Christian bigot sues for right to discriminate against staff for being gay, trans

A Christian management company is suing for the right to discriminate against workers for being members of the LGBT+ community, having sex and using Grindr. In June 2020, the US Supreme Court ruled that the prohibition on sex discrimination in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964 also applied to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. That history-making decision upheld a position maintained by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) since 2015. Almost a year on since that decision paved the way for greater protections for LGBT+ people in the workplace, Steve Hotze is seeking an exemption to the Supreme Court’s ruling that would allow him to fire LGBT+ staff due to his religious beliefs. Hotze – a conservative Christian with a long history of opposing LGBT+ rights – has filed a lawsuit in Texas alongside the Bear Creek Bible Church asking for a religious exemption to employment equality laws. The lawsuit decries the fact that the EEOC’s guidance around discrimination offers no “exemptions or accommodations for employers that oppose homosexual or transgender behaviour on religious grounds.”