Settlement Reached in Religious Discrimination Case
An Iowa man has come to an agreement with his former employer following claims that he was dismissed for wearing a T-shirt with a biblical message during an LGBTQ Pride Month event.
The individual, who identifies as “Coley” Cunningham and describes himself as a “Respectful, Reborn Christian,” filed a lawsuit against Eaton Co., Ltd. in a federal court, alleging religious discrimination after his firing in August 2023.
Cunningham began work at Eaton in 2019 as a quality assurance manager, overseeing military and commercial aerospace projects until his termination. In his lawsuit, he contends that Eaton increasingly emphasized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and LGBTQ support and forced employees, including himself, to participate in numerous DEI training sessions. He claims he was singled out during a session for opposing the use of gender pronouns associated with what he perceived as an “awakening” culture.
On June 2, 2023, Eaton hosted a Pride Month ceremony, where they raised a Pride flag as a show of support. Cunningham asserts that he started wearing T-shirts featuring biblical messages to convey his religious beliefs and to stand against what he viewed as the company’s coercive promotion of LGBTQ pride.
Some of the messages on his shirts included references from Proverbs and Genesis, emphasizing a biblical perspective on pride and the rainbow. He felt these shirts expressed his beliefs about integrity and faith.
However, Cunningham faced backlash at work. In a meeting with HR, he was informed that his attire was causing discomfort among colleagues and was seen as inflammatory towards the LGBTQ community. Following the discussions, he requested written clarification on how his shirt violated company policies, asserting that he felt attacked over his beliefs.
Despite making consecutive requests for religious accommodations, Cunningham was sent home multiple times for refusing to stop wearing the shirts. Eaton ultimately terminated his employment, citing violations of their non-harassment policy.
Working with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, Cunningham filed his federal complaint in August 2024, alleging illegal religious discrimination by Eaton.
Eaton’s legal representatives argued that the actions taken against Cunningham were based on legitimate business reasons and not discriminatory practices. However, this week, a settlement was reached outside of court, resulting in the dismissal of the case on May 20. The specifics of the settlement remain undisclosed.
Eaton declined to comment on the matter.
