Joe Biden fired the general counsel of a government agency without explanation.
After refusing to accept the request for her resignation, Attorney Sharon Gustafson was terminated from her post in the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) last month, Faithwire reported.
EEOC is a federal agency that protects employees from discrimination and retaliation.
Speaking to CBN News, Gustafson said that the reason was not explained but she revealed some clues that she believed may have led to her firing.
"I was given no reason at all for the termination," she said.
She then recalled that before she was asked to resign, she discovered that the final report on the EEOC religious discrimination work group was removed from the agency's website.
Gustafson set up a religious discrimination workgroup after noticing the lack of protection for those who are discriminated against for their "traditional religious beliefs about sexual morality".
She said that though the group included of people from different faith backgrounds, it faced internal opposition, including from leadership.
"They told me they were uncomfortable with it," Gustafson stated.
The final report showed a number of findings, including an observation that the agency prioritizes discrimination issues on race and sex rather than religious ones.
The lawyer faced resistance after taking on the Kroger grocery store chain for terminating its two employees after declining to wear the store's gay pride aprons.
"They simply said that because of their religious beliefs they could not celebrate this and so they asked to be permitted to wear aprons that did not include that symbol," she said.
Advocates of LGBTQ also opposed her work group, thinking that sexual orientation would be discriminated using religious beliefs.
But Gustafson said that both issues can be protected.
"All of these people can be protected at the same time. The law requires it and it's the EEOC's job to find a way to do that," she argued.
She then explained the rule stated in Title 7, how people should work together in a workplace "in a non-discriminatory, non-harassing way."
Gustafson is concerned that her termination will bring a negative impact to employees who are facing discrimination for their beliefs.
"There is a chilling effect to other people at the EEOC and the word gets out, you know, to the public generally that the EEOC is not interested in these types, certain types of religious discrimination claims and that is to everybody's loss," she said.
Tony Perkins, president of the Research Family Council, was also concerned that Gustafson's firing will cause "a chilling effect upon religious expression in the workplace."
Andrea Lucas, the EEOC commissioner, described the termination as "deeply troubling". She added that religious freedom has become a "second-class right in many areas of our society."
But she said that the agency will continue enforcing laws on religious liberty in the workplace.
"The EEOC has a long history of defending against discrimination based on religion in the workplace and will continue to vigorously enforce those laws," Lucas said.
Gustafson reportedly applauded the faith-friendly movement in the corporate business world that encourages employees to celebrate their religious beliefs. A number of top companies are creating faith-oriented and LGBTQ employee work groups.
"We need to make sure that the federal government is fairly protecting all workers. That no one has any reason to believe that certain rights supersede other rights or are somehow given higher priority," Gustafson concluded.
