Lawsuit says company fired Christian employee over LGBT pronouns
"I was asked to choose between my livelihood and my love for God and my beliefs.”
A Wisconsin man has filed a lawsuit alleging he was fired over his refusal to use the “preferred pronouns” of transgender-identifying co-worker at Generac Power Systems, Inc.
Spencer Wimmer, a Christian, is accusing Generac of violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the help of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, who is representing him in court.
According to The Christian Post, Wimmer was subject to disciplinary action after seeking accommodations to be exempt from using a fellow worker’s preferred name or pronoun, despite a noteworthy absence in company policy requiring him to do so.
When his request was denied by human resources, he resigned from the company. However, upon finding out he may have certain religious rights, Wimmer attempted to withdraw his resignation, only to be told his request was denied and he would be terminated.
He was told to leave the premises and that his personal effects would be sent to him. However, when his personal items arrived, he found them "defaced and badly damaged,” including a Bible and a Chi Rho mug.
"Generac's bias and hostility toward Mr. Wimmer's religious beliefs — including the company's discipline, harassment, denial of a reasonable accommodation, and ultimate termination of Mr. Wimmer — constitute religious discrimination under Title VII," the complaint states.
"I was asked to choose between my livelihood and my love for God and my beliefs," Wimmer told Fox News Digital.
For its part, the company describes his complaint as “frivolous” and has vowed to fight it, also denying having any DEI policies.
"The company complies with all federal and state employment laws. Additionally, we've never had a policy on gender pronoun usage," a spokesperson told The Christian Post. "We have voluntarily and proactively complied with the administration's executive order that the company not have DEI related requirements. We are unable to comment further given the ongoing nature of this pending litigation."
Denying that you have not broken the law while you do violate the law with impunity is reprehensible. I hope this gentleman wins his lawsuit with substantial punitive damages for their violation of his civil rights.
Maybe I should have heard about this before I bought a whole-house generator from Generac.