A contradictory personnel policy may be the center of the confusion coming out of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library in Louisiana.
Luke Ash, bivocational pastor of Stevendale Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, had only been part of the library staff for a few months before being fired July 10 for declining to use the preferred pronoun of an incoming trainee.
Ash said his conversation was with another employee July 9 and not the person being referenced, according to a July 16 article by Louisiana Baptist Message editor Will Hall. The situation escalated after he was asked to use the preferred pronoun and he refused.
No guidance on conflicting policies
According to a copy of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library internal policy obtained by The Baptist Paper, the wording of who are “welcomed, accepted and respected” covers “religious preference” as well as “gender identity or expression.”
The policy also states employees have the right to be addressed by their preferred pronouns, but it does not address what to do if that right conflicts with another employee’s religious beliefs.
Public libraries are subject to federal, state and local laws — and in many cases navigating how that plays out can be somewhat muddy when the wording of various laws conflict.
EEOC making adjustments
For instance, the 2024 expanded guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission calling “misgendering,” which means intentionally refusing to use a person’s preferred pronoun, as discriminatory has been paused pending further review.
A Texas federal court found the definition unlawful May 15, but changes to the EEOC documents require approval by a majority vote of the commission members.
The EEOC has lacked a quorum for a vote so far this year, according to a May 20 news release at eeoc.gov, so a vote has not been taken. The definition is found under section II.A.5.c. “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.”
“To assist the public following the federal court decision, the EEOC has labeled and shaded the vacated portions of the guidance on the agency’s website,” states the news release. “The EEOC continues to review its documents to ensure full compliance with the court order.”
Also a topic for public schools
The conversation about how to handle preferred pronouns also has entered the public school arena, with at least 10 states passing laws protecting teachers from being required to use a student’s requested pronoun if it differs from the gender appearing on the birth certificate.
The Baptist Paper has reached out to Ash to ask about updates to his situation. At least 30 area pastors signed a letter asking for his job to be reinstated. It was delivered to the library board during its July 17 regularly scheduled meeting.
