Seattle Pacific University leaders are sued for anti-LGBTQ hiring practices

Seattle Pacific University students and staff have sued leaders of the board of trustees for refusing to put an end to the university's discriminatory hiring practices. (Chris Grygiel/AP)

Students and staff at Seattle Pacific University are taking members of school's board of trustees to court for refusing to hire individuals in same-sex relationships.

The lawsuit alleges that the six defendants, members of the university's board of trustees, use their position of power to "advance the interests of a religious denomination at the expense of the students, alumni, staff, and faculty of the university." It goes on to say that the hiring practices at SPU, a private Christian university, prohibit individuals in same-sex relationships from full-time employment.