This opinion comes from the court case Gay Students Organization of the University of New Hampshire, et al. vs. Thomas N. Bonner, et al. Filed in 1973, this is one of the earliest cases involving gay and lesbian civil rights. In their complaint, the plaintiffs (the student organization) stated that the defendants (Thomas Bonner was the President of the University of New Hampshire) had denied their constitutional rights, including those secured by the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The university wouldn’t allow the Gay Students Organization to hold “social functions.”
In this 1974 opinion, the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire sided with the UNH Gay Students Organization, ruling that they could come together for social events, which were considered expressive conduct and association as protected by the First Amendment. The court said that the University could not prohibit or restrict social functions or the use of university facilities by the Gay Students Organization; nor could they treat the group differently than any other student organization.
