Trinity Western University was severely criticized by the Council of Canadian Law Deans because the faculty members and the students at the school promise that they will “abstain from… sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman.” The school is located in British Columbia, according to CatholicCulture.org.
“A policy like this is a policy that expressly discriminates against lesbian and gay students,” said William Flanagan, council president and dean of the Faculty of Law at Queen’s University (Ontario). “Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is unlawful in Canada and fundamentally at odds with the core values of all Canadian law schools.”
The comments were made by Flanagan after Trinity Western University asked for approval to found a law school. They asked British Columbia for the approval. Back in the month of September, Janet Epp-Buckingham wrote the following:
“‘Keep your head down and your mouth shut.’ This is advice Christian lawyers sometimes give to Christian students heading to law school. But isn’t law school about learning to be an advocate and argue your position with integrity? Unfortunately, the advice reflects the fact that many students find law school a hostile environment for the Christian faith. ”
Epp-Buckingham is a faculty member at Trinity Western University who is part of the development team for the proposed law school.