Where is separation of church and state when you really need it? A crosstown rival accused Catholic University President John Garvey of “sex discrimination” for reinstating same-sex dorms at his own religiously affiliated institution. Instead of throwing out the frivolous complaint filed by George Washington University legal gadfly John Banzhaf, the D.C. Office of Human Rights is seriously considering this outrageous and unwarranted interference with the internal affairs of a private religious university — even though director Gustavo Velasquez himself questions whether “co-ed dormitories are a right under this law.” Lacking any legal foundation, further action represents a direct attack on academic and religious freedom by the District of Columbia. When Garvey announced that his new dorm policy would go into effect for this year’s incoming freshman class, he specifically stated that his intent was to uphold CU’s religious mission to promote virtue and decrease the high levels of binge drinking and casual sex that plague most college campuses today. He cited a study by the University of Virginia’s National Marriage Project that found such behavior decreases academic achievement and increases the risk of depression for students who engage in it. He pointed to another study by a Loyola Marymount researcher who came to the unsurprising conclusion that “hooking up” and binge drinking are greatly reduced when the sexes have separate living quarters.
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