Speaking with conservative podcast host Tony Perkins on a July 15 episode of Washington Watch, Ash said his termination took place just days after he declined to use male pronouns for a female employee in training.
According to Ash, the conversation that triggered his dismissal happened on July 7, when he and a fellow employee were discussing the new trainee who identified as male. During their discussion, Ash says he was repeatedly corrected by the co-worker for not using the trainee’s preferred pronouns.
“I refused to use the preferred pronouns throughout the course of the conversation,” Ash told WBRZ-TV. “By Thursday morning, they came back to me with the dismissal notice.”
Ash claims the library’s management gave him an opportunity to comply with its inclusivity policy, even handing him a printed copy of the guidelines. But for Ash, that was a line he could not cross.
“I told them, ‘I’m not going to lie. I cannot do it,’” Ash said during his interview. “I serve God first.”
His termination quickly sparked backlash from religious leaders across Louisiana. During a heated East Baton Rouge Parish Library Board meeting, Pastor Lewis Richerson, representing a coalition of over 30 pastors, delivered an impassioned defense of Ash’s right to religious expression.
“We believe there are only two genders—male and female—as created by God,” Richerson said. “Asking Pastor Ash to affirm something contrary to the Word of God is asking him to violate scripture and deeply held religious convictions.”
Richerson told the board that dozens of pastors had signed a letter demanding two actions: the immediate reinstatement of Pastor Ash and a revision of the library’s inclusivity policy.
But the board meeting quickly turned tense. Board President Candace Temple interrupted Richerson multiple times, reminding him that Ash’s termination was not on the evening’s agenda.
“Sir, do we need to get security for you?” Temple asked after repeated interruptions. “You are not following open meeting laws.”
Board member Darryl Hurst also stepped in, invoking Louisiana’s Open Meetings Law, which limits public comments to items listed on the agenda.
“Stay germane to the topic, sir,” Hurst said firmly. “I live for Jesus and love Jesus with all my heart, but you have to stay on topic. If you can’t respect leadership in here, your comment won’t be respected either.”
Despite being shut down, Ash and his supporters remain vocal. In his podcast interview, Ash emphasized that his decision wasn’t about politics—it was about truth and obedience to his faith.
“Jesus said you can’t serve both God and mammon,” Ash said. “And too often, we compromise truth to keep comfort, to keep money, to keep peace. But the loving thing—the truly loving thing—is to tell the truth.”
As debate over religious freedom and LGBTQ+ rights continues to intensify across the country, Ash’s case is quickly becoming another flashpoint in the culture wars unfolding in public institutions