Over 200 Christian colleges, and growing, have claimed a Title IX exemption in order to discriminate against transgendered students. But, according to the Christian Post, that’s not the story. The story is that the Department of Education is publishing a list of the schools that have done so, at the behest of those mean old human rights activists, in order to bully and embarrass those poor helpless Christians once again.

LGBT activist groups have been calling on the government to publish the list as part of a shaming campaign called the “Shame List” to pressure Christian colleges to consent to their agenda…

The article goes on to quote Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) saying, “the Department of Education has been bullying schools to comply with policies that simply do not have the force of law.”

But here’s the thing: why don’t Christian colleges want people to know they’re using taxpayer money to fund discrimination against transgendered people, as an expression of their religious belief? If they’re doing God’s will, and if God’s will is supposed to be a good thing, why are they upset that their counter-cultural witness is getting free publicity from the government?

It’s not as though the government is divulging any private or secret information. As the article in the Christian Post notes, “The publication of the list of colleges and universities on the department’s website … [could be] obtained the list by filling out a Freedom of Information Act request.” It’s public information. The problem is that these Christian colleges are seeking to harass and mistreat a group of people who aren’t hurting anyone, and who only want the freedom to be the people they sincerely believe themselves to be. The colleges hate these guys, and want a license to pick on them without being liable for the harm they do. The Dept. of Education is not the bully here, it’s the schools themselves.

And they’re ashamed of it. They’re not bragging about it and saying, “Hey everyone, look how godly we are, we even pick on transgendered people!” No, they’re complaining about the exposure. And they have a staunch ally in Sen. Lankford.

“This use of power, however well intentioned, is wrong and it’s unlawful,” he continued. “Leadership requires making sure the department conducts themselves in full compliance with the law. I have an obligation to the people of Oklahoma to ensure that the president’s nominees adhere to the law. Regrettably, Dr. King has refused to commit to stopping these regulatory abuses if he were confirmed. For that reason, I will oppose his nomination today.”

Yes you read that right. After complaining about the Dept. of Education “bullying” Christian colleges, the good Senator announced his intention of retaliating against the head of the department for publishing public information that these same colleges wanted suppressed. Perhaps I didn’t need to mention that he was a Republican from Oklahoma.

And notice there’s no mention of any actual abuse of power here. The Dept. of Education isn’t denying any of the requests for Title IX exemptions, and in fact it can’t. As the CP article points out, “A Title IX exemption is automatic for any school that requests it. Neither the Department of Education nor the Department of Justice have the authority to deny it.” The schools are getting what they want. They have a free ticket to spend taxpayer dollars enforcing discriminatory policies against transgendered students. They’re just embarrassed about not being able to sneak this kind of bigotry in under the public radar.