Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
Like the fired Christian teacher in a previous post, Christian Employers Alliance (CEA) has been vindicated.
The Biden-Harris administration mandates that religious businesses and health care organizations must violate their religious beliefs by paying for and performing harmful “gender transition” surgeries, procedures, counseling, and treatments.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a lawsuit on CEA’s behalf against officials in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Office of Civil Rights in HHS to block enforcement of the mandate.
CEA’s lawsuit argued that the EEOC was misinterpreting the word “sex” in Title VII to include “gender identity,” which impinges on the rights of religious employers.
A federal court permanently blocked enforcement against CEA in March. The court contended that the EEOC’s interpretation of Title VII violates CEA’s sincerely held religious beliefs without satisfying strict scrutiny under the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
ADF announced last week that the Biden-Harris administration will pay CEA $210,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs to settle the lawsuit.
“We are overjoyed our members will not have to choose between the biblically based employee benefits and quality healthcare they provide,” said CEA president Shannon Royce, “and the threat of federal enforcement and massive costs for practicing their faith.”
