A Christian employee of the Los Angeles County Fire Department has filed a lawsuit against the county over its policy of displaying LGBTQ+ Pride flags on government buildings.
The lawsuit, filed on May 24, comes ahead of the LGBTQ+ Pride month in June, a time when cities, including Los Angeles, publicly express their support for the LGBTQ+ community, often by flying Progress Pride flags outside municipal and government buildings.
The plaintiff, Captain Jeffrey Little, a lifeguard with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, is described in the complaint as a "devout Evangelical Christian who adheres to traditional Christian beliefs" concerning same-sex relationships. The complaint alleges that Little's religious freedom was violated by the county's policy of displaying the pride flag.
According to the complaint, Little was granted a religious accommodation request on June 19, 2023, to relocate him to the Dockweiler area, where pride flags were not mandated to be flown. However, upon arriving at work two days later, Little discovered that the department had ordered modifications to the flagpoles in the Dockweiler area to accommodate the flying of pride flags.
The complaint alleges that Little removed the flags between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. By 2:45 p.m., he was reportedly informed that his religious accommodation had been revoked and was ordered to raise the flag. The complaint accuses the department of retaliation, alleging that Little was subsequently removed from his role in the background investigation unit.
The complaint contends that the views symbolized by the flag are "in direct conflict with Captain Little's bona fide and sincerely held religious beliefs on the same subjects." It states, "While Captain Little understands that the government can speak its own messages, and thus may promote Pride Month, he believes that he cannot personally do so by raising the Progress Pride Flag."
The complaint further argues that raising the flag would require Little to "personally participate in, espouse, and promote messages contrary to his sincerely held religious beliefs." It draws parallels with court rulings recognizing that Jehovah's Witnesses may not salute or pledge allegiance to the flag of any nation or state.
The complaint alleges that Little sought accommodations ahead of Pride month, but the department has not "substantively engaged" with him. It reads, "Yet the Fire Department has provided no reasonable accommodation options for Plaintiff Little and confirmed that he will be subject to discipline and eventual termination for failure to raise the Progress Pride Flag. The Fire Department would not even negotiate on the issue."
The Los Angeles Fire Department, through a spokesperson, declined to comment on personal issues or ongoing litigations.
Paul Jonna, an attorney representing Little, stated in a press release, "In our great country, Americans can't even be forced to salute the American flag as a condition of government employment. Yet, in this case, the L.A. County Fire Department seeks to force Captain Little to personally raise the Progress Pride Flag in violation of his sincere and deeply held religious beliefsor face termination."
In March 2023, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced that the county would display the Pride flag on government buildings. She said, "We are seeing anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans bills being passed at an alarming rate across the country. Here in Los Angeles County we're making our position clear: in the largest county in the nation, LGBTQ+ residents have the unwavering support of their government."
Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath added, "We must strive to ensure LA County is a place our LGBTQ+ community is proud to call home all year long. I look forward to celebrating Pride Month this June and seeing the Progress Pride Flag waving across the County."
The Progress Pride flag, designed by Daniel Quasar in 2018, incorporates the traditional rainbow flag, with a chevron featuring white, pink, and light blue to represent the transgender community, and black and brown to represent LGBTQ+ people of color.
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