Federal Court Rules Religious Businesses Exempt from LGBTQ Bias Claims

Judge Reed O’Connor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division, ruled Oct. 31 that Christian churches and Christian-owned, for-profit businesses with sincerely held religious beliefs are not subject to LGBTQ discrimination claims. Braidwood Management Inc., which operates three health care facilities in the Houston area; and Bear Creek Church, in the Fort Worth suburb of Keller; sued the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission in response to last year’s Supreme Court opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County, which held that LGBTQ persons are protected under the anti-discrimination provisions of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.-- More...