The Supreme Court recently ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. What are the ruling’s real-world implications for those who maintain traditional, biblical views about human sexuality? How will it affect churches, schools, camps, mission agencies, humanitarian organizations, and small businesses run by religious believers? After Bostock , can these institutions maintain hiring and employment practices consistent with their religious views without running afoul of Title VII? That remains an open question. None of the employers in the consolidated Bostock cases were religious organizations in the traditional sense, so the Supreme Court managed to avoid deciding how its ruling would affect such organizations. Still, the Court flagged the issue. In a vaguely promising gesture, the majority indicated it was “deeply concerned with preserving the promise of the free exercise of religion enshrined in our Constitution; that guarantee lies at the heart of our pluralistic society.” Ultimately, though, the Court said the interplay between Title VII and religious liberty was an issue for “future cases.” Such cases may soon come, as examples of aggrieved LGBT employees suing their religious […]

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