A bi-vocational minister who recently moved to Louisiana to lead a Southern Baptist church says he was terminated from his job after refusing to use the “preferred pronouns” of a transgender-identified trainee.
In February, Pastor Luke Ash returned to his hometown of Baton Rouge with his wife and their four children to begin serving as pastor of Stevendale Baptist Church. In order to support his family, he also took a job at the Baton Rouge Parish Library.
The controversy began on July 7 during a private conversation with a colleague about a trans-identified trainee who had recently been assigned to his department. Ash told The Christian Post on Friday that he used biologically accurate pronouns when referring to the trainee, who was not present for the conversation.
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The colleague, offended by Ash’s word choice, informed him the trainee preferred “he.” When Ash responded, “I don’t do that,” the colleague asked if he meant he doesn’t use “preferred pronouns.” Ash said the colleague “sarcastically mocked” him by saying, “That’s very respectful,” to which he replied, “That is very respectful,’ and excused himself from the conversation.
“The next day, I was called into the office and shown the inclusivity policy,” said Ash. “Whenever the supervisors asked me if I was going to continue to refuse to use preferred pronouns, I told them that I was not going to lie.” He was subsequently fired from his job on July 10.
Ash says his interactions with the trainee were limited but cordial. “I only worked with the transgender trainee for three days. I am not sure if she knew anything about the pronoun incident. Pronouns never came up naturally in the course of limited conversation in her presence,” Ash recounted.
He described one lighthearted exchange with the trainee about eggnog, when a colleague requested his family recipe. “He said that he loved eggnog, so I told him that I make it every year for Christmas,” said Ash. “I told him that I would be happy to give him the recipe that originally came from the internet but has been circulated in my family for more than a decade.” At that point, Ash said the trainee “popped out of her cubicle and asked for the recipe too.”
“I found the recipe and printed it out for both of them,” he added.
The day before he was fired, Ash said he asked the trainee if she made the eggnog and “had a little conversation about celebrating Christmas in July.” At that point, he says, things were cordial enough to the point that she offered to share some of her French fries with Ash, but he declined because he already “had some cheese crackers.”
While the library’s decision to fire him caught him off guard, Ash said he now views the incident as part of a broader assault on free speech and religious liberty.
Pointing to Acts 22, he said, “The apostle Paul appealed to the law of the land in his time to demand his rights as a Roman citizen. We, as Christians, should do the same in America. We have protections under the law that protect religious liberty and free speech.” He believes compelled speech violates these protections. “There will be a day when the only One (God) truly justified in compelling speech will do so. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father,” he added, quoting Philippians 2:10-11.
CP reached out Thursday to the Baton Rouge Public Library for comment. This article will be updated if a response is received.
After Ash’s firing, a GiveSendGo campaign was launched and, as of Friday, has raised nearly $1,900. A coalition of Baton Rouge pastors, including leaders from the religious freedom advocacy group The Danbury Institute, is drafting an open letter demanding Ash’s reinstatement and protections for religious conscience in public employment.
Despite the personal hardship he faces, Ash says he stands behind his refusal to compromise. “I was tempted to just quietly go away and find another job, but as I watched my children, I was reminded that if Christians remain silent the world under the leadership of the prince of the power of the air will only grow darker and our children will have to fight worse battles than we have now,” he said. The pastor shared a quote from G.K. Chesterton, which reads, “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.”
