Georgetown Pro-Marriage Club Vindicated, Awaits Final Ruling

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WASHINGTON (ChurchMilitant.com) - At the oldest Catholic university in the United States, a student club promoting marriage and chastity has to fight for its existence. Although it's been cleared of "hate" charges in recent hearings, it must still pass final administrative review.

At Georgetown University, pro-marriage club Love Saxa has been targeted by LGBT activists the past two months. Justin Gasman, president of Georgetown's LGBT club GUPride, partnered with another student, Jasmin Ouseph, to file complaints with the Student Activities Commission (SAC) accusing Love Saxa of fostering intolerance and hatred.

The SAC had two hearings for the case last week. At the second hearing, which lasted two hours from Thursday night until very early Friday morning, the SAC voted 8–4 to dismiss the charges. However, this is not the end of the battle for Love Saxa. Per protocol, the charges pass to the university administration for review.

Love Saxa President Amelia Irvine wrote a September 6 op-ed in student publication The Hoya. Her column described her experience of remaining a virgin until marriage and defended Love Saxa against a recent op-ed accusing it of hate and homophobia.

Irvine even went so far as to reach out to LGBT individuals for inclusion in some of Love Saxa's upcoming events:

I think that there are members of the LGBTQ community that agree with Love Saxa on the issues that we hope to address this year: pornography and the hookup culture. Some LGBTQ people wish that the hookup culture was less prevalent, including 2013 GU Pride President Thomas Lloyd, and LGBTQ communities are disproportionately victimized by revenge pornography.

This did little to deter the campus community's growing sense of hostility toward the club.

The SAC hearings were going to begin on October 23, but Love Saxa asked for a delay because it was only informed on October 19, leaving it little time to prepare.

Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic university in the United States. Founded in 1789, it is run by the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States are often accused of selling out their Catholic identity in favor of dissent, ecumenism and leftist politics.

For instance, the theology departments at Jesuit institutions have a reputation for emphasizing pluralism, multiculturalism and social justice, rather than exploring Catholic doctrine and spirituality. It is an open secret at some Jesuit colleges that faithful Catholics who want to learn real theology should major in philosophy instead.

Even outside the theology departments, many faithful Catholics complain that Jesuit institutions are fixated on leftist ideology. Students from Jesuit universities, colleges and high schools all across the United States gather every year in Washington, D.C. for the "Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice." The Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice claims to speak in support of pro-life causes, but it only does so off-handedly. It puts the right to life for the unborn amidst a long list of "social justice" issues, including homelessness, racism, unemployment, immigration reform and prison reform.

For instance, this year's roster includes, among others, Fr. Bryan Massingale, who has said conscience can lead Catholics to make decisions in contradiction to Catholic teaching. Father James Martin, S.J., the celebrity priest known for his attempts to normalize homosexuality, is also speaking. Also, Sr. Simone Campbell, the religious who played a large part in helping to get pro-contraception Obamacare passed, will also be offering a talk.

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