In a win for faith-based organizations, a federal judge issued an order Monday saying the Municipality of Anchorage cannot enforce a city ordinance that would force a faith-based women’s shelter to admit males and let them sleep alongside women who have suffered physical and sexual abuse.
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys represent the Downtown Hope Center in Downtown Hope Center v. Municipality of Anchorage II.
U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason found that Downtown Hope Center does not constitute a place of “public accommodation” and therefore is not subject to a city ordinance that threatened the shelter with fines and penalties for following its religious beliefs and serving women in need.
“Vulnerable women deserve a safe place to stay overnight, and we’re pleased that they can sleep soundly, at least for the time being, due to the court’s order,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kate Anderson. “Downtown Hope Center serves everyone, but its overnight women’s shelter exists to provide a safe place for women, many of whom have survived sex trafficking, rape, or domestic violence at the hands of men. This is the second time Anchorage officials have targeted the center for operating according to its religious beliefs and serving the city’s homeless population. We hope the court’s order puts an end to this.”
In 2018, Downtown Hope Center filed a federal lawsuit against the city after the shelter referred an inebriated and injured man to a hospital to get the care he needed and paid for his taxi ride there. The man later filed a complaint with the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission alleging the center didn’t let him stay at the shelter, where he would have been sleeping right next to homeless women—many of whom were victims of physical and sexual abuse. The city then chose to pursue the complaint against the center, prompting ADF attorneys to file suit on the center’s behalf.
The city eventually dropped the complaint, and both the city and the center agreed to make the court’s temporary order against the city permanent.
But since the city’s first loss in federal court, the radicalized Anchorage Assembly amended the city ordinance in an attempt to find a way around the court’s ruling, once again targeting Downtown Hope Center and trying to force it to let males sleep next to homeless women.
“Faith-based nonprofits should be free to serve consistently with their faith without fear of unjust government punishment. This is especially true for ministries that help homeless women who have suffered sexual abuse or domestic violence,” said ADF Senior Counsel Ryan Tucker, director of ADF’s Center for Christian Ministries. “Because no woman should be forced to sleep or disrobe next to a man, we are pleased the court has allowed Downtown Hope Center to continue protecting women and operating according to its religious beliefs.”
Sonja Redmond, one of nearly 3,500 attorneys allied with ADF, is serving as local counsel for Downtown Hope Center.
Next: swimming
So what will the Assembly do to bypass the court this time?
This is a good thing. No gender confused MALE should be allowed into any women’s shelters, locker rooms or anything else. A man playing like he is a girl needs to be where HE belongs. In the MALE shelters. There are women running from danger to these places, and the very thought of having to then deal with a political power move (allowing men into women shelters) is absolutely Insane…. Kick them all out!
This story is just sadly reflective of the woke insanity that denies biological gender, and that denies reality generally.
This really had to be decided by a judge???!
That’s it. This is intolerable. Judge Gleason will be cancelled, removed from invitations to Rasmuson Foundation events and stricken from the rolls of NPR supporters. Snow City Cafe should not seat or serve her.
What about confused men who think they are women?
The sooner this Assembly is turned over the better. I’m still surprised Fee-licks and Muggy both survived their recalls. And I’m saddened the rank and file member of the unions that supported those two miscreants didn’t raise up against their “leadership.” But, we have a long history of strange bedfellows in Anchorage.
Yes! Why does the Assembly try to fix what wasn’t broken?
You’re mistaken, Sammy — they are not trying to fix that which is not broken, they are willfully and purposefully trying to destroy that which is not yet destroyed. Haven’t you caught on to and noticed the radical leftist agenda by now?
Finally, someone legally put the leftist Assembly in their place, AGAIN. How much you want to bet they’ll try a third time to get men to sleep alongside women in this faith-based shelter, despite this federal ruling?
What about he/she’s, or she/he’s, or those that identify as females like the swimmer who is setting all those records. But yes, true females should have a place to be safe. What ever happened to the #MeToo movement? I know they have members in Anchorage.
I can’t believe they even would consider putting men in the same shelter as abused women!!!! Let someone start a man’s shelter for God’s sake!
Isn’t Bean’s Cafe for men only? Would a female who wants to transition to be a male be allowed to sleep near men in a men’s shelter? And what if a horrible rape incident takes place under these circumstances?
Y’all should make an effort to watch “Maid” on Netflix over the Christmas Hollidays, and see what these girls go through to get into shelters. Men have NO place being anywhere near these ladies– PERIOD.
Evan Singh and Whidbey aren’t gonna be happy about this………
Those two will never be happy until our country, and our society, is either one giant smoking ruin, or else a completely totalitarian and Orwellian prison camp.
They’re trolls, and they exist because you respond to them.
Once again proof the right cares about women far more than the left ever has
What if they’ve taken estrogen for a year? It should be okay then.
Artificial hormones do not a woman make. If the guy has a Y chromosome, he is a man, no matter how many operations he has.
How are they getting estrogen treatment penniless and living on the streets?
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That’s the pure insanity of the left, sex changes for downtrodden mentally compromised substance addicted homeless people. Talk about taking advantage of someone just to further your social agenda, that’s horrendous! #neadIsaymore #stoptheinsanity
Cross-dressing male convicts, demanding to be sent to a female prison… that’s the very best joke since the time that MASH was produced. Naturally, certain prog courts have ordered that it be done. Result: well, what else – rapes and pregnant prisoners. Progressivism is.a grave social disorder, even a deadly one when it seizes control of the district attorneys and the courts. See Waukesha, Wisconsin..
On one hand it’s great for freedom.
On the other, damages paid by the MOA for their nonsense comes out of my pocket. The MOA is self-insured, see.
This Assembly needs to go. Like yesterday.
About time common sense took over!
I’ve never understood how so many conservative males think old school long hair rock is so cool. To show how the left fools people, this is a great example. The dudes thought they were and are being soooo cool and macho. The reality is that all those years they were being groomed by the left to be sexually confused with the long hair bull and wock and woll carnivals.
Quite a few of the old rock wanna-be buggers wander around the mid- town now thinking they are women. Same are the ones that want into the shelters. Ol’ Ozzy, Kiss, ACDC, Twisted Sister and the other freak carnival acts would be proud! My Lord. No?
Jay, it wouldn’t be ok even if a man has taken women’s hormones for five years. They are still men parading as women. Stop the insanity.
Trans-gender is still homosexual, under what they think is a better sounding label.
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