Religious Exemption Accountability Project

Elizabeth lived in foster care until the age of 10 and survived a sexual assault during this time, after which she was placed with a family and grew up in Texas as part of a fundamentalist Christian cult. She identifies as a lesbian. 2/9

She applied to Bob Jones University without her parents knowing, because it was one of the few colleges that she thought she could attend without being disowned. 3/9

In junior year, Elizabeth posted on social media about LGBTQ+ themes and was quickly summoned to a three-hour meeting with BJU administrators, who demanded that she share more about her sexual orientation and whether she had violated any of the school’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies. 4/9

Elizabeth told them she was “not straight” but had not broken any policies. Despite this, BJU placed Elizabeth on disciplinary probation, charged her a monetary fine, terminated her from her on-campus student life position, and forced her to attend mandatory counseling. 5/9

“This was the darkest month of my entire life,” Elizabeth said. “I felt depressed and suicidal. For the rest of my time at BJU, I was forced completely back into the closet. I survived and graduated in May of 2019. But I still feel the sting of the discrimination I endured.” 6/9

“As someone figuring out their sexuality while at college, Bob Jones' policies on sexuality and marriage created a scary, harsh environment for me,” she said. “I was asked to disavow my support for LGBTQ+ rights and relationships. It would have been like disavowing myself.” 7/9