Women's Rights Employment Law Blog

Simpson University president Larry McKinney seeks exception to the anti-discrimination bill in California. Currently, the bill bars discrimination in hiring or services on the basis of sexual orientation by any businesses or nonprofit organizations that receive state funding. The law will apply to those administering government programs filling a variety of needs, including veterans services, legal services and home-loan assistance.

Christian colleges had urged Schwarzenegger to veto the bill for fear it would deprive them of students who rely on state funding to students for higher education, since the colleges' hiring policies bar homosexuals.

“The majority of our students are California residents who receive that grant,” Simpson President McKinney said. “What I don't know ... is whether there would be any kind of exceptions made for religious organizations” whose beliefs oppose homosexuality, he said.