Homosexuality

WASHINGTON (BP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court deliberated for two hours Tuesday (Oct 8) on whether longstanding, non-discrimination federal workplace law provides protection based on "sexual orientation" or "gender identity," and at least some justices appeared persuaded it does. The high court heard oral arguments in two consolidated cases addressing "sexual orientation," followed by arguments in an appeal regarding the "gender identity" issue. In the arguments, the high court was urged to rule that the classification "sex" in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act applies to those categories.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (BP) -- Mattel's new gender fluid Creatable World doll can be harmful to children confused about their gender and will likely flop on the market, Christian experts told Baptist Press. "These are dolls created by adults for adults to make them feel good about their radical gender theories," Focus on the Family's (FOTF) Glenn Stanton told Baptist Press. "You're going to be able to find these toys on the discount table in about four months, after Christmas."

WASHINGTON (BP) -- Non-discrimination protections in federal workplace law do not cover "sexual orientation" or "gender identity," the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and other faith-based organizations have told the U.S. Supreme Court. The ERLC signed onto friend-of-the-court briefs filed Aug. 23 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) that urge the high court to rule that the classification "sex" in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act does not include "sexual orientation" or "gender identity."

WASHINGTON (BP) -- The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation into a Connecticut high school sports policy that allows athletes who identify as transgender to compete against the opposite biological sex. The families of three female high school track athletes complained in June to the Education Department's Office of Civil Rights that the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference policy discriminates against them.

TOPEKA, Kan. (BP) -- The child welfare agency in Kansas reportedly wants foster parents to affirm the gender identities of transgender children. But the move could significantly decrease the number of available families in a state with a record-high number of foster children. Under the direction of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) distributed a document to child-placing agencies ahead of a regularly scheduled meeting in July. The informal three-page paper defined a handful of controversial terms, including gender expression, gender identity, and transgender.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (BP) -- The Marvel Cinematic Universe appears to be ready to gamble that its massive audiences are diehard enough to embrace its first LGBT superhero. Spoiler alert: It's the Asgardian warrior Valkyrie. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed July 20 at San Diego Comic-Con that fans can expect an LGBT Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson, in "Thor: Love and Thunder," set to release in November 2021.

DALLAS (BP) -- A Southern Baptist church employee in Texas and a Maryland Christian school have been dropped from public programs, accused of discrimination for promoting Bible-based views of marriage and gender. In the most recent case David Roark, communications and resources director of the Plano, Texas campus of The Village Church, was dropped as a speaker at a communications conference in Dallas. Roark was dropped from the lineup of the Circles Conference in September because his employer, The Village Church, teaches Bible-based views regarding gender.

NEW YORK (BP) -- America's younger generation is becoming less comfortable with LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) individuals, according to a report released Monday (June 24). The Accelerating Acceptance report, conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of the LGBT advocacy group GLAAD, showed that respondents age 18-34 were much less tolerant of LGBT people than in the prior two years' surveys.

AUGUSTA, Maine (BP) -- Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill into law Wednesday (May 29) that reportedly prohibits so-called "conversion therapy" for minors struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction. The law defines conversion therapy as "any practice or treatment that seeks or purports to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity," but it says the definition does not include "any practice or treatment that provides acceptance, support, and understanding to an individual."

NASHVILLE (BP) -- A petition protesting a same-sex wedding in the animated PBS children's show "Arthur" garnered thousands of signatures in its first day online. Meanwhile, Ken Ham, founder of the Answers in Genesis (AiG) apologetics ministry, said the gay wedding depiction illustrates "you can't trust what your kids may watch on PBS." "Arthur" -- a PBS Kids show chronicling the adventures of an elementary school-aged, anthropomorphic aardvark -- included in its season 22 premier May 14 the same-sex wedding of the title character's teacher Mr. Ratburn, according to media reports.