
Can a Christian employee be terminated for refusing to use the preferred pronouns of a transgender coworker?
That question is at the heart of a lawsuit coming out of Utah, where a retail manager was let go for repeatedly misgendering a work colleague. Now she's insisting that forced use of the person's preferred pronouns is a violation of her deeply held religious beliefs.
When it comes to the workplace, should preferred pronouns be mandatory?
Religion vs Respect?
Until recently, Jocelyn Boden was a store manager at Bath & Body Works in Layton, Utah. Boden is a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – more commonly referred to as the LDS Church or Mormon Church – which teaches that “gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.”
That statement, from the official LDS missive The Family: A Proclamation to the World, emphasizes that gender is not only part of our physical body, but our very eternal soul. According to that document, it is immutable and unchangeable.
Despite her willingness to refer to the new hire by their preferred name, Boden stated she simply could not “in good conscience refer to an associate by ‘preferred pronouns’ that were inconsistent with reality and my moral beliefs.”
Looking for a Solution
Boden has since filed a legal complaint, explaining that this conflict caused problems at her workplace. “Multiple team members chastised and alienated” her over her refusal to use the employee’s preferred pronouns, the complaint alleges. And after multiple reports to human resources from her coworkers, Boden was abruptly let go.
“She had to choose between her faith and her job,” claims Stephanie Taub, senior counsel for First Liberty Institute, who is representing Boden as she pursues legal action against Bath & Body Works.
The complaint argues that Bath & Body Works made no attempt to find a solution that worked for all parties, and went straight to firing Boden when a compromise surely could have been reached.
One proposed solution from her legal team? Just let Boden misgender her coworker.
“Bath & Body Works should have found a way to respect all of its employees and to figure out a way to live up to its ideals of inclusivity and tolerance,” Taub said. “A simple solution would have simply been to allow Jocelyn to use names instead of pronouns, or even allow her to use names consistent with her religious beliefs – or pronouns consistent with her religious beliefs.”
Here Comes the Lawsuit
With a legal team at her back, Boden is filing a charge of religious discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which will then decide whether to pursue the case.
For its part, Bath & Body Works says the company was simply following the law when it comes to anti-LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace. “Bath & Body Works complies with all laws concerning employment practices,” the retailer explained in a statement. “As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate in our management of our associates on the basis of any protected status.”
What do you think – should religious employees be expected to follow pronoun policies at work, or not? Where do LGBTQ+ rights end and religious rights begin?
13 comments
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Najah Tamargo-USA
If your religion conflicts with your work place policies, find a new job! Eleanor Roosevelt once said "....No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Amen!
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I think the Roosevelt quote applies better to those demanding rearrangement of language (pronouns) than to those asked to use the rearranged language.
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Boden was the one being discriminatory against their employee by not using their preferred pronouns. She's free to believe that “gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose” but not everyone believes that and by refusing to use a person's preferred pronouns she's pushing her beliefs on the employee and creating a hostile work environment. Using someone's preferred pronouns does not change what you believe about them, it shows you are respecting the other person's beliefs.
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Refusal to call a person by the name that they request is a simple case of disrespect. She should not be a manager with that sort of behavior.
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Does anyone remember those wonderful days when few knew what a pronoun was and everyone was known as Mr, or Mrs?Then suddenly, Democrats created dozens of sexes and people started having a hissy fit if the wrong pronoun was used.
God would turn in his grave if he knew. 🤭
🦁❤️
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So it's the "Democrats" who created "dozens" of sexes? I always wondered about that. Thanks for clearing that up. LOL Listen to yourself.
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What is this, anti trans time at ULC? Yet another issue of Christians vs Transgender folks. I am transgender for though who don’t know and let me tell you what folks either don’t consider or don’t give a hoot about. Intentionally misgendering a trans person can endanger their life. I worked as an ER nurse in middle GA when I began my transition. Not a great state to transition in when it comes to safety. I ended up leaving and moving west where no one knew me and I was only known as Tim. My colleagues in GA didn’t do it on purpose but you could tell be the change on a patient or family member’s face they caught the slip up and it wasn’t good. So what we’re faced here is what is more important? A Christian’s beliefs or someone’s life? Honestly, keep your religion out of our lives unless you’re ok with us dying. Think about that. And don’t come with your beliefs from your story book. I’m tired of Christians who can’t grasp that they can’t force their beliefs on everyone. I try hard to respect y’all but you’re making harder all the time and some days I have to work really hard not to mock your beliefs as you do mine. Hush, stop judging those who don’t share your beliefs and stop trying to get us killed.
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A person unhinged enough to be dangerous to the transgendered person is probably unhinged enough to be a hazard to the person who uses the prescribed pronouns. ...specifically for using them. "Traitor!"
Stop saying that refusing your demands is 'trying to get you killed.' That's ludicrous rhetoric.
Everybody has to get over that the other person is entitled to live as they choose, short of doing genuine harm to others.
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There is nothing respectful about enabling a mentally ill individual to continue his delusion.
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She was simply observing objective reality.
Your religious rights end when they infringe on my human rights. People have the freedom to be who they are; your acceptance is not required!
It is not a human right to have objective reality ignored and to play into somebody's delusions.
Otherwise for people suffering from anorexia, who believe themselves to be substantially overweight, to ignore objective reality and respect THEIR view of themselves we would have to give them a prescription for diet pills and a membership in Weight Watchers?
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By that logic, Paula, I identify as Grand High Cherished Master of the Universe, and I order you to refer to me thus and donate accordingly. 🤣😇
Joking aside, I don't think anyone has any business rearranging the language FOR OTHER PEOPLE. I don't really think much of the religion rights complaint, either.
I used to live in Utah decades ago, and the mangling of the language drove me bananas. Am I somehow entitled to demand that people use their pronouns in the right case (nominative v objective case) and with correct subject-verb agreement ("Him and I was goin' t' th' stahr, ...")? No, I'd be immolated for that. Same for 'right' but other than 'the obvious' pronouns related to gender. 'Tyrannical, nitpicker.'
The law that the store cowers before is a criminal endeavor. Following illegal orders is an illegal act. Firing the employee was ludicrous and criminal.
I think it must be disturbing to hear the 'wrong' pronouns, especially when one is struggling to accept and feel comfortable and accepted with their being 'different.' I'm sensitive to that, whereas I'm quite different. So I am fine with requests, and speaking for me, I'll honor those requests. But I also years ago rejected the notion of God as having a problem with it if I do such a thing.
"Thou shalt not pander to pronoun rearrangement!" Bah!