A judge has decided that a Catholic school was well within its rights to fire a counselor for being in a same-gender marriage. The case, unsurprisingly, has stirred controversy.
The Ministerial Exception
The controversy stems from a Supreme Court decision in 2020 that expanded the scope of an existing exception, known as the ministerial exception. Previously applicable mainly to those directly engaged in religious practice, this exception now includes teachers at religious schools.
Shelly Fitzgerald’s Story
Shelly Fitzgerald – who had been employed at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis for 14 years – was fired when the school learned that she was in a same-gender marriage. In response to her dismissal, Fitzgerald initiated a lawsuit against the school.
Joseph Davis’ Argument
Joseph Davis, counsel at Becket, which represented the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and the high school, said: “Religious schools exist to pass on the faith to the next generation. To do that, they need the freedom to choose leaders who are fully committed to their religious mission.”
Rachel Laser’s Argument
On the other side, Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, characterized this case as an attack by “religious extremists” seeking to undermine civil rights. She argued that the ministerial exception was being stretched to allow discrimination far beyond its original intent.
An Attack by Religious Extremists
Laser said: “Shelly Fitzgerald’s case was another line of attack. These religious extremists are trying to expand a narrow, commonsense rule – meant to allow houses of worship to select their own clergy according to their own faith – into a broad license to circumvent civil rights laws and to discriminate.”
The Court’s Decision
Judge Richard Young said: “The defendants contend that certain exceptions, exemptions, and protections guard their actions from statutory liability. The district court granted summary judgment on the ministerial exception. Our analysis begins and ends there.”
The Internet’s Response
News of the decision was shared across social media and people, for the most part, were horrified. “Can I fire Christians from my business or does the discrimination only work in one direction?” one person asked.
A New Religion
Others echoed the aforementioned commenter. One person said: “So if I start a church that demands that Christians be banished from my sight because it offends me, will the courts uphold my religious beliefs?”
Old, Homophobic Men
Another individual said: “To all women and the LGBTQ+ community – we’re on our own. This country is being controlled by old, homophobic, transphobic, sexist excuses of men who put laws about people they know nothing about into place. Enough is enough!”
A Backward Country
Others left comments about America as a whole. “This country and its laws are backward. This is what happens when you let fascists have power,” one person said. “I hate this country. I hate it. I hate it so much,” another wrote.
A Bleak Future for LGBTQ+ People
Members of the LGBTQ+ people expressed their fears and asked for advice. One person asked: “So, does anybody know how long I have to leave this [joke] of a country before they legalize killing us for just existing?”
Going Backward Into History
Another wrote: “I swear to the nonexistent God that if this country keeps going backward into history, it will be bound to collapse all thanks to idiotic, undemocratic Republicans who should all be prosecuted and punished by being banned from politics and thrown into prison for the rest of their lives.”
Special Privileges to Hate
Others said they would never support a religious organization. One person said: “Religion is given special privileges to hate. I don’t think they’re likely to change soon because U.S. religious protections allow a lot of terrible things. This means, as an atheist, I would never work for a religious-based organization of any kind because I can’t support them and I know they will not support me.”
A Personal Story
Some people shared stories from their personal lives. One individual wrote: “The Catholic high school I went to fired a woman for living with her boyfriend and fired another woman for getting pregnant without being married.”
A Satirical Response
Others responded with satire. “My sincerely held Christian religious beliefs allow me to discriminate against others who don’t look or believe the way I do. That’s what Jesus would do. I feel all warm inside knowing my Christian beliefs are right and I can hate others. I feel so close to God,” one commenter wrote.
Two Classes of Citizens
Another said: “So in this country, we’ve now created two classes of citizens – the religious and all others. The religious get to discriminate against anyone they claim is not in alignment with their beliefs. This is totally wrong.”
A Very Homophobic Comment
Unfortunately, the situation attracted some homophobic comments. One individual said: “And what exactly is surprising about this? It is a private institution. They can do as they see fit and should. I’m not paying $16,000 tuition to have the wolf watching my lambs.”
An International Perspective
An international commenter said: “Every time I see a news story from America, I’m more shocked every time. How does your country convince you you’re free? How does it make you think you’re the greatest country in the world? At this point, I can’t think of any country I’d want to visit less. Even North Korea. At least I’d come away from that with a unique story to tell.”
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