Holy Sexuality v. Asana

Description:  A California software company denied a nonprofit discount to a Christian nonprofit solely because it is a religious organization.

SAN DIEGO – To settle a recent lawsuit brought by Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a Christian nonprofit, California-based software company Asana agreed to give Holy Sexuality the 50% discount it offers other nonprofits.

ADF attorneys sued Asana less than two months ago after it denied Holy Sexuality a discount solely because it is a religious organization. Holy Sexuality is a Christian nonprofit that creates video courses to teach young people and families about biblical principles on human sexuality. Holy Sexuality contacted Asana, a San Francisco-based tech company, and requested the 50% discount Asana offers to nonprofits on its project management software.  Asana outright denied that discount to Holy Sexuality under its discriminatory policy that barred religious groups from receiving the discount, violating California law and prompting the lawsuit.

“Christians and other people of faith aren’t second-class citizens in California, and San Francisco tech companies can’t refuse discounts to customers simply because they’re religious,” said ADF Legal Counsel Mathew Hoffmann. “Asana did the right thing by quickly reversing course, agreeing to give Holy Sexuality the discount it offers other nonprofits, and eliminating its discriminatory policy.”

As part of the settlement agreement, Asana also agreed to remove the religious discrimination language from its policy and website.

Holy Sexuality is a Christian ministry that lives out its faith by creating educational content about biblical teachings. After seeing much confusion in the ongoing societal debate surrounding sexuality and gender identity, Dr. Christopher Yuan founded Holy Sexuality to provide resources for any family to understand, embrace, and celebrate biblical sexuality.

In the lawsuit, the attorneys explained how Asana’s initial denial and then-published policy were both blatant examples of religious discrimination. Both were also illegal under California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, which entitles all people in California “no matter what their … religion” to “full and equal” treatment from businesses.

“Our nation was founded on the principle of the free exercise of religion—a cornerstone of our democracy,” Dr. Yuan said. “Yet some corporations, emboldened by intersectional ideology and anti-Christian sentiment, choose to unlawfully discriminate based solely on religion. We are grateful for this victory and hope it serves to remind other companies that California law protects all religions from discrimination. Equal treatment is the bedrock of our society. I rejoice with this outcome as it is a move in the right direction. And I hope other businesses will stop discriminating based on religion.”

In light of the settlement agreement, ADF attorneys filed a stipulated dismissal of the case, Holy Sexuality v. Asana, Inc., Wednesday. ADF Allied Attorney Robert J. Reynolds is serving as co-counsel on behalf of Holy Sexuality.

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.

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