The University of Iowa will pay nearly $2 million to settle discrimination lawsuits with two Christian student groups that have been deregistered because of their faith-based practices. The Iowa State Appeal Board on Dec. 6 unanimously approved a court-ordered settlement to Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a Washington-based law firm that represented both student groups in their lawsuits against the public university. Most of the money will cover attorney fees for each group. The first group, Business Leaders in Christ (BLinC), barred a member from serving in a leading position after he came out as gay. In response to a complaint by the student, the university stripped BLinC’s status as a registered student organization, effectively denying the group’s access to university funding and campus resources. BLinC sued in 2017, alleging that the university had violated its religious freedom to select only leaders who are aligned with the group’s interpretation of biblical …