A conservative student organisation in Washington DC is at risk of dissolution after objecting to mandatory LGBT sensitivity training and the use of "preferred gender pronouns."
The Young America's Foundation (YAF) at George Washington University may lose its funding, and was accused of being a hate group in the aftermath of the controversy last week.
The university's governing body, the GW Student Association, recently passed a bill requiring student organisation leaders to undergo mandatory training. The YAF sought an exemption from the required LGBT sensitivity course on the basis of religion.
YAF co-president, Amanda Robbins, said that the bill does not offer any exemptions, but hopes her group's protest will cause others to speak out.
"We are hoping that by voicing our opinion, other groups may follow our lead, resulting in the [student government] taking our request to heart," she told College Fix.
Campus LGBT advocacy organisation Allied in Pride criticised YAF's objections.
"The Young America's Foundation is a political organisation, not a religious one, so they cannot seek a religious exemption," the group wrote on Facebook. "And their refusal to use preferred gender pronouns should be considered an act of violence and a violation of the non-discrimination clause required in all GW student organisations' Constitutions."
Allied in Pride also accused YAF of exhibiting "intolerance and a pattern of hate" after the group invited former Sen. Rick Santorum, a conservative Republican, to speak on campus.
YAF vice president Patrick Coyle said he was not surprised by the backlash.
"Like most universities, in order to be 'inclusive,' GW must exclude students who disagree with prevailing leftist ideas that are pushed by the administration, faculty, and other liberal student groups," he said in a statement.
