You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
New York City comptroller Brad Lander sent a letter to Yeshiva University president Ari Berman on Monday urging him to recognize the YU Pride Alliance, an LGBTQ student group that sued the university in 2021 for failing to do so. The group has since been locked in a legal battle with the institution.
A New York appeals court ruled in December that the university must recognize the club. The ruling, which was cited in Lander’s letter, affirmed that the university is not exempt from New York City human rights law and therefore cannot reject the club.
“I must urge your institution to change course and offer a secure environment for your LGBTQ+ students and staff to create a supportive space to rightfully express their full selves,” Lander wrote. “In the past, student-led organizations like the YU Pride Alliance have worked to educate members about their rights as LGBTQ+ people while also creating a safe space for all students. Yeshiva University’s own anti-discrimination policy is wholly undermined by the refusal to allow students to form this group within their own terms and mission.”
Yeshiva University started its own club for LGBTQ students in November, while continuing its legal fight with the existing club. However, the YU Pride Alliance opposed Kol Yisrael Areivim, because it wasn’t initiated or run by students.
Lander also noted that Yeshiva University has received $8.8 million from the city since 2010, and “all recipients of public funding from the City must attest that they are in compliance with City laws and statutes.”
“The University’s discriminatory actions may put future funding and associated services at risk,” he wrote. “By recognizing the YU Pride Alliance, you can help ensure that the rights of LGTBQ+ students at Yeshiva University are respected, celebrated, and upheld in the City of New York.”
Hanan Eisenman, a Yeshiva University spokesperson, said the comptroller was making "false allegations."
“We will continue to defend our students against these false allegations,” he said in a statement. “We have already established a path forward which provides loving and supportive spaces for our LGBTQ students. We kindly ask well-meaning politicians to please learn the facts before attacking our students’ Jewish education.”
