Cases Like Bostock v. Clayton County Were Why Evangelicals Voted for Trump & Now They Feel Betrayed

The decision in Bostock v. Clayton County was surprising, to say the least. In a 6-3 decision the court found that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act also protects gay and transgender employees from workplace discrimination. Conservative Justice and Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, said that the word "sex" in the statute applies both to gender and to sexual orientation.

The Hill: "In Title VII, Congress adopted broad language making it illegal for an employer to rely on an employee’s sex when deciding to fire that employee," Gorsuch wrote. "We do not hesitate to recognize today a necessary consequence of that legislative choice: An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law."

The Supreme Court's decision was correct, even if Gorsuch's reasoning in the majority opinion was less than elegant. No one should ever be fired based solely on their sexual orientation.

But, getting Gorsuch on the Supreme Court to prevent rulings like Bostock v. Clayton County was why evangelical Christians had put aside their reservations [some would say sold their souls] to vote for Donald Trump, the antithesis of all they say they stand for. So, yesterday, many social conservatives felt betrayed, used, and forgotten.

The Hill: “All those evangelicals who sided with Trump in 2016 to protect them from the cultural currents, just found their excuse to stay home in 2020 thank to Trump’s Supreme Court picks,” Erick Erickson, a conservative radio host and blogger,wrote on Twitter.

The American Conservative, a reader to editor Rod Dreher: "The GOP has conserved nothing. Taxes breaks for the 1% is all they care about."

"I am done. I am spiritually and emotionally exhausted at being a supporter of a party like the GOP."

It's easy to understand their pain, but conservatives may feel a bit better about Gorsuch in the coming weeks as the court releases opinions on abortion rights and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration program. Still, yesterday was a wonderful day for equality under the law.

#news #law

By: Don Lam & Curated Content