Girls suspected of being lesbians can sue school
Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 28, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Supreme Court today allowed two Riverside County girls to sue a Christian high school that expelled them because the principal believed they were lesbians.
The court unanimously denied review of an appeal by the California Lutheran High School Association, which argued that a religious school has the right to exclude gays and lesbians, regardless of California's anti-discrimination law. Today's action did not resolve that issue but allowed the suit to proceed toward a possible trial.

The girls, both juniors at the school in the town of Wildomar, were expelled in September. According to their lawsuit, which was filed in December, school principal Gregory Bork said he had learned that the students might be involved in a relationship, and coerced one of them into saying she loved the other one.

In a letter to the girls' parents, Bork said the students had violated the school's code of conduct, which prohibits actions "contrary to Christian decency.'' The school is owned by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, which considers homosexuality sinful. the rest