Christian LA County Lifeguard Captain Heads to Trial Over Pride Flag Religious Discrimination Claims

A veteran lifeguard captain with over 20 years in the Los Angeles County Fire Department is heading to trial over a dispute that started with a flag. Captain Jeffrey Little says he was suspended, investigated, and told his religious beliefs “don’t matter” after requesting an exemption from a county policy requiring the Progress Pride Flag to be flown at all county facilities every June. 

The Policy That Started It All

In March 2023, the LA County Board of Supervisors passed a motion requiring the Progress Pride Flag to be displayed at government facilities throughout June, in recognition of LGBTQ Pride Month. The Progress Pride Flag differs from the traditional rainbow flag by incorporating additional colors representing communities of color, as well as transgender and intersex people. For Little, a devout evangelical Christian, the mandate directly conflicted with his religious beliefs about marriage and human sexuality. 

The Accommodation Request

Little formally requested a religious accommodation, asking to be exempted from personally raising the flag or directing subordinates to do so. The county initially granted this accommodation before revoking it just two days later. Little wrote in a complaint that he felt “targeted or entrapped” and that his religious beliefs were not being taken seriously, adding that he was given no advance notice that flags would be flying. The sudden reversal set the confrontation in motion. 

The Flags Come Down

After the accommodation was revoked, Little took down several Pride flags from stations under his supervision. His attorney, Paul Jonna of the Thomas More Society, argues Little did so believing he still had the county’s authorization, and that some stations lacked the necessary hardware to fly the flag under the department’s own flag policy. Jonna says other flags had already been removed earlier that month for the same technical reason. The county does not dispute the removals but disputes Little’s rationale for them.

A 15-Day Suspension Without Pay

Following the flag removals, Little was placed under investigation and ultimately suspended for 15 days without pay. The county concluded he had violated its Policy of Equity. The lawsuit also alleges that Lifeguard Division Chief Fernando Boiteux told Little his “religious beliefs don’t matter,” a claim the county disputes. Jonna says other employees who physically damaged or defaced Pride flags faced lighter or no discipline, raising questions about whether Little was singled out for seeking formal religious accommodation. 

What Federal Law Actually Requires

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for employees whose sincerely held religious beliefs conflict with a work requirement, unless doing so would create an undue hardship for the employer. The Supreme Court raised that standard in its 2023 ruling in Groff v. DeJoy, requiring employers to show that granting an accommodation would result in substantially increased costs, replacing the older and easier-to-meet “de minimis” test. That higher bar now works in Little’s favor. 

The Lawsuit and What Little Is Asking For

Little filed a federal lawsuit in May 2024 against the LA County Fire Department and several lifeguard officials, alleging religious discrimination, employment discrimination, and First Amendment violations. He is seeking damages, the removal of disciplinary findings from his personnel file, and a permanent religious accommodation exempting him from raising the flag or directing others to do so. Notably, he is not asking the county to end its Pride flag policy, only that he be excused from personally enforcing it. 

The County’s Position

LA County maintains that Little was disciplined for conduct, not belief. Officials say he took down government-issued flags without authorization and violated established department policy. The county also disputes the claim that its officials dismissed Little’s religious beliefs. In May 2024, the county partially accommodated Little by agreeing he would not be personally responsible for raising or lowering the Pride flag, but still required him to direct subordinates to do so—a condition Little rejected as still violating his conscience. 

A Judge’s Sealed Ruling Moves the Case Forward

In May 2026, federal judge Josephine L. Staton issued a sealed mixed ruling that allows Little’s core claims to advance toward trial. Two courts have now ruled that the lawsuit holds legal merit. The ruling partially granted and partially denied summary judgment motions from both sides, meaning neither party secured an outright win. According to Little’s attorney, the case is now actively being prepared for trial, a significant milestone for a dispute that spans more than three years. 

Where Faith and Government Authority Collide

The Little case puts two principles in direct tension: a government employer’s authority to set workplace policy and a public employee’s federally protected right to religious accommodation. Little’s attorney argues the county’s conduct sends a message that religious beliefs are expendable in the face of institutional preference. The trial will force a court to decide how far that balance extends — a ruling with implications not just for Little, but for religious employees across public institutions nationwide.