Leigh Finke wins in Minnesota as an out trans political candidate, a gay man beats his Catholic employer in court & Idaho is literally paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for their transphobia – Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Trans candidate Leigh Finke wins the Minnesota State House primary, setting up a historic candidacy, a gay man wins a lawsuit against his Catholic employer who refused to give his husband health care benefits, and the state of Idaho is forced to pay over $320k for passing an anti-trans law they knew were unconstitutional.
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Okay okay let’s get into it.
Now for the news; trans candidate Leigh Finke wins the Minnesota State House primary, setting up a historic candidacy, a gay man wins a lawsuit against his Catholic employer who refused to give his husband health care benefits, and the state of Idaho is forced to pay over $320k for passing an anti-trans law they knew were unconstitutional. Let’s go!
For our leading story today, let’s talk about a win for representation because we know how important representation is.
Trans candidate Leigh Finke has won the Minnesota state House primary. If she’s elected in November, she would be the first trans person ever elected to the state’s legislature. Leigh is a journalist, advocate, and filmmaker who might soon add state representative to her list of accomplishments. She’s now advancing to the general elections, where she will face off against Republican nominee Trace Johnson.
Leigh, endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund Finke, was named one of the organization’s “Spotlight Candidates.” Victory Fund president and CEO Mayor Annise Parker had this to say about Leigh, “We are confident Leigh’s win tonight is a clear sign to our community- and LGBTQ kids in particular- that hate will not triumph. Leaders like Leigh prove over and over again that our community is strong, united, and ready to lead our nation into a kinder and more accepting future.”
Here’s to Leigh and her trailblazing candidacy and her win in November.
Now in another win, a federal judge had ruled that the non-profit Catholic Relief Services violated federal laws against sex discrimination when it denied health insurance benefits to the male spouse of a gay employee, rejecting their frankly baseless argument that they have a religious right to discriminate in employment.
The employee, identified in papers as “John Doe” to protect his privacy, claimed that after being told that CRS’s insurance plan provided health coverage for employees and their spouses regardless of sex when he was hired in 2016, his husband’s coverage was dropped in 2017 because same-sex spouses are not covered.
In her decision, U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake said that exemptions to federal laws against sex discrimination for religious-based organizations do not apply in this case because Doe’s job as a data analyst was not part of the Baltimore-based organization’s religious mission.
Blake noted that secular jobs are protected by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Bias against LGBTQ employees, Blake said, was at the heart of CRS’s denial of benefits to Doe’s husband. But she noted that while Title VII’s exemption for religious organizations allows them to discriminate against members of other religions, it does not protect against bias based on sex, sexual orientation, and race.
A jury will now decide what damages Doe is owed.
Our last story for today is another win. We never get tired of good news. The state of Idaho has been forced to pay over $320k for passing an anti-trans law it knew was unconstitutional.
In 2018, U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy Dale ruled that it was unconstitutional for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to completely block transgender people from correcting the gender marker on their birth certificates. That case was brought by a transgender woman who was called many deragaotry anti-trans words at a Social Security office when she showed them her birth certificate.
Republicans fought against this but ultimately the ruling stands and the ruling didn’t surprise anyone. State Rep. John Gannon (D) said at the time that it would be “a legal disaster” that would open the state up to “an expensive losing lawsuit paid for by taxpayers” since a federal judge had already ruled against it. And alas, they didn’t listen and now pay the price. Their hate has them out here having to pay for it now.
Y’all know I always end with a word. Anna’s always got a word. The word today is fight. Fight for the things you believe in. Fight for what’s right. The fight will look different for everyone because we all have different gifts. Maybe your fight is at home raising your children to grow up to be loving & good human beings. Maybe your fight is in the classroom where you’re teaching young people about justice and freedom fighting movements. Maybe your fight is in the streets through protest and direct action. I can go and on. You fight how you need to fight just don’t stop fighting for what’s right. Till tomorrow family, peace
Sources
Trans candidate Leigh Finke wins Minnesota state House primary setting up the historic candidacy
