Several ex-members of People of Praise, the creepy anti-gay Christian cult Amy Coney Barrett is connected to, are calling on the 50-year-old Supreme Court justice to recuse herself from an upcoming case about LGBTQ rights.
The network of survivors says Barrett’s “lifelong and continued” affiliation with People of Praise makes her unable to fairly adjudicate a pending case that will determine whether private businesses should be able to discriminate against LGBTQ customers on religious grounds.
Related: Creepy footage of the leader of the Amy Coney Barrett cult surfaces online and EEK!
303 Creative LLC v. Elenis is scheduled to be argued before the Court on December 5. Christian website developer Lori Smith says an anti-discrimination law in Colorado forced her to “create messages that go against my deeply held beliefs” since she can’t legally reject same-sex couples seeking her website services.
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The whole thing harkens back to 2018’s Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado, in which baker Jack Phillips claimed making a wedding cake for a same-sex couple violated his faith. Phillips ultimately won his case, although Barrett was not on the Court at that time.
Now that a similar case is before the Court, and Barrett is set to hear it, folx are sounding the alarm.
People of Praise was founded in South Bend, Indiana in 1971 by Kevin Ranaghan and purports to be “a charismatic Christian community” that “provides a natural support for marriages and families” and is “led by the Holy Spirit.”
In reality, it’s a cult that expects women to be docile and subservient and believes homosexuality is a sin and gay marriage is evil. Members who admit to engaging in any sort of homosexual activity are immediately expelled, and children with same-gender parents are banned from the group’s schools.
Barrett served as a handmaid (no joke!) in the group for many years and personally stayed with Ranaghan and his wife their nine-bedroom South Bend home for two years after graduating from law school in 1997. Her husband, Jesse, also lived at the house.
Related: Creepy new details about Amy Coney Barrett’s cult emerge and wow, what a holy nightmare
“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,” Maura Sullivan told The Guardian this week.
Kevin Connolly, ex-member and brother of the cult’s chief spokesperson, added, “The People of Praise has deeply entrenched, anti-gay values that negatively affect the lives of real people, including vulnerable youth. 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.”
Barrett has made no indication that she’ll recuse herself from the case, and given that she was installed on the Court for the sole purpose of overturning Roe v. Wade and rolling back rights for LGBTQ people, we highly doubt she’s going to.
Now, some tweets…
Anti-gay hate, like the Colorado shootings, has been fueled by MAGA bigotry, especially Amy Coney Barrett, whose cult-like church calls gays "an abomination" and Alito and Thomas, who want to have gay lives criminalized. This isn't fringe violence, but an orchestrated campaign
— Paul Rudnick (@PaulRudnickNY) November 20, 2022
Amy Coney Barrett – anti-LGBTQ+ People of Praise member who was on the board of Christian schools affiliated with the People of Praise that barred children of same-sex parents from attending – has no business ruling on an upcoming gay rights case. pic.twitter.com/uDov62YjVg
— anyone_want_chips (@anyonewantchips) November 21, 2022
Who else would rather have Stormy Daniels on the Supreme Court rather than Amy Coney Barrett? ??
— Lynda Straffin ?? (@lyndastraffin) November 21, 2022
Amy Coney Barrett is going to make an "impartial" ruling on a gay rights case?! How is she going to swing that while she's a lifetime, continued member of "The People Of Praise" who barred children of same sex parents from attending Trinity Schools, huh?
— Brown Eyed Susan?? (@smc429) November 21, 2022
Clarence Thomas and Amy Coney Barrett have done irreparable damage to the Supreme Court.
— Jack Cocchiarella (@JDCocchiarella) November 21, 2022
Any judges who think gay people don't deserve equal rights (like Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, and Brett Kavanaugh) should recuse themselves from all gay rights cases.#GayRights #OneLove
— Linz Daley ? (@LA_Daley_) November 21, 2022
Amy Coney Barrett is not going to be impartial with any decisions that affect LGBTQ people. She’s going to vote with her misconstrued interpretation of faith, obviously ?. Were some of you born yesterday? Cmon…
— Jeff ???? (@SoyBoyHey) November 21, 2022
Amy Coney Barrett refuses to recuse herself from an LGBT case, despite being paid 5 times by the anti-LGBT group involved
Ketanji Brown Jackson recused herself from a Harvard case cuz she sits on its Board of Overseers
Barrett is a religious extremist, Jackson is a true Justice
— Lindy Li (@lindyli) November 21, 2022
Amy Coney Barrett should recuse herself from the Supreme Court.
— ????? ??????????? (@LePapillonBlu2) November 21, 2022
Related: Marsha Blackburn has some thoughts about Amy Coney Barrett’s cult and we’re all a little dumber now
cuteguy
It’s time to pack the court. The GQP and that creepy old turtle McConnell play dirty, time to do the same
Ronbo
The FBI identified hundreds of intentionally stolen documents in tRumps home and after two years, the Justice Dept. can’t even bring a single obvious charge!?! How can you expect them to even approach the Republican level of partisanship, rule manipulation when they can’t even do one simple, obvious thing? Why? They know that keeping tRump around helps their cash flow. A Supreme Court banning abortions helps them raise campaign cash. Allowing marriage equality to be threatened bring in campaign cash. Extending wars bring in campaign cash.
Something is rotten on both sides – ethics.
We have one-party system of R’s and D’s that is too busy enriching themselves to ever consider doing the right thing for the American public. Susan McDougal was imprisoned by Republicans for nearly two years AFTER she showed up, testified and took the 5th on three questions! Democrats just have hearings – no bite, all bark – all for show and donations.
Democratic politicians can not be this impotent by accident. The founding fathers specifically warned us about political parties engaging in this exact, specific public corruption. “Vote harder” to elect only Democrats has not resulted in any difference the last three times we did just that. Abortion rights were not established, marriage equality was stalled because “God is in the mix”, (Obama) and the Democratic leadership refused to end both DADT and DOMA (which were both pushed, passed and signed by President Clinton, a “Democrat”.
Until we elect progressives that represent us, we’ll just get more more of the same impotency tactics to maintain power in the hands of the wealthy and corrupt. D’s can’t even pass an inside-trading ethics bill because their leaders are millionaires off… inside trading!
DCguy
@Ronbo
I love that the same old Right wing troll account couldn’t get any traction with it’s normal posts so now goes back to the old russian troll meme of “There is no difference between the two parties”.
Sweetie, have I told you before that your trolling is sad and weak?
Stefano
@Rondo : Finally someone who has clear ideas and does not let himself be fooled by an ideology. Even from outside the US, it is obvious that your country is a country driven by money and religion…but you are so convinced that you are the chosen ones…(funny, I feel like your god prefers the Chinese right now @ lol). Joking aside, as long as religion is so pervasive in your politics you are doomed to repeat your mistakes…one step forward, three steps back. And regarding DT, indeed, one wonders why the Democrat party is so ineffective…
GayEGO
Our government, including SCOTUS, must keep church and state separate and any justice who makes obvious, religious decisions needs to be expelled!
LumpyPillows
While I agree…the only way to stop them is to win elections and prevent them getting on the courts.
Ronbo
Yet… just about every conservative church engages in overt political campaigns for Republicans and still maintain their tax-exempt status! Focus on the Family, a Colorado Springs religious order, is a tax exempt entity that campaigned for the county to be a “gun sanctuary” county allowing felons and crazy people to buy guns while encouraging them to “target” our community.
Where are the Democrats? Their prayers and condolences and respect for such “religions” are not the answer. It’s the problem; Their political donations go up after such events.
Mister P
Making websites for money is her sincerely held religious belief is a bigger lie than her religious book even contains.
GrizzleyMichael
Bitch go back to the kitchen where you belong. She thinks that women should stay in the kitchen and dote on their husbands. Well she isn’t doing what she said
RoyM
ACB is so lacking in decency, honor, honesty and integrity that she will never recuse herself from this. She’s nothing but a hate and greed driven Republican operative. Amy’s perfectly okay with the fact that she belongs to a church (Catholic) that is the largest pedophile ring in the history of the world but she sure does hate gay people.1
LumpyPillows
This is the cost of losing elections. Focus on winning elections and not so much on being cantankerously woke, thus alienating the electorate outside the Q bubble.
RoyM
Isn’t there a right-wing website you could go to? Why do you come to Queerty where you neither belong or wanted. Isn’t there a neo-fascist chat group or Proud Boys meeting that you need to attend? Or can’t you just do a Zoom meeting with the Log Cabin Republican filth, they seem like they’d be right up your lane.
Ronbo
Are you unaware that the last three times Democrats owned the Senate, the House and the Presidency under Clinton, Obama and Biden, that they moved further to the right? Clinton pushed, passed and signed both anti-gay DADT and DOMA. Obama refused to sign executive orders because “God is in the mix”. And Biden was held “hostage” by a Senator who was elevated within the Democratic party to a chairmanship position!!!
Vote progressive or expect more such political corruption to continue. “Moderate Democrats” (AKA “centrists”) gut the left at every opportunity. They literally gave New York to the Republicans. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former chair of the Democratic National Committee and a national co-chair of Hillary Clinton ‘s 2008 campaign for president – actually campaigned for Republicans!!!
ciasteczek
i guess my commont about RBG and her being the one to blame for current situation was to honest for fragile moderators here and was block
storm45701
She should have retired when Obama gave her the chance. Much could have been avoided by letting go of ego.
Ronbo
And we’d get another Merrick Garland who won’t even prosecute tRump – even when we have pictures of hundreds of stolen classified documents. Moderate Democrats like Clinton, Obama and Biden are just playing the Republican game BECAUSE they are neoliberal Republicans at their core.
At least Biden came out in support of Marriage Equality and our dignity. Obama refused to sign a simple order integrating the military because “God is in the mix”. Betty Crocker sells cake mixes, bitch… not God.
DCguy
The democrats fell for a typical Republican game with Comey Barrett. Before she even came up to the Senate they were SCREAMING that supposedly Democrats were going to ask her about her religion. And Democrats instead of ignoring it, came out and assured people they wouldn’t.
When her religion, which she has a high standing in, states that a wife can’t make decisions without her husband telling her what to do, then hell yeah, she should have been questions about that. If her husband is going to decide her cases then she shouldn’t be on the court.
Jimmynj
Amy Coney Barrett is so unqualified to be on the SCOTUS. Clarence Thomas is guilty of treason sue to his horrid skank wife. It’s time for term limits across the government.
rand503
ACB is never going to recuse herself from any case, let alone this one. The only way we can respond is to publicize BEFORE the case her ties and her biases. Call her out loud and clear, and declare that her failure to recuse herself shows how corrupt and political SCOTUS has become.
Then when the case is issued with her anti-gay vote, we can crow about how right we were, and that this is proof the court is political, not legal.
What will this accomplish? Not a heck of a lot at first, but every time this happens, it diminishes the court’s legitimacy (Something that concerns Roberts), and it lowers her personal legitimacy. In the long that will help us politically.