Latest news with #religiousdiscrimination
News.com.au
3 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Man claims ‘discrimination' after request for Greek Orthodox funeral for deceased 93yo father denied
A man who claimed he was subject to religious discrimination by the Queensland Government after they refused to pay for his deceased father's Greek Orthodox funeral says he was denied 'natural justice' when his case was thrown out. Angelos Angelopoulos' attempt to take the government to the state's civil tribunal was refused in 2022 after he complained he was subject to discrimination when told a grant of funding for a burial service for his father, Anastasios, would not cover the costs of a Greek Orthodox service required to help farewell the 93-year-old. After appealing the decision from the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), Mr Angelopoulos this week suffered an additional blow in court when this fresh attempt was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in Brisbane. Anastasios died in hospital on June 23, 2018. His son sought financial assistance from the Palaszczuk-led Labor government under Queensland's Burials Assistance Act (BAA) as he could not afford to pay for the funeral service and burial at the time of Anastasios' passing. But the aid only covered the reopening of a pre-purchased burial plot, a graveside service, the funeral director's fee, a coffin and 'any required preparation of the body and transportation from the morgue to the burial site'. Angelos desired for his father to hold a Greek Orthodox funeral according to Anastasios' strong beliefs, but further financial assistance for this was refused. The Greek community and the Greek Orthodox Church stepped in to fund a church service, but it did not extend to the costs of the private viewing of Anastasios in an open coffin. It was not for another 20 weeks Mr Angelopoulos' father was buried in November 2018. In his submissions to the tribunal, he argued he was discriminated against over the requirement to bury his father 'without his complying with his father's and his own religious beliefs'. 'According to Mr Angelopoulos, a higher proportion of people who are not of Greek Orthodox faith would be able to comply with the term and bury family members without a church service or private viewing,' the Court of Appeal judgment states. The tribunal dismissed Mr Angelopoulos' application in 2022. In her decision, QCAT member Joanne Browne said Mr Angelopoulos was not treated 'less favourably' than any other person because of the decision to grant him funding under the BAA. 'The respondent's conduct is in all of the circumstances reasonable … on the basis that the conduct was necessary to comply with or is specifically authorised by the BAA,' she wrote. Ms Browne noted Mr Angelopoulos was not denied the additional costs associated with a funeral because of his religious beliefs. Under the Act, the government could only make arrangements for the disposal of a body, such as helping with a burial or cremation, and funerals were not covered under the funding arrangement. The Department of Justice and Attorney-General (DJAG) also wrote to Mr Angelopoulos informing him the Orthodox service was not part of the scope of their funding arrangement. 'Queensland is a multicultural state with diverse range of cultures and religions. Should DJAG agree to provide a church service and viewing in the current circumstances, then it would be obliged to provide a similar offer to all applicants of all cultures and religion,' the department said, according to the QCAT judgment. 'The cost to the state would be very significant and this would be a huge impost on limited government funds to provide specialised funeral services, as opposed to a simple burial, for each and every culture and religion in circumstances where burial assistance is approved.' A subsequent attempt to appeal the decision through QCAT's own appeals tribunal was also dismissed. Mr Angelopoulos then took the matter to Queensland's Court of Appeal, arguing five grounds. Some of his submissions included that he was denied natural justice due to limited evidence, the tribunal overlooked the Human Rights Act and that there was an error of fact in the respondent's argument. The Court of Appeal judgment states there was 'no jurisdiction' for at least three of the grounds of appeal. 'Leave should not be granted to the applicant given the proposed appeal does not raise questions of law arising from the final decision … in relation to grounds 1-3 and 5,' the judgment states.
Fox News
6 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Justice Department takes on small Idaho town in religious freedom battle over church permit
The Justice Department accused a small city in northern Idaho of religious discrimination after it denied a zoning permit to a local evangelical church seeking to hold worship services. The DOJ announced on May 20 it had filed a lawsuit alleging the city of Troy, Idaho, violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) after it denied a conditional use permit to Christ Church to hold services in its downtown C-1 zoning district, where nonreligious assembly uses such as clubs, museums, auditoriums, and art galleries were allowed. The RLUIPA is federal legislation passed in 2000 that's intended to "protect individuals, houses of worship, and other religious institutions from discrimination in zoning and landmarking laws," the DOJ states. According to the lawsuit, Christ Church, a small but quickly growing evangelical church based in Moscow, Idaho, sought to accommodate its growth in September 2022 by establishing another church campus in the neighboring town of Troy. The conservative, evangelical church faced opposition from some in the Moscow community over the years because of its beliefs and influence in the liberal college town, with some residents boycotting businesses tied to the church, according to the Spokesman-Review. The church made national headlines in September 2020 after a few of its members were arrested for not wearing masks at an outside worship service protesting the city's mask mandate during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Senior Pastor Douglas Wilson faced criticism for his provocative writings and allegations he wants to make America a "Christian theocracy," according to a recent article from Politico. Christ Church allegedly reached out to various locations in Troy to rent on weekends for services, without success. In November 2022, Matt Meyer, an elder at the church and Troy resident, purchased a vacant, former bank in the city's downtown business district with the intention of converting part of the property into a space to be used by the church for worship services and church meetings, while the other part of the property would be rented out as an event space for the community. Meyer applied for a conditional use permit and told the city he failed to find another suitable space to hold services in Troy. In his application, he said there would be little impact on the surrounding businesses and his purchase of the vacant building would bring in property tax revenue for the city. After holding a public hearing on the matter where locals expressed strong opposition to the permit request, the Troy City Council rejected the church's application in March of that year. According to the DOJ, the city council denied the permit on the basis that the church "did not enhance the commercial district." Furthermore, the city council argued the majority of locals were against granting the church a permit in this zone and the decision would burden residents and businesses by creating traffic and parking issues in the city, whose population is fewer than 1,000 people. In their lawsuit filed on Christ Church's behalf, the DOJ questioned how the city justified the denial on the basis of several of its arguments. The lawsuit questioned why the city told Meyer he could use the building for other community events, which had no retail purpose, and these would be considered to "enhance the commercial district" and be allowed under the city's zoning law. They claimed the city did not conduct a traffic study, or offer conditions that could be imposed on the church to ameliorate the traffic and parking concerns. Many of the public comments at the public hearing demonstrated "animus and discrimination against Christ Church, its members, and their religious beliefs," the lawsuit also claimed. The DOJ lawsuit accuses the city of Troy of violating RLUIPA by not treating Christ Church on "equal treatment" with nonreligious assemblies through its zoning code, by imposing a "substantial burden" on the church's religious exercise and by discriminating against Christ Church on the "basis of religion." City of Troy attorney Todd Richardson rejected the DOJ's discrimination allegations in an interview with Fox News Digital. He said they've allowed Christ Church to hold services in the building for the past two years, while the investigation has been ongoing, and they have cooperated fully with federal investigators. The city attorney accused the Justice Department of using "bullying tactics" to try to force their hand. The case isn't about religion, he said, but about the city preserving the two-block downtown area as a commercial district and resisting the influx of as many as 15% of its population gathering at one location and putting a "strain on the city's limited resources." "We have no complaints about Christ Church being in town. We have concerns about overwhelming that zone," he said. Matt Meyer, the elder at Christ Church who filed a complaint with the DOJ over the dispute, told Fox News Digital that the church would be happy to work with the city to accommodate any of its concerns, such as parking restrictions, but city leaders "have never asked us for any sort of conditions" to do so. He found the city's allegations about parking and impacting businesses unfounded, saying many of the buildings in this downtown area are vacant, and the town is "largely empty" on Sunday mornings. Meyer attended the public hearing where many residents spoke out against the church permit being granted. He referred to the hostile comments made by some in the community toward the church, as mentioned in the DOJ lawsuit, to argue they likely played a role in the city council's decision. "It seems logical that elected officials could be influenced by a vocal group of residents even if that group is a minority, but I can't read the mind of the city council," he said. In April 2025, Troy passed an interim zoning ordinance that changed many of the previously permitted uses in the business district to "not permitted," including auditoriums, community centers, civic and fraternal organizations, parks, playgrounds, schools, museums, libraries, and movie theaters, and prohibits churches as a conditional use, according to the lawsuit. In its press release, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said, "RLUIPA unequivocally forbids local governments from deciding zoning matters based on their dislike of certain religious groups. The Department of Justice will not hesitate to file suit against jurisdictions that discriminate in land use matters on the basis of the applicants' religious beliefs." Christ Church pastor Douglas Wilson told Fox News Digital that public backlash to his opinions shouldn't be a factor in how city leaders treat his church. "The content of things that I say should have nothing to do with whether a church is allowed to meet. You don't approve a religious assembly based upon your disagreement with certain views expressed." The Justice Department told Fox News Digital it did not have further comment on the matter.
Fox News
25-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Iowa man reportedly fired for wearing Bible verse t-shirts during Pride Month settles lawsuit
An Iowa man reached a settlement with his former employer this week after he claimed he was fired for wearing t-shirts with Bible verse messages during the company's celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month. Cosby "Corey" Cunningham, a "devout, born-again Christian," filed a religious discrimination lawsuit in federal court last August against Eaton Corp, a global management company, after his firing in August 2023. Cunningham was hired by Eaton in 2019 as a quality assurance manager, where he managed new product development of military and commercial aerospace activities before his termination, according to the lawsuit. His lawsuit says during his employment, Eaton began "increasingly promoting" DEI and LGBTQ support in the workplace. He was allegedly required to attend multiple DEI training sessions, and says he was "singled out" during one training for disagreeing on the use of "woke" pronouns. On June 2, 2023, Eaton initiated a "Pride Month ceremony," where a Pride flag was raised in front of its main building in support of Pride Month. Eaton's management encouraged employees to attend and wear specific colors that day to show their support for the effort. Pride t-shirts were also sold to employees, according to the lawsuit. Cunningham said he began wearing Bible verse t-shirts that day to express his "sincerely held religious beliefs" and to "counter the views that were being coerced by the company on its employees" regarding support for LGBTQ pride. One shirt cited Proverbs 16:18 with the text, "Pride goes before destruction, an arrogant spirit before a fall." Another shirt read, "Taking back the rainbow —Genesis 9:13," with the verse, "I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth," on the back. A third read, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6." On July 20, 2023, Cunningham was called into a meeting with Human Resources ("HR") and told that his shirt was making people "uncomfortable" and one person felt it was "inflammatory toward the LGBTQ community." He met with HR again, one week later, and requested written documentation showing which company policy he was violating by wearing the religious t-shirts. His lawsuit claims Eaton threatened to fire him at this meeting. The following day, he requested, in writing, a religious accommodation to wear the t-shirts, which was denied. He made a second request via a letter to HR, saying he felt he was being "attacked" by his employer over his beliefs. In the following weeks, Cunningham says he was sent home twice after he refused to stop wearing the t-shirts. Eaton fired him on August 23, 2023, saying he had violated their "Harassment-Free Policy." Cunningham filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Iowa Civil Rights Commission before filing his complaint in federal court in August 2024, alleging unlawful religious discrimination by Eaton. According to Cedar Rapids-based KCRG, lawyers for Eaton argued Cunningham was not entitled to any damages because any actions taken by the company against him "were legitimate and non-discriminatory and non-retaliatory," and were based on legitimate business reasons. The case came to a conclusion this week with Eaton and Cunningham reaching an unspecified settlement agreement out of court, according to KCRG. The case was dismissed on May 20, according to court documents. Eaton declined Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Wisconsin man fired for refusing to use preferred pronouns appeals to Trump administration
EXCLUSIVE: Spencer Wimmer, a Wisconsin man, is asking the Trump administration to intervene after he says he was fired for refusing to use preferred pronouns that conflict with a person's biological sex—forcing him, he claims, to choose between his livelihood and his faith. While the Trump administration has moved to roll back DEI and gender ideology workplace requirements, Wimmer, a devout Christian, argues that private citizens are still experiencing workplace discrimination tied to such policies. Now, after filing a religious discrimination complaint through the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) to the Trump U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), he said he hopes President Donald Trump will do something about it. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Wimmer said that he had worked hard to be a "model employee" during his five years at Generac and was in good standing with the company, having received several positive performance reviews and promotions. He said he expected to have a long, fruitful career at the power equipment company. That is, until he was suddenly pulled into a meeting with human resources and confronted about his refusal to use someone's preferred pronouns. Wimmer says that his refusal to use preferred pronouns is rooted in his deeply held Biblical, religious belief that there are only two genders and that a person cannot switch between one and the other. He explained that he had prior experience working with transgender people and even had a good working relationship with one of his colleagues who was transgender. However, after Wimmer had to clarify with HR that he could not in good conscience use his transgender colleagues' preferred pronouns, he was reprimanded for "unprofessional" conduct. According to WILL, the firm representing Wimmer, Generac HR representatives told him that his request to refrain from using transgender pronouns on religious grounds "did not make any sense." Wimmer was issued a written disciplinary action note that stated "refusal to refer to an employee/subordinate by their preferred name/pronouns is in violation of the company's Code of Business Conduct and No Harassment Policy." After an entire month in which he said he felt both targeted and bullied for his religious beliefs, Wimmer was fired from his supervisor role at Generac Power Systems on April 2. According to WILL, he was not allowed to collect his personal belongings and was escorted out of the building. Wimmer described the entire episode as "heartbreaking." "I was asked to choose between my livelihood and my love for God and my beliefs," said Wimmer, adding that it was "very emotional having everything kind of ripped out from under me." In its complaint to the EEOC, WILL argues that Generac violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. WILL asserts that Generac violated Wimmer's rights despite there being no harassment complaints filed against him. Cara Tolliver, an attorney with WILL, told Fox News Digital that she believes his case carries a broader significance that could impact Americans across the country. She said that Wimmer's case puts recent Supreme Court precedent set in a 2023 case called Groff v. DeJoy to the test, challenging the validity of an employer's compelled gender affirmation policy against an employee's sincerely held religious beliefs. "Employers, I think, have kind of become seemingly fixated on a lot of identity politics in the workplace, including the topic of gender identity," she said. "But it's crucial to keep in mind that even where Title VII may provide some protection to employees against workplace discrimination and harassment on the basis of a gender identity, this does not supersede or eliminate Title VII protections against religious discrimination and the fact that religious discrimination is illegal." Wimmer told Fox News Digital that he "never asked Generac to choose between me and then this other individual." "There was absolutely a way for us to work together and have a compromise where we continue to have a professional environment," he said. "Unfortunately, there are individuals and there are organizations and structures in place that won't let you have compromise. The fact that you have these beliefs is unacceptable to them. So, no amount of compromise is possible." In response to Fox News Digital's request for comment, a spokesperson said: "We do not comment on employment matters nor comment on pending litigation."
New York Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Justice Department to Investigate Muslim Development in Texas, Cornyn Says
The Justice Department has opened an investigation into a planned housing development outside of Dallas that would have a mosque at its center, Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, said on Friday. Mr. Cornyn, who will face Texas's hard-right attorney general, Ken Paxton, next year in what could be a heated Republican primary contest for his own Senate seat, is the latest Texas Republican to challenge the development in the rural town of Josephine, Texas. The project is backed by members of the East Plano Islamic Center, a mosque in Plano, about 20 miles from Josephine, and has drawn intense scrutiny from Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who have accused the planners of seeking to create an exclusively Muslim community and to impose Islamic law on residents. In recent months, Mr. Abbott has directed several state agencies to investigate the development, known as EPIC City, suggesting it may have violated fair housing and financial laws, and that the Islamic center had conducted illegal funerals in its mosque. Mr. Paxton has also initiated a criminal investigation. Now Mr. Cornyn has requested a federal investigation. Mr. Cornyn wants the Justice Department to investigate whether the Muslim developers engaged in religious discrimination. A spokesman for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'Religious discrimination and Sharia Law have no home in Texas,' Mr. Cornyn wrote on social media on Friday. 'Any violations of federal law must be swiftly prosecuted.' A lawyer for the East Plano Islamic Center, or EPIC, denied any wrongdoing by the mosque or those raising money for the development. Construction has not begun, and no permits to begin building have been issued. 'EPIC has done nothing illegal and we will cooperate fully with any and all investigations,' said the lawyer, Dan Cogdell, in a statement. 'Texans would be far better served by the good Senator solving real problems and instead of twisting himself into a pretzel over imaginary ones.' Mr. Paxton has made clear he will try to unseat Mr. Cornyn by courting hard- right voters. Mr. Cornyn has responded by underscoring his conservative credentials and aligning himself with President Trump.
