“I don’t believe that someone in her position, who is a member of this group, could put those biases aside,” said one former member.
Oral arguments in what’s being deemed a potential “free speech blockbuster” case won’t begin until next month, but survivors of People of Praise are already pushing Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett to recuse herself from 303 Creative v. Elenis—a case that will have a bearing not just on the future of free speech, but gay rights. The dubious faith group, in which Barrett is said to maintain membership, is known for expelling members who “engage in gay sex” and credible accusations of child sex abuse.
Per a new report from the Guardian, former members of the Indiana-based group have sounded the alarm about Coney Barrett’s ties to People of Praise and their implications on the upcoming legal proceedings: “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,” said Maura Sullivan, a former longtime member of the People of Praise community in South Bend. Barrett, it’s worth remembering, was identified by The Washington Post as a “handmaid,” or, a high-ranking woman, within the devout conservative group.
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The aforementioned is almost as egregious as the abundance of harms perpetuated by People of Praise, as detailed ad nauseam since 2020. Some examples: a sexual abuse coverup, the expectation of women’s complete subordination, and, as detailed by the Guardian, several estranged and broken families. This, in addition to all of the anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and policy, of course.
