Bias Suit Permitted to Continue
Corey McNellis thought his lawsuit was dead in the water.
He had lost his lower court decision, but the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has given him new hope.
McNellis, you may recall, was dismissed from his job over his objections regarding a school play about the murder of a young gay man.
My Beliefs Are Mine
If you have strong Christian beliefs, you do not believe gay relationships are right.
This does not mean you hate them or will harm them, you just do not approve of their lifestyle.
According to McNellis, his dismissal from the Douglas County School District (DCSD) was very much due to discrimination against him because of his religious beliefs.
McNellis lost his job in 2020 after he responded to an email from the theater director having chosen “The Laramie Project,” which is centered around the horrific death of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student.
The actual incident took place in Wyoming at the University of Wyoming, bringing to light the lack of hate crime laws in many states around the country.
Over a series of several emails, McNellis wrote:
“As a [C]hristian I would love to collaborate with your project. Please let me know if the love that Jesus can provide will help your play.”
“I understand people support this. Forgive me for having a different viewpoint and the audacity to publicly share it.”
“For the record, all of the administration does not agree with me on this. I am totally solo. Good night Mustangs!”
U.S. Circuit Judge Veronica Rossman, a Biden-appointed judge, wrote, “[McNellis] alleged he was treated less favorably than other DCSD employees and claimed DCSD’s termination decision was ‘premised on [his] religious beliefs.’ We agree.”
Her opinion continued, “Here, Mr. McNellis’s allegations that DCSD repeatedly invoked his ‘religious comments’ before investigating and terminating him provide a plausible link between his termination and a discriminatory motive. Under these circumstances, and at this procedural stage, that is sufficient to nudge [his] claims across the line from conceivable to plausible.”
The ruling means that McNellis can now proceed with his discrimination case, so this drama is far from over.
