The Law Society of B.C. is putting the contentious question of whether to accept graduates of Trinity Western University’s proposed law school to a binding referendum.
Bar associations in Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have already chosen to reject students from the evangelical Christian university, citing its controversial ban on gay sex.
All students and staff who attend TWU have to sign a covenant promising not to engage in sexual intimacy that “violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman.”
The rule effectively asks gay students, even those who are married, to refrain from sex with their partners.
The board of B.C.’s law society voted 20-6 in favour of accrediting TWU graduates in April following a spirited debate over how to balance students’ right to equality and the university’s right to religious freedom.
The decision sparked backlash among thousands of the province’s lawyers, however, leading the board, or benchers, to reverse course on Friday in favour of a referendum.
“We are disappointed with this decision,” TWU spokesman Guy Saffold said in a statement shortly after the reversal.
“The benchers originally approved TWU graduates based on constitutional principles and the rule of law. They have now decided that the matter should be determined by popular vote.”
The referendum results will be binding if more than one-third of the society’s more than 10,000 members vote, and two-thirds vote against TWU. A date hasn’t been set but it’s expected to take place before the end of October.
TWU’s law school, described as the first Christian law school in Canada, is scheduled to open in fall 2016.
With files from The Canadian Press
