CNA Staff, Sep 2, 2020 / 11:30 am
The Catholic former head of Florida State University's student senate is suing the school, saying his religious freedom was violated when he was removed from his position.
Jack Denton, a member of Florida State University's (FSU) Class of 2021, was ousted from his position as head of the FSU student senate in June when comments he made in a private chat forum for Catholic students were made public. He had claimed that policy positions of BlackLivesMatter.com, the ACLU, and Reclaim the Block contradicted the teachings of the Catholic Church, in a conversation about racial justice.
A change.org petition called his comments "transphobic and racist" and the student senate subsequently voted to remove him as chair. He unsuccessfully appealed to the student supreme court and to university administrators for his reinstatement.
Denton's lawyer, Tyson Langhofer of Alliance Defending Freedom, said on Tuesday that "Florida State should be fostering real diversity of thought, not punishing individuals based on their religious convictions or political beliefs."