Just days before Houston's annual Pride Celebration, one of the city's most outspoken LGBT opponents landed a huge circuit court victory, with a trio of high court judges finding that his Katy company could deny employment to gay and transgender workers.
that ended in an armed confrontation. The court determined that the nondenominational Christian church in Katy and Hotze's health and wellness business are not mandated to abide by federal discrimination law and can therefore decide for themselves whether to hire or keep employees based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.
The church and business' complaint was filed as a 2018 class action in Houston federal court, on behalf of Hotze, the U.S. Pastor Council and others seeking a religious exemption to federal laws that prohibit workplace discrimination. The suit highlighted the fact that same-sex marriage is on equal terms as opposite-sex marriage, under federal law, and that workplace protection ensure that employees have access to restrooms based on their"gender identity.
EEOC's counsel cited the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the majority found that"an employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII.” The landmark decision by the court in June 2020 led to the EEOC updating its enforcement policies, permitting employers to be sued for discriminating against LGBTQ people.
They found Religious Freedom Restoration Act “requires that Braidwood, on an individual level, be exempted from Title VII" because complying with federal law"would substantially burden its ability to operate per its religious beliefs about homosexual and transgender conduct."New details emerge in Houston A/C repairman's 2020 assault over Hotze voter fraud conspiracy
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