Appeals court weighs whether religious employers can fire workers for being transgender

"I've actually left the U.S. just for my safety. By all means, I was one of them. I was a good employee. I made friends. I got along with the team. She had deep roots in the community. She grew up in the region, attended a Liberty-affiliated school, and said the university's religious culture was familiar to her."

"At issue is whether Liberty University, the conservative Christian school, can invoke its religious beliefs to fire a transgender employee whose job had no religious function and, if so, whether there is any limiting principle to that authority. The case, Zinski v. Liberty University, began as a straightforward Title VII claim."

"That sense of belonging, she said, makes Liberty's portrayal of her as deceptive, as someone who 'hoodwinked' the university, especially painful and, in her view, unfounded. Zinski alleges she was fired in 2023 after informing human resources that she is a transgender woman and is undergoing medical transition."

Ellenor Zinski was terminated from her IT help desk apprentice position at Liberty University in 2023 after disclosing her transgender identity and medical transition. She had been a strong performer with deep community roots, having grown up in the region and attended a Liberty-affiliated school. Following her job loss and becoming a public figure in this legal battle, Zinski relocated outside the United States citing safety concerns amid rising anti-trans politics. Her case, Zinski v. Liberty University, now before a federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, addresses whether religious employers can invoke doctrinal beliefs to fire employees in non-religious roles and whether such authority has limiting principles under federal employment law.

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