November 13, 2003 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, a gay-rights group in New York, has reached an out-of-court settlement with a Georgia state agency, after challenging the employment practices of a Methodist social-service charity that received state money.
Under the terms of the settlement, which were disclosed last week, state-supported child-welfare groups in Georgia may not make hiring and firing decisions based on religious belief.
Lambda sued the Georgia Department of Human Resources last year for the firing of a lesbian guidance counselor from the United Methodist Children’s Home, in Decatur, Ga., which received state funds. The lawsuit also cited the case of a psychotherapist who did not get a job offer from the children’s home because he was Jewish.
The state agreed to clarify its contracts with child-welfare charities to ensure that employment decisions, including the hiring of unpaid staff members such as volunteers or interns, will not be based on religious views, said Russell Willard, a spokesman for the Georgia attorney general.
While the clarification will not specifically refer to sexual orientation, Lambda considers gay and lesbian employees at sectarian child-welfare groups to be protected by the settlement decision, said Michael P. Adams, a spokesman for Lambda.
The case had been closely watched by both supporters and critics of President Bush’s effort to help religious groups receive government funds. But Ira C. Lupu, a professor at George Washington University Law School, questioned whether the deal would have broader ramifications. “It’s unclear what impact it will have on other states,” he said.
