A bi-vocational pastor has been fired from his position at a Louisiana library for rejecting orders to violate reality and address a woman as a man.
And Liberty Counsel, which has taken up the case on behalf of Luke Ash, has suggested officials at the Baton Rouge Parish Library fix the problem quickly, before it gets expensive.
It sent a demand letter, explaining under the First Amendment the state “may not compel affirmance of a belief with which the speaker disagrees.”
Then too, both the First Amendment and the Louisiana Constitution recognize and protect “religion” and religious “free exercise.” And the organization’s “inclusion policy” does not override those protections for Pastor Ash to speak or not.
“[The] Library has no compelling government interest in requiring employees to speak pronouns that do not accurately reflect biological sex, when employees are not required to speak at all; nor in requiring employees to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs,” wrote Liberty Counsel.
Explained Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver, “The East Baton Rouge Parish Library acted unlawfully in firing Pastor Luke Ash for the U.S. Constitution and Louisiana law protect his right to uphold his beliefs and refuse false pronouns. The library also violated Title VII for not even considering a religious accommodation for Pastor Ash. There is no compelling interest in requiring Pastor Ash to lie or affirm false sex-based pronouns. Employers cannot force people to choose between their faith and their livelihood. The library has a chance to reinstate Pastor Ash and rectify this potentially costly mistake.”
The legal team pointed out the library’s actions also raise concerns about the state constitution, the Louisiana Protection of Religious Freedom Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The letter calls for reinstatement, back pay and a revised pronoun policy.
The library has insisted that employees have a “right” to choose their pronouns, which would require others to mouth their support for radical gender agendas.
Ash’s religious beliefs explain he must speak truth.
A report at the Washington Stand said such a demand letter typically is precursor to a lawsuit.
“Ash serves as pastor of Stevendale Baptist Church in Baton Rouge and, until this July, also worked at the Baton Rouge Parish Library. When introduced to a new coworker, a biological female who wanted to be referred to using masculine pronouns, Ash continued using female pronouns, in accord with his Christian beliefs on sex and gender,” the report said.