Minnesota high court wrestles with trans employee rights at Catholic schools

The Minnesota Supreme Court heard arguments from a former Catholic school librarian, Reyzl Grace MoChridhe, seeking to reinstate her gender identity discrimination lawsuit against the Academy of Holy Angels and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. She says the school's principal told her she could not stay employed if she transitioned, despite what she calls excellent job performance.

Her attorney argued that church autonomy doctrine should not extend to secular roles like a librarian, warning it could otherwise let religious institutions fire staff over race in interracial marriages. Justices Hennesy and McKeig pressed on how courts avoid compelling religious institutions to employ people who conflict with their doctrine, while Justice Procaccini questioned whether the school's position amounts to a rule specifically targeting transgender employees rather than a genuine church-doctrine defense.

The academy and archdiocese maintain that being forced to employ someone who doesn't adhere to Catholic teaching intrudes on church governance. Procaccini noted the complaint may not yet establish that religious doctrine, rather than other motivations, drove the firing, suggesting the case may need to proceed to fact-finding.

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