Bryce v. Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Colorado

TACHA, Chief Judge.

Plaintiffs Lee Ann Bryce and Reverend Sara Smith brought a sexual harassment suit against St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church and others for remarks made about homosexuals and about the plaintiffs’ homosexual activities. St. Aidan’s Church asserts that the First Amendment bars plaintiffs’ sexual harassment claims because the remarks were made as part of ecclesiastical discussions on church policy towards homosexuals. The district court agreed, granting summary judgment for the defendants.

The plaintiffs ask this court to insert itself into a theological discussion about the…