A Christian-owned wellness center, Braidwood, is exempted from the federal law prohibiting employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, a federal appeals court ruled last week. The unanimous three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that Braidwood Management cannot be sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over its policy that employees who engage in homosexual or gender non-conforming conduct will be fired. Circuit Judge Jerry Smith wrote for the majority that without the shield, the company would be forced to comply wholeheartedly with the policy it sees as sinful, upholding a ruling by U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth. However, the court reversed O'Connor's ruling that Braidwood could bring the case as a class action on behalf of other religious businesses. That means the exemption now only applies directly to Braidwood. All three judges were appointed by Republican presidents. Braidwood sued the EEOC after the agency updated its enforcement guidance in 2021 saying bias against gay and transgender workers is a form of unlawful sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The company is suing the Biden administration over the Affordable Care Act's requirement separately. #Queer Up Courts