Christian Lifeguard Sues Over Pride Flags At Gay Beach

The Christian Post reports:

An Evangelical Christian lifeguard is suing the Los Angeles County Fire Department, claiming religious discrimination after he was allegedly punished for refusing to fly an LGBT pride flag at his beachside lifeguard facility last summer. Jeffrey Little, who has served Los Angeles County for 22 years, declined to hoist the Progress Pride flag at his lifeguard facility in Pacific Palisades at Will Rogers Beach, which includes a stretch called Ginger Rogers Beach that is frequented by the gay community.

Little requested the exemption because he “adheres to traditional Christian beliefs regarding the moral illicitness of same-sex activity, the immutability of sex regardless of gender identity, and the view that all people are children of God regardless of their skin color,” according to the complaint. “You are an LA County employee, that’s the only thing that matters,” Division Chief Fernando Boiteux allegedly told him. “Your religious beliefs do not matter.”

The Advocate reports:

Little arrived to his station at Dockweiler Beach on June 21, 2023 and found three nearby facilities displaying the flag, ordered by the lifeguard division’s chief, according to the complaint. After he removed them, Little said he was given a “direct order” from the chief to ensure the flag was displayed throughout the month. He is asking for damages based on “severe emotional distress” and a “standing exemption” from raising the flag.

Little claims he’s been targeted for harassment and retaliation over his lawsuit. He’s being represented by the anti-LGBTQ hate group, the Thomas More Society, who claims that Little has a First Amendment right not to have the flag within his sight.

Per reports, Little’s salary is more than $200,000. In 2021, a Long Beach lifeguard tower decked out for Pride was destroyed in arson, much to the delight of commenters on the YouTube clip below.

A Christian lifeguard in California is suing his local fire department after it allegedly threatened to dismiss him for refusing to display a Pride flag at his workplace, court documents show. https://t.co/Bq7d9C3SWB

— KSNV News 3 Las Vegas (@News3LV) May 31, 2024

The post Christian Lifeguard Sues Over Pride Flags At Gay Beach appeared first on Joe.My.God..