THE FIRE —Last Friday, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell signed a number of bills into law including the Student Group Protection Act, which guarantees freedom of association for religious and ideological belief-based student organizations and protects the right of those campus groups to choose leaders who share those beliefs. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) had urged the passage of the law, which was spearheaded by state senator Mark Obenshain of Harrisonburg.
“FIRE commends Governor McDonnell, Senator Obenshain, and all of the Virginia Delegates and Senators who worked to pass the Act,” said FIRE President Greg Lukianoff. “College campuses have long hosted religious and ideological student groups of all types so that students would have the opportunity to be part of a group that satisfies their faith, their passion, or their politics. Guaranteeing those groups the right to hold their leaders to belief-based standards is a vital part of ensuring that a pluralistic and diverse culture can exist on campus.”
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