Ironically, that’s one of the very arguments many admins and alums of the Citadel and VMI used to justify their rules in denying access to their STATE SUPPORTED EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS to women in the '90s.
It was also the very argument VMI alums/admins tried to use to justify continuing mandatory mealtime prayers despite the fact the courts found that as a STATE SUPPORTED EDUCATION INSTITUTION, they were in violation of the First Amendment in the area of not favoring one religion/coercing religious acts from affiliates/subordinates.
Both were found to be wrong legally and both were eventually forced to accept women and in VMI’s case, end mandatory prayers at mealtimes despite such protestations as the above or the fact many casted negative aspersions towards those who challenged the constitutionally dubious based “traditions” through insinuations of them being “litigious”, “disruptive”, etc…
Goodness, some of those very same arguments/negative aspersions are similar to the patterns of behavior of those who attempted to prevent desegregation of universities/K-12 schools during the '50s and '60s…