U.S. Court Rules 'Sexual Orientation' Laws Include Former Homosexuals

Wednesday August 26, 2009
By Peter J. Smith

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a case that is the first of its kind, a federal court has ruled that laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in the District of Columbia must also include former homosexuals as a protected class.

The Superior Court of the District of Columbia has ruled that under the D.C. Human Rights Act, a former homosexual must have the same protections as an active homosexual against discrimination based on sexual orientation. The decision handed down by Judge Maurice Ross says that the D.C. Office of Human Rights (OHR) was wrong to dismiss the discrimination complaint of "Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays" against the National Education Association (NEA) on the basis that ex-homosexuals were not covered by the HRA's anti-discrimination protections, because they were no longer practicing homosexuals.

"We are gratified that the ex-gay community in Washington D.C. now has the same civil rights that gays enjoy," said Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays. the rest