Ohio officials
can discipline public employees who discriminate against
gays and lesbians, even if the workers say they are
following religious beliefs, a federal appeals court
has ruled. The decision by the sixth U.S. circuit
court of appeals in Cincinnati is being hailed as a major
victory for the gay rights movement, reports The
[Cleveland] PlainDealer.
The ruling
appears to be the first of its kind in Ohio and could be
appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The case involves a
lengthy dispute between a Protestant prison chaplain
and his bosses in the state prison system. They
clashed over the chaplain's refusal to let a gay inmate
direct a penitentiary choir in 2002.
William Akridge,
a Baptist minister, welcomed gay inmates to his worship
services but would not allow them to become leaders in the
nondenominational events, ThePlain Dealer reported. A prisoner filed
a discrimination complaint against Akridge, saying he
had been a Christian for 22 years and the church he
attended before he was locked up "would not tolerate
bigotry."
Prison officials
upheld his complaint, and the chaplain sued, saying that
if he allowed a gay man to lead the choir, he would feel
"shameful in the eyes of God." (The Advocate)