Just days before Houston's annual LGBTQ Pride Celebration, one of the city's most outspoken LGBTQ opponents landed a huge circuit court victory, with a trio of high court judges finding that his Katy company could deny employment to gay and transgender workers.

A panel of lifetime appointees from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday in favor of Bear Creek Bible Church and Braidwood Management Inc., a Christian-based company owned and controlled by ultraconservative talk radio host Steven Hotze, a perennial filer of lawsuits against progressive causes and champion of the anti-transgender bathroom bill, who spearheaded a voter fraud investigation that ended in an armed confrontation. The court determined that the nondenominational Christian church in Katy and Hotze's health and wellness business are not mandated to abide by federal discrimination law and can therefore decide for themselves whether to hire or keep employees based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.

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