Gay Teacher’s Job Bias Win Nixed Under ‘Ministerial Exception’

A gay teacher saw his sex bias win against a Catholic high school overturned Wednesday by the Fourth Circuit, which said because he played a “vital role as a messenger” of the faith, he was a “minister” excepted from the protections of federal sex discrimination law.

Charlotte Catholic High School teacher Lonnie Billard’s appeal is the latest case to examine the interplay between federal job discrimination law and religious freedom protections.

The US Supreme Court has previously adopted and applied a “ministerial exception” to Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act claims. The exception is derived from the First ...