No, Your Religion Doesn’t Justify Workplace Bigotry—And, No, the Supreme Court Won’t Save You

Some people seem to think the workplace is their personal soapbox, where they can broadcast whatever pops into their heads—no matter how offensive, misguided, or just plain dumb. One former employee learned this the hard way when he posted an anti-LGBTQ+ comment on the company intranet, mistakenly thinking it was an anonymous survey response. His employer quickly shut that down, and so did the courts. When he appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, hoping for a lifeline, the justices responded yesterday with a firm “no thanks.”

Turns out, the highest court in the land had better things to do than entertain a “my bigotry is protected” argument.

How to Get Yourself Fired in One Easy Step

An employee at a large company made a rather colorful mistake—literally.

Thinking he was responding to an anonymous survey (spoiler: he wasn’t), he typed: “It’s a abomination to God. Rainbow is not meant to be displayed as a sign for sexual gender.” He hit send, and—surprise!—his comment was now visible for all his colleagues to see on the company’s intranet. Yikes.

The company, not exactly thrilled to have someone using their platform to throw religious shade at LGBTQ+ employees, suspended him and later showed him the door. The former employee, however, was convinced he had a case for religious discrimination.

Religion as a Get-Out-of-Trouble-Free Card?

He sued under Title VII and a state civil rights law, claiming he was fired for his religious beliefs. Both the lower court and the Eighth Circuit disagreed. And when he asked the Supreme Court to review the appellate court’s ruling, they took one look at his case and collectively decided, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna sit this one out.’

Here’s why his case went nowhere:

1. No Conflict, No Case – To prove religious discrimination, he had to show his religious beliefs conflicted with an employment requirement and that he was punished for standing by those beliefs. Problem: Posting an offensive comment wasn’t a religious requirement—it was just a mistake (his words, not mine).
2. Company Policies Matter – The company’s policies prohibit conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. His comment—whether intentional or not—violated those policies.
3. Not About Beliefs, But Behavior – The court didn’t rule against him because of his beliefs; it ruled against him because of his conduct. If he had simply thought rainbows were bad, no problem. But when he publicly aired his views in a way that targeted LGBTQ+ colleagues, he crossed the line.
4. Courts Don’t Play HR –

Key Takeaways for Employers (and Employees Who Want to Keep Their Jobs)

Employers should ensure that workplace policies are clear, consistently enforced, and aligned with anti-harassment laws. Ensure that your employees understand:

• Holding religious beliefs is fine; using them to harass coworkers is not.
• Company policies apply to everyone, regardless of personal beliefs.
• Intentions matter less than the impact of actions on others.

Courts Are Not Super-Personnel Departments.

Judges are generally not in the business of second-guessing legitimate company decisions, like the decision to fire the plaintiff. And the Supreme Court has better things to do than waste time on a meritless appeal from someone who tried to turn a clear company policy violation into a federal case.