A California lifeguard who refused to fly the pride flag at his duty station is suing the county on grounds of religious discrimination.
In a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday, Captain Jeffrey Little, a devout evangelical Christian, accused the Los Angeles County Fire Department of threatening to fire him over his refusal to raise the pride flag.
Attorneys for Little said he was initially granted a religious exemption in June 2023, excusing him from raising the flag himself or having the flag fly at his lifeguard station. Two days later, Little said the exemption was rescinded.
"You need to stop what you are doing," Little accused Lifeguard Division Chief Fernando Boiteux of telling him, according to the 135-page lawsuit reviewed by HNGN. Boiteux also allegedly said to Little: "You are an L.A. County employee; that's the only thing that matters," and "Your religious beliefs do not matter; you are an L.A. County employee."
In another instance, Section Chief Arthur Lester allegedly visited his station and ordered Little to fly the pride flag. "I felt like I was being targeted or entrapped by Chief Lester and my religious beliefs were not being taken seriously," said Little, according to the suit. "I believe that the actions by Chief Lester are retaliatory in nature."
Little is seeking damages, a temporary restraining order, and a permanent injunction protecting his religious freedoms during Pride Month.
"Captain Jeffrey Little is an upstanding American, a devout Christian father, and a public servant who has honorably served the Los Angeles County Fire Department for over 22 years," his attorneys with the Thomas More Society said in a joint statement. "He courageously stood on principle and asked for a simple religious accommodation-which he is rightfully and legally due-only to be first denied, then threatened, harassed, discriminated and retaliated against for his widely shared Christian religious beliefs."
"In our great country, Americans can't even be forced to salute the American flag as a condition of government employment. Yet, in this case, the L.A. County Fire Department seeks to force Captain Little to personally raise the Progress Pride Flag in violation of his sincere and deeply held religious beliefs-or face termination. The L.A. County Fire Department's actions are not only deeply un-American, but also flagrantly illegal," the statement continued. "We've filed this federal lawsuit to vindicate Captain Little's religious liberty rights and to firmly establish that this sort of blatant religious discrimination has no place in our public life."
The L.A. County Fire Department did not immediately respond to HNGN's request for comment.
