Oldest Catholic university in the US accused of moving funds from anti-LGBT group to pro-LGBT groups

The oldest Catholic university in the US has been accused of redirecting donations meant for an anti-LGBT group which campaigns for ‘traditional’ marriage to pro-LGBTQ groups.

Love Saxa is an orthodox student group which believes that marriage can only be between a man and a woman.

Georgetown University (Getty)

Georgetown University (Getty)

President of the group, Amelia Irvine, wrote in an op-ed for the University’s newspaper, The Hoya, that Love Saxa’s definition of marriage “does not include same-sex couples” because they “believe that marriage is a conjugal union on every level – emotional, spiritual, physical and mental – directed toward caring for biological children. To us, marriage is much more than commitment of love between two consenting adults.”

The group’s promotion of its anti-LGBT views led to it facing sanctions by the university late last year after students petitioned for it to be recognised as a hate group.

Love Saxa was threatened with being defunded and barred from campus facilities in light of the petition.

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Now, the group have claimed that donations they have received from outside sources are being redirected to the university to groups which campaign for LGBTQ rights.

Irvine claims that the redirection of donations began in November after she received and deposited a $50 donation.

Allegedly, the donator received a receipt stating that his donation had gone to the LGBTQ Resource Center Reserve, rather than Love Saxa.

Irvine claims that a separate $100 donation was donated to the Saxatones, an acapella group in the university that often works with LGBTQ organisations.

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She says a further $250 that was deposited has yet to show up in the account, but the donor has not had a receipt.

The group has now sought out legal representation for The Alliance Defending Freedom, a top law firm notorious for its anti-LGBTQ cases that was designated as a hate group last year.

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The Christian group has opposed same-sex weddings, gay adoptions, civil unions, and even the repeal of Sodomy laws – strongly opposing the 2003 Supreme Court decision to strike down state laws banning gay sex.

Travis Barham, the ADF attorney representing Love Saxa has sent a letter to Georgetown President John DeGioia calling on him to “investigate this matter fully, restore the donations to Love Saxa immediately, and hold accountable the individuals responsible for this misconduct.”

Speaking to The College Fix, he claimed that the donation mishap was one of a number of moves in a “sustained effort to mistreat Love Saxa throughout the academic year.”

“Universities cannot punish students simply because of their religious or political views.

“Donors have the right to know that their money goes to the recipient they intend it to.

“The university should not be diverting funds from a group simply because it disagrees with that group’s mission and purpose,” he said.

Georgetown University told PinkNews that the donations to Love Saxa habe been identified and deposited into their account.

A spokesperson explained that the gift may have been accidentally allocated in the wrong place because of the system the university follows.

“When the university receives a gift designated by donor for a student group with access to benefits, the gifts are allocated with a designated worktag that ensures they reach the intended recipient.

“Because a Fall 2017 gift was the first donation of its kind to Love Saxa, no established path existed. As always in these cases, we corrected the mistakes, have developed a path to ensure that funds are routed properly in the future, and have communicated to the student group and the donors that the gifts have been properly allocated,” they said.

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