Many shops and businesses across the country are closed now, but in some states, they’re starting to reopen. As they do so, we’re going to see a resurgence of the dangerous assertion that religious freedom can be a vehicle for discrimination.

The ruling is unfortunate, but it’s important to realize that it’s an outlier. Americans United’s Legal Department has been monitoring these cases nationwide. There have been at least 10 rulings so far in state and federal courts, and the ruling by Broomes is the only one to cast doubt on a state do-not-gather order.

The professor has the right to hold whatever views he wants on transgender issues. But in this case, the student has rights, too – chiefly, the right to be treated with dignity and respect and to receive an education free from harassment and mistreatment.