Azusa Pacific University, a private, evangelical Christian university in California, published a revised statement on human sexuality that no longer forbids romantic same-sex relationships as long as both parties abstain from sex. The new statement has social and legal implications for the university and comes a time of pressure on some Christian colleges to be welcoming to students who are not straight.
Yaz Mendez Nuñez, director of programming and communications at SoulForce, a nonprofit dedicated to ending religious discrimination against LGBT people, said the change was “really exciting” and noted the significance of rewriting a statement of belief.
“This move by APU is really important to note legally because these statements on human sexuality … they aren’t just faith-based documents,” Nuñez said. “These statements act as legal documents. If they want to make a legal move … they could use this statement on human sexuality as a basis for religious freedom protections.”…