Student government rules that ‘gendered’ terms like ‘brotherhood’ are discriminatory
And the snowflake train keeps chugging down the track.
Seems some students at the University of Rochester complained that fraternities, sororities and other gender-specific campus groups use terms such as “men of principle,” “young men” and “group of women” in their promotional materials, according to the school’s All-Campus Judicial Council.
The rub? Such words, the complaining students said, amount to “textual discrimination.”
The ruling also took issue with campus organizations whose names included a reference to gender, including the “Here Comes Treble All-Male A Capella” group and “Women’s Curling” — even in cases where the group has no gender restrictions.
Not only that, but the petitioners also complained that nine club sport groups as well as three a capella groups use descriptions such as “all-male” and “ensemble of 12 women” in their membership materials.
Yes, “Women’s Curling” and “Here Comes Treble All-Male A Capella” were cited as examples.
In the end, the judicial branch of the Students’ Associated Government agreed with the petitioners — and in its ruling, published earlier in May, indicated that SAG resources will not be available to violators.
“Even if an organization’s practices are not discriminatory based on gender, presence of gendered language in a constitution amounts to de facto discrimination in that it promotes a chilling effect on the number of students seeking membership in that group,” the ruling said.
It noted that groups with “historically gendered words” in their monikers — such as “fraternity” and “brotherhood” — can no longer use such words.
“A name, even more than a constitution, may unintentionally turn away potential members with gendered language,” the SAG ruling said.
(H/T: Heat Street)
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