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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

April 24, 2023

www.texasattorneygeneral.gov




*PRESS OFFICE: (512) 463-2050*

[email protected]





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*Paxton Fights to Uphold Constitutional Rights of Religious Institutions?*

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AUSTIN ??Attorney General Paxton filed an amicus brief on behalf of College of the Ozarks, a religious institution under pressure from the Biden Administration to abandon its deeply-held religious beliefs to comply with the Administration?s radical definition of sex discrimination or face significant penalties.??

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The Fair Housing Act, which is administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (?HUD?), makes it unlawful to discriminate against an individual based on, among other factors, sex. HUD arbitrarily announced that the sex discrimination provision of the Act now prohibits discrimination based upon ?sexual orientation and gender identity? and that it would be investigating any complaints based on this prohibition.??

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HUD issued the directive without regard for religious freedom and without engaging in the legally required notice and comment process. Under the new rule, the College will now be required to open its single-sex dormitories, including dorm rooms and shared shower spaces, to members of the opposite sex, or the College could incur expansive legal liability.??

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The amicus brief notes the significant harm that could come to the College as a result of the directive and the threat that the Biden Administration?s agenda poses to constitutionally protected religious liberty.??

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The amicus brief states: ?[T]he College has adequately alleged that there is a substantial risk of future harm, and therefore it faces a ?real, immediate, and direct? negative impact. Specifically, the College wishes to maintain its dorm policies, which are ?affected with a constitutional interest? since they are informed by the College?s religious beliefs. . . . Or the College risks abandoning its deeply held beliefs and incurring out-of-pocket costs to adapt housing and other facilities to comply with HUD?s new interpretation of the [Fair Housing Act]. This is certainly a realistic danger to the College.???

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To read the amicus brief, click here [ [link removed] ].?

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