DC Agency Tosses Law Prof's Bias Complaint over Same-Sex Dorms, Cites 'Absurd Results'
George Washington University law professor John Banzhaf has lost his case contending same-sex dorms at the Catholic University of America violate discrimination laws.
The D.C. Office of Human Rights dismissed Banzhaf’s complaint in an order issued Tuesday, according to a Catholic University press release and the Associated Press. Banzhaf had contended the policy violated Washington, D.C.’s Human Rights Act, which bars discrimination in employment, housing, commercial space and public accommodations.
The order says the D.C. Human Rights Act “does not forbid colleges and universities from making sex-based distinctions between students. We agree that to follow complainant’s reasoning would include a prohibition on same-sex bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams, which would lead to absurd results.”
Banzhaf filed the complaint after university president John Garvey announced in a Wall Street Journal editorial that Catholic University is phasing in single-sex residence halls in an effort to reduce binge drinking and hooking up.
Prior coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Law Prof Threatens Suit over University’s Plan to Reinstitute Single-Sex Dorms”
ABAJournal.com: “Law Prof Targets Catholic University Again, This Time over Lack of Muslim Prayer Rooms”
