Former members of the secretive Christian faith group People of Praise are calling upon Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett to recuse herself from a gay rights case. The former members say Barrett’s continued affiliation with the South Bend, Indiana-based conservative religious group means she has participated in discriminatory policies against the LGBTQ community.
Barrett has described herself as a “faithful Catholic” and served as a high-ranking “handmaid” in the group, according to the Washington Post. Former members argue that Barrett’s “lifelong and continued” membership makes her biased in hearing the 303 Creative v. Elenis case on Dec. 5.
The case was brought by Lori Smith, a Christian website developer, who claims that Colorado’s anti-discrimination law infringed on her right to free speech in regard to same-sex unions. Smith said the law required her to “create messages that go against … deeply held beliefs.”
In 2015, Barrett joined the board of Trinity Schools Inc., a private group of Christian schools that is affiliated with People of Praise. Before and during Barrett’s three-year term, the group prohibited children of same-sex couples from attending schools within the group. A faculty guide from the year Barrett joined said “blatant sexual immorality” – which included “homosexual acts” – had “no place in the culture of Trinity Schools.”
Barrett has not publicly said she was a member of the group and did not disclose the information in her 2020 Supreme Court confirmation hearing. Her father is reportedly a leader in the New Orleans church community. She has said that her own personal beliefs would not compromise her decision-making as a judge.
Maura Sullivan, who was raised in the church before coming out as bisexual, told the Guardian: “I don’t believe that someone in her position, who is a member of this group, could put those biases aside, especially in a decision like the one coming up.”
Established as a “covenant community” in 1971, People of Praise encourages regular meetings, communal living, speaking in tongues, and retaining the hierarchical structure of the group, which centers around the male “heads of community.”
Members are expected to make a personal commitment to the group’s 181-word covenant, which includes requirements associated with membership. The group, which claims 1,700 members in 22 cities, expels members and their children who come out as gay according to former members of the church.
“The People of Praise has deeply entrenched, anti-gay values that negatively affect the lives of real people, including vulnerable youth,” Kevin Connolly, a former member and the brother of the group’s chief spokesperson, told the Guardian.
“These values show up in the everyday policies of the People of Praise and their schools. They are policies that are way outside the mainstream, and most Americans would be disturbed by them.”
