Overview
- A federal complaint was filed on July 9, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana by Rev. Luke Ash claiming the East Baton Rouge Parish Library fired him for refusing to use a co‑worker’s preferred pronouns.
- Ash says his sincerely held Christian beliefs hold that biological sex is immutable and that using pronouns inconsistent with biological sex would violate his faith.
- Personnel records show Ash was hired as a library technician in late March 2025 and his termination became effective July 11, 2025 after supervisors told him to follow the library’s inclusivity policy.
- The lawsuit names the City‑Parish, the library, the Metro Council and library board as defendants and seeks an injunction blocking the policy, reinstatement, back pay and damages while Liberty Counsel represents Ash.
- Ash bases his case on Title VII and constitutional claims that the library failed to offer a reasonable religious accommodation or to engage in the required interactive process, a dispute that could clarify how government employers handle faith‑based objections to workplace inclusivity rules.