With the help of a legal team, a Louisiana library technician fired after refusing on religious grounds to use pronouns that did not match a colleague’s sex is demanding his job back, with back pay.
Liberty Counsel, a Christian conservative legal organization, sent a demand letter last week to the East Baton Rouge Parish Library on behalf of Luke Ash, a bivocational pastor who worked as a library services technician until July.
The letter demands that the library reinstate Ash, pay back wages and revise its pronoun policy. The group said it would file complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Justice’s Task Force for Elimination of Anti-Christian Bias if the matter is not resolved by Nov. 10.
The Christian Post reached out to the East Baton Rouge Parish Library for comment on the letter. This article will be updated once a response is received.
The letter noted that litigation could divert funds from a proposed 10-year tax millage for library operations, which is scheduled for a public vote on Nov. 15.
The letter said Ash was terminated for declining to refer to a female trainee with male pronouns, citing his belief that doing so would violate his Christian faith.
Ash was hired on March 24 and worked with the trainee for three days. Liberty Counsel said Ash did not use any pronouns when addressing the trainee, but during a private conversation with another colleague, he referred to the trainee using biologically accurate pronouns. That colleague objected and informed him of the trainee’s preferred pronouns. Ash responded, “I don’t do that,” and the conversation ended shortly after.
The following day, Ash was called into a meeting and shown the library’s inclusivity policy, which states that employees must foster an environment where all staff are “welcomed, accepted and respected” regardless of several characteristics, including gender identity.
Ash told his supervisors that he could not comply because doing so would be dishonest.
Ash was then terminated, which Liberty Counsel argues violated his rights under the First Amendment, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and the Louisiana Protection of Religious Freedom Act.
The library later said Ash was still a probationary employee and had been fired for several infractions. But Liberty Counsel stated there were no written warnings or disciplinary actions in his record.
Ash serves as a pastor at Stevendale Baptist Church in Baton Rouge.
The letter described him as someone who tries to live consistently with his faith, including in his workplace. Liberty Counsel said Ash believes that using pronouns inconsistent with a person’s biological sex constitutes lying and causes harm, especially to those who struggle with gender identity.
