A bi-vocational minister who led a Southern Baptist church in Louisiana was reportedly fired from his job at the Baton Rouge Parish Library after refusing to use the “preferred pronouns” of a transgender-identified trainee.
In February, Pastor Luke Ash returned to his hometown of Baton Rouge with his wife and four children to serve as pastor of Stevendale Baptist Church. To support his family, he also took a job at the library.
The controversy began on July 7 during a private conversation with a colleague about a trans-identified trainee recently assigned to Ash’s department.
Ash told The Christian Post he used biologically accurate pronouns when referring to the trainee, who was not present. The colleague, offended by Ash’s language, informed him that the trainee preferred “he.” When Ash responded, “I don’t do that,” the colleague sarcastically mocked him, saying, “That’s very respectful,” to which he replied, “That is very respectful,” and then excused himself.
“The next day, I was called into the office and shown the inclusivity policy,” said Ash. “Whenever the supervisors asked me if I was going to continue to refuse to use preferred pronouns, I told them that I was not going to lie.” He was subsequently fired on July 10.
Ash expressed that, although the library’s decision to dismiss him initially caught him off guard, he now sees the incident as part of a broader attack on free speech and religious liberty.
Following his firing, a GiveSendGo campaign was launched and, as of Friday, has raised nearly $1,900. A coalition of Baton Rouge pastors, including leaders from the religious freedom advocacy group The Danbury Institute, is drafting an open letter demanding Ash’s reinstatement and protections for religious conscience in public employment.
Pointing to Acts 22, Ash remarked, “The apostle Paul appealed to the law of the land in his time to demand his rights as a Roman citizen. We, as Christians, should do the same in America. We have protections under the law that protect religious liberty and free speech.”
