal lawsuit against the University of Florida Tuesday because the fraternity's efforts to be recognized as a registered student group have thus far been denied, according to the lawsuit.

The leaders of the Beta Upsilon Chi fraternity, which now has eight members, have been trying since May to be recognized as a student organization at UF, the lawsuit states.

But according to the fraternity's attorneys at the Alliance Defense Fund and the Christian Legal Society, UF officials have told the fraternity members that they cannot be listed as a student organization because the group will only accept men, which is prohibited under UF's nondiscrimination policies regarding registered student organizations.

The fraternity also cannot join the Interfraternity Council of social fraternities because the council prohibits discrimination based on religion, whereas Beta Upsilon Chi's national constitution says a member must be Christian.

"The university recognizes the Women's Chorale and Men's Ice Hockey even though they are single-sex organizations. Why then is the university telling this fraternity it cannot limit its membership to Christian men?" said Timothy J. Tracey, an attorney with the Christian Legal Society.

The UF chapter of Beta Upsilon Chi would prefer to be a registered student organization so that it can gain the benefits that come along with that affiliation: the use of UF facilities, the ability to request funds from Student Government, the ability to recruit at the Student Organization Fair, along with other rights.

The lawsuit states that social fraternities cannot request money from Student Government, which Beta Upsilon Chi's members would like to do. "As a Christian fraternity, (Beta Upsilon Chi) is locked out of the UF campus," the lawsuit states. "The only way UF will recognize (Beta Upsilon Chi) is if it chooses to give up its identity as a men's organization or if it abandons its religious criteria for members."

By denying the members of the UF chapter of Beta Upsilon Chi to join UF's list of student organizations, the group's attorneys allege that UF is violating the fraternity's First Amendment right to free speech.

UF spokesman Steve Orlando said the university does not comment on pending litigation. According to the Alliance Defense Fund and the Christian Legal Society, the University of Georgia allowed Beta Upsilon Chi on campus after a lawsuit was filed in that state.

Beta Upsilon Chi, which stands for "Brothers Under Christ," is a national Christian fraternity founded in 1985 with 21 chapters throughout the country, including the one at UF, according to the lawsuit.

Alice Wallace can be reached at 352-338-3109 or alice.wallace@gvillesun.com.