Christian employee sues county gov't after being denied religious exemption from pride month
A Christian civil engineer has filed a lawsuit against a California county after he was denied a religious exemption to work from home while the government office he works at celebrates LGBT pride month.
Eric Batman sued Los Angeles County and its Department of Public Works on Tuesday in a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
An employee with the Public Works Department for 24 years, Batman took issue with the county leadership's decision to fly the pride flag at all government departments in celebration of pride month in June.
Batman asked to work remotely during June due to “his sincerely held religious beliefs and a conflict with his employer’s open and notorious celebration of something Batman considers a sin.” The complaint contends that his request "would not have hindered the County’s own desire to celebrate something that required Batman to tacitly and explicitly endorse something that violates his religious convictions."
“Batman’s request was unconstitutionally, unconscionably, and unlawfully denied,” states the complaint. “The accommodation that Batman sought is readily available, offered to other similarly situated employees needing accommodation for their religious beliefs, and would have imposed no hardship on Defendants.”
The lawsuit claimed that the county’s refusal to grant the request violated the First and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act and the Fair Employment and Housing Act.
Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver, a Christian conservative legal organization helping to represent Batman, said in a statement Tuesday that the county is discriminating against his client.
“Forcing employees to violate their faith in the workplace is offensive to the First Amendment. Senior Civil Engineer Eric Batman requested a reasonable religious accommodation with no undue hardship on the county, yet it was unlawfully denied without the required interactive process,” stated Staver.
“When the state compels employees to act against their sincerely held religious beliefs, it crosses a constitutional line that courts have repeatedly said cannot be crossed. Viewpoint discrimination is unlawful and violates the First Amendment and religious discrimination violates Title VII.”
In March 2023, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion to fly the “Progress Pride flag” every June at government buildings in honor of pride month.
In contrast to the traditional pride flag with its simple rainbow design, the progress pride banner has the additional triangular stripes of brown, black, blue and pink, as well as a white triangle.
Supervisors Board Chair Janice Hahn, author of the motion, said in a statement at the time that the decision to fly the flags was in support of the LGBT community amid recent backlash.
“We are seeing anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans bills being passed at an alarming rate across the country,” stated Hahn. “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.”
“The first Pride flag was actually commissioned in the 1970s by another County Supervisor, [San Francisco] Supervisor Harvey Milk. Today we honor that legacy in LA County.”
