Christian homeless shelter challenges Washington state law prohibiting anti-LGBTQ+ hiring practices

A Christian homeless shelter is challenging a Washington state anti-discrimination law that would require the charity to hire LGBTQ+ people and others who don't share its religious beliefs. Lawyers for Union Gospel Mission in Yakima will ask the state Supreme Court on Friday to revive a lawsuit dismissed by a lower court. The case arose out of a 2017 lawsuit filed by a bisexual Christian man who was denied a job as an attorney at a legal aid clinic operated by the Union Gospel Mission in Seattle. Washington’s anti-discrimination law exempts religious nonprofits. But in 2021, the state Supreme Court said the religious hiring exemption should only apply to ministerial positions.