A Texas business run according to Christian beliefs, including an opposition to homosexuality and gender non-conformity, is exempt from anti-discrimination policies designed to protect LGBTQ+ people, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.

The Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals held that Christian-owned wellness centre Braidwood Management cannot be sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over its policy of refusing to employ anyone who engages in homosexual or transgender conduct and thereby make the business “complicit in sin”.