Religious belief does not give employers license to fire transgender employees

RICHMOND, Va. – Today the ACLU of Virginia argued in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on behalf of a transgender woman named Ellenor Zinski, whom Liberty University fired in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“Liberty University made its reason for firing Ellenor unmistakable,” said ACLU of Virginia Senior Transgender Rights Attorney Wyatt Rolla. “But no matter what their religious beliefs, no employer can sidestep federal protections for workers. No one – including transgender employees – should be fired because of who they are.”

ACLU of Virginia and Butler Curwood filed Zinski v. Liberty University in July 2024 on behalf of Ellenor Zinski, whom Liberty University hired to work at its IT Helpdesk in 2023. Her supervisor assessed her performance as above average and told her she was “on the path to success.”

But a month after Ellenor notified Human Resources that she planned to legally change her name to reflect her gender identity, the heads of Liberty University’s Human Resources and Information Technology departments called her into a meeting at which they read her a termination notice and cited “denying biological and chromosomal sex assigned at birth” as the basis for her termination.

“Religious belief does not give employers a license to ignore federal civil rights law,” said ACLU of Virginia Legal Director Eden Heilman. “Title VII prohibits firing someone because of their gender identity, and Liberty University said plainly that this was the reason for Ellenor’s termination. That is exactly the kind of discrimination the law protects against.”

Ellenor is a devout Christian who saw church as a support system from a young age, attending church every Sunday, Bible study every Wednesday, and Bible camp every summer. Today she is an active member of her local church, and previously attended a Lynchburg church, Trinity Episcopal, whose pastor fully supported her transition, even providing gender-affirming clothing.

“The first time anyone ever supported me by telling me that God made me this way was at Trinity Episcopal Church,” said Ellenor Zinski. “Christianity has been so weaponized against the LGBTQ community, but there doesn’t need to be a conflict: you can be transgender and Christian. I am.”

In addition to compensatory and punitive damages on behalf of Ellenor Zinski, the lawsuit is seeking declaratory relief that Liberty University’s policy violates Title VII.