Religious Carveout From LGBT Worker Rights Sought in U.S. Court

Christian groups asked a federal court in Texas to exempt all employers from complying with LGBT anti-discrimination protections if they oppose homosexuality or “transgender behavior” on religious or non-religious grounds.

The U.S. Pastor Council, Braidwood Management Inc., and Bear Creek Bible Church say that last year’s landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in favor of LGBT workers—which expanded protections under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to prohibit bias based on sexual orientation and transgender status—"substantially burdens” them from operating in “accordance with Christian teaching.”

The move is part of an ongoing class action in the U.S. District Court ...