Christian flight attendant says Alaska Airlines fired her for questioning 'major DEI push'

Two flight attendants who were fired by Alaska Airlines are filing a religious discrimination lawsuit related to the company's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) mandate.

Marli Brown and Lacey Smith, both Christians, brought up their faith during DEI's training for the company and paid a high price for it. Now they are calling for religious freedom in the workplace.

Smith spoke to Fox News Digital about why he believes her cancellation by Alaska Airlines was motivated by religious discrimination. During the interview, she was joined by Stephanie Taub, senior counsel for the First Liberty Institute (FLI), which represents her in a lawsuit against Alaska Airlines that they filed in May 2022.” Fox News Digital reported

“I went to access my schedule in the morning … I saw that Alaska had published an article that just said that Alaska supports the Equality Act,” Smith explained in an interview with the outlet on Friday.

“There are a lot of different religious people that had issues with the Equality Act. And I guess I just had some questions with Alaska in terms of what that meant when they said things like, 'Alaska supports the Equality Act.' … What does this mean to me?” she asked.

(Video credit: Fox News Digital)

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) originally introduced the Equality Act. The legislation sought to protect sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and other areas under federal civil rights law. It passed the House in February 2021.

“His comments to Fox News Digital came after FLI and the Ard Law Group filed a movement for summary judgment on behalf of Smith and Brown after they sued Alaska Airlines and the Flight Attendants Association (AFA), a union for flight attendants, in May 2022,” Fox News Digital noted.

“FLI and Ard Law Group alleged that the airline terminated them because they 'asked questions in a company forum about the company's support for the Equality Act' and that the AFA”failed properly defend them'”, added the medium.

All of this has to do with the company's intense push for DEI while allegedly trying to silence Christians who are concerned about its morality.

This is Alaska Airlines. Imagine your pilot is contracted under the DEI system. pic.twitter.com/mHAtxkgUAs

— Me Meme, so I am (@ImMeme0) January 11, 2024

“At the time, it's important to look at the context in which this is happening when Alaska Airlines had a big DEI push where they encouraged their employees to have courageous conversations with each other and ask tough questions and share their diverse perspectives.” Taub explained while speaking with Fox News Digital.

“And that's why it's quite shocking when we have a couple of Christian flight attendants who shared their perspectives and were fired,” he said.

Smith believes so Alaska Airlines didn't stop to consider how the bill would affect him at work because of his “traditional Christian views on sexual morality: male and female, all of that.”

He also noted that the bill is very confusing.

“I wanted to know what this meant for me as an Alaska Airlines employee supporting the Equality Act,” he explained.

We took a major step forward in our Alaska Airlines case involving two Christian flight attendants who were fired because of their religious beliefs. The recent motion presents a wealth of evidence revealing the company's discrimination. #AlaskaAir pic.twitter.com/i05y6I95MF

— First Liberty Institute (@1stLiberty) January 19, 2024

Brown asked if Alaska Airlines supported “endangering the Church, encouraging the suppression of religious freedom, obliterating women's rights and fathers' rights.”

He warned that the legislation would force “all Americans to agree controversial ideology imposed by the government or be treated as an outlaw,” while “demolishing existing civil rights and constitutional liberties,” which are protected by the Civil Rights Act.

“Brown claimed the Equality Act would jeopardize the safety and privacy of girls and women, including in showers and locker rooms, women-only shelters and prisons,” wrote Fox News Digitial.

“As a company, do you think it is possible to regulate morality?” Smith asked the airline. That was the question that allegedly got her fired.

“Supporting the Equality Act is not about regulating morality. It's about supporting laws that allow our LGBTQ+ employees and guests, regardless of the state they live in or fly to, to be protected from discrimination,” replied Andy Schneider, Senior Vice President of People, Alaska Airlines .

We need your prayers as we enter the New Year and are grateful for your support in 2023. Thanks to your support, we have accomplished a lot, but the fight is not over. #2023 #Religious Freedom #New Year pic.twitter.com/RUGWOcmg5e

— First Liberty Institute (@1stLiberty) January 1, 2024

“That was the first conversation I had with Alaska that they posted. And shortly after that they took it down, deleted the comment, and then told me they were calling me over something I had posted online,” Smith said.

After that, the airline attendant realized that all their trips were canceled.

FLI claimed they had removed Brown and Smith's comments for being “discriminatory”, “hateful” and “offensive”. They were suspended from flight shifts pending an investigation and eventually terminated.

“Benjamin Franklin equates ignorance with tyranny. And I think, unfortunately, currently in 2024 and obviously in 2021 and so on, there are a lot of people who are ignoring their freedom and protection from religious discrimination in the workplace,” Smith told Fox News Digital.

“I don't know how we got here as a nation where someone cannot raise their own questions about morality without losing their job. But here we are”, he concluded.

Terresa Monroe-Hamilton is a constitutional conservative who researches and writes extensively on politics and current affairs.

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