Georgia Tech Settles Lawsuit with Students for Life; Revises Policy Discriminating Against Pro-Life Speaker

photo credit: Ryan Schreiber / Flickr

Students for Life of America (SFLA) has won its court battle with the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) for discriminating against the appearance of a pro-life speaker due to her religious beliefs. As a result, the school will need to pay $50,000 + attorney's fees to SFLA, and it will revise its policy to treat future speakers fairly.

In the fall of 2019, the SFLA chapter at Georgia Tech wanted to invite Alveda King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s niece, to speak on campus. When the chapter requested funding from the student government to cover the cost of an event, student government leaders rejected the request. Their reasoning? The student government claimed Alveda King was “inherently religious.”

The policy change brought about by the successful SFLA lawsuit means that speakers can no longer be discriminated against by the school on the basis of their religious beliefs.

“The Constitution is clear that public universities can’t discriminate against students for their political or religious beliefs,” said SFLA president Kristan Hawkins. “[We] are hopeful that Georgia Tech’s decisive policy changes will set an example for universities around the country to uphold all students’ constitutional rights.”

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