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GoogleThe American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri announced today via news release that it has filed a suit on behalf of a part-time librarian in Poplar Bluff, Mo., who was disciplined after she objected to participating in the promotion of a "Harry Potter" book.
The employee, Deborah Smith, had religious objections to the promotion, "which she believed encouraged children to worship the occult," according to the news release.
Library employees were expected to dress as witches and wizards at a July 21, 2007, Potter book release party at the library — an after-hours event — the release said. Smith asked to be excused from working that night due to her religious beliefs and was suspended for 10 days without pay and "suffered retaliation upon her return to work," the ACLU release states, going on to say the retaliation was so severe it forced Smith to quit.
The lawsuit was filed in district court in Cape Girardeau, and alleges that Smith's supervisor violated federal law by refusing to accommodate her "sincerely held religious beliefs," the release said.
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It's about time the ACLU does something good regarding a person's right to free religion! Kudos to this woman- no one should dress as a witch against their will!
perhaps frazzled63701 needs to edit his comment to this article. the constitution does not protect a person's right to "free religion", but the right to believe or to not believe and the right to express and to manifest their religious beliefs. go to www.aclu.org and learn that the ACLU has long defended individuals, families, and religious communities who wish to manifest, or not, their religion in public.
I agree with the librarian, assuming she wasn't given the option of working the shift in plain-clothes. They should have allowed her to do something 'out of site' so her attire wouldn't have been an issue.
This is scary, but for the first time in my life, I don't disagree with the ACLU... Again, assuming she contacted them and asked for their help.
skeptic-by-nature:
Since you were being a *****, I felt it incumbent upon myself to inform you that the Constitution makes no mention of, nor any reference to, religion.
That 'right' is derived from the First Amedmendment's limitation on the federal government's otherwise inherent power to prohibit the exercise of religion.
Amendment One: "Congress shall make no law ... prohibiting the free exercise [of religion]"
Glad I could help you clear that up.
Anybody who has a "religious problem" with Harry Potter is a dingbat who needs to lighten up. And that's a pretty poor disertation on the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment. You may want to study the Constitution a bit before looking follish.
heye1967, skeptic-by-nature, Snoops_Malone;
You have every right to consider the fired librarian a dingbat, "bitty" (usually that is "biddy") or whatever, but you don't need to have a constitutional law debate to know that this is wrong. Both Missouri law (MRS 213.030; check it out here: http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/c200-299/2130000030.htm ) and Federal law protect employees from religious discrimation at work. How would any of you react if your employer told you that on a certain day or days, you had to wear a crucifix around your neck and read bible verses to visiting schoolchildren? If the facts are as alleged (a big if I admit), that library should have the book thrown at them, pun intended. I hope she also filed with the Missouri Civil Rights Commission and the EEOC.