Utah store manager fired for refusing to use transgender pronouns
A former Bath & Body Works store manager in Layton, Utah, has filed a federal discrimination charge after she says she was fired for refusing to use a transgender employee’s pronouns based on her religious beliefs.
Jocelyn Boden, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, worked at the store for three and a half years before her termination in May. Her complaint, filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleges that she was “chastised and alienated” by co-workers after she declined to use male pronouns for a transgender employee who was assigned female at birth. While Boden says she used the employee’s chosen name, she refused to use pronouns aligning with their gender identity, citing what she described as deeply held religious convictions.
“Ultimately, team members complained about Ms. Boden’s religiously motivated decision to the human resources department,” the filing states. “This complaint led to an interrogation into Ms. Boden’s use of pronouns. Ms. Boden indicated her religious objection to Bath & Body Works’ pronoun policy, including during a discussion with her district manager just two days before the district manager terminated Ms. Boden’s employment.”
The termination notice cited “unwanted conduct directed at an individual based on their sex, which includes sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or transgender status.”
The case, supported by First Liberty Institute, a Texas-based conservative legal group that frames its mission around defending religious freedom, argues that Bath & Body Works violated federal and state anti-discrimination laws by terminating Boden without first offering a religious accommodation.
In a press release, First Liberty’s Senior Counsel Stephanie Taub stated, “No one should be forced to choose between their job and their faith.” The group claims Boden was fired without prior warning, despite her supervisor being aware of her religious objections.
Bath & Body Works has not publicly responded to the filing. The EEOC will now determine whether to investigate the claim.
The case touches on the ongoing national tension between religious accommodation and LGBTQ+ workplace protections, an issue particularly sensitive in Utah, where both sides are navigating a complex legal and cultural landscape shaped by the 2015 Utah Compromise and beyond.
LGBTQ+ advocates argue that refusing to use a person’s correct pronouns or gender identity at work is a form of discrimination that can contribute to unsafe and hostile environments. Legal experts note that under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, employees are protected from both religious discrimination and gender identity discrimination, which courts must balance when conflicts arise.
