Christian business told it can't discriminate

A recent human rights ruling could severely restrict the ability of Christian organizations to discriminate against queer employees.

A tribunal of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) ruled on Apr 15 that Christian Horizons (CH) — a Kitchener-based evangelical organization providing care for developmentally disabled people in group homes — could not fire an employee because of her sexual orientation. The tribunal also ruled that CH could not force its employees to sign a morality and lifestyle contract.

Connie Heintz, herself a Christian, joined CH in 1995 after signing a contract that, among other things, prohibited her from entering into any homosexual relationships. While employed by CH, Heintz came out and was fired in 2000 as a result. She filed a complaint with the OHRC in January 2001.

"This is a person who struggled for many years to reconcile her sexuality with her religious beliefs and then had to go through the same fight with her employer," says Raj Dhir, the OHRC counsel who represented Heintz.

Dhir says the tribunal ruled against CH because being straight was not an essential requirement of the job.  See Christian business told it can't discriminate