A bi-vocational pastor fired for his Christian views is fighting back and preparing to go to court. Pastor Luke Ash was fired from his second job at the Baton Rouge Parish Library in Louisiana earlier this year, after declining to use a transgender-identified coworker’s “preferred pronouns.”

On Friday, Liberty Counsel attorneys, representing Ash, issued a demand letter, typically the precursor to a lawsuit, to the library. “Liberty Counsel hereby demands that the Library Board reinstate Mr. Ash to the position from which he was improperly terminated and revise its unconstitutional pronoun policy and practices to respect the religious free exercise rights of all employees,” read the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Stand.

“Please be advised that Liberty Counsel is assisting Mr. Ash with the filing of a Title VII religious discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as well as a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice Task Force for Elimination of Anti-Christian Bias,” Ash’s attorneys wrote. “It is in the interests of justice to quickly resolve this matter.” Liberty Counsel demanded a response from the library by November 10, confirming that the library “has revised (read: stricken) its unconstitutional pronoun policy and has reinstated and provided back pay to Luke Ash.”

“A timely response that allows the Library to avoid litigation will also allow 100% of the ‘10-year Dedicated Tax’ Library Millage proposal, which is up for a vote November 15, 2025, to go toward normal ‘funding for all operations, including staffing, books, supplies, utilities, maintenance, and contractual services, rather than to attorneys’ fees to Liberty Counsel and damages to Mr. Ash,” Liberty Counsel warned. “Attorney time in this matter is already significant.”

Ash serves as pastor of Stevendale Baptist Church in Baton Rouge and, until this July, also worked at the Baton Rouge Parish Library. When introduced to a new coworker, a biological female who wanted to be referred to using masculine pronouns, Ash continued using female pronouns, in accord with his Christian beliefs on sex and gender, although Liberty Counsel noted that he did not use third-person pronouns when speaking to the female employee in question “because pronouns are by necessity ‘third person,’ and the pronouns do not and did not naturally arise in the presence of the female trainee.” Three days later, he was handed a notice of termination.

“Mr. Ash strives to act consistent with his faith at all times. He holds sincere religious beliefs about human nature, marriage, sexuality, morality, political and social issues. His beliefs are rooted in his Christian faith,” Liberty Counsel explained in its letter. “He believes that God has created each person as male or female; that these two distinct and complementary sexes reflect the image of God; and that adopting a ‘gender identity’ inconsistent with sex rejects God’s image and design for a person and does harm to that person,” the attorneys continued. “Mr. Ash believes he must respect the image of God in each person, by only using accurate pronouns if he is required to use pronouns at all. In so doing, he treats all people with dignity and respect.”

“Moreover, Mr. Ash’s faith requires him to tell the truth and not lie. His understanding of biology and faith requires him to use pronouns consistent with biological sex, because to do otherwise would cause him to lie,” Liberty Counsel attorneys wrote. “Mr. Ash believes speaking such lies would be harmful to others who hear the lies, particularly a person who is uncomfortable with his or her natal sex.”

Liberty Counsel charges that the library board and supervisors violated Ash’s First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and religious liberty and Fourteenth Amendment rights, in addition to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Louisiana’s constitutional religious liberty protections, and the state’s Preservation of Religious Freedom Act.

“The bottom line is this: there is no compelling government interest in requiring Mr. Ash (or other employees) to lie; or to affirmatively use false pronouns that do not accurately reflect biological sex, particularly outside the hearing of the person who dislikes accurate, sex-based pronouns,” the attorneys wrote. “The Library has acted unlawfully in firing Mr. Ash.”