AUSTIN, Texas — A hearing was held on Wednesday in Austin in a case involving a former chaplain for the Austin Fire Department (AFD) who says his constitutional rights were violated when he was fired after he shared his views on a personal blog.
According to a complaint filed in federal court in 2022, Dr. Andrew Fox volunteered as the AFD's lead chaplain for eight years until he was fired after he posted a personal blog in July 2021, sharing his belief that men and women are "biologically distinct" and his view that "men should not compete on women's sports teams."
The complaint states that after officials demanded Fox recant and apologize for expressing his beliefs and Fox refused, he was fired. The complaint also states that prior to this incident, "separate from his work as a chaplain, Dr. Fox consistently shared his religious and philosophical reflections online for years without any problem. It was only when Dr. Fox expressed a particular set of views that officials disliked that the city extinguished Dr. Fox's career."
Fox and attorneys with the group Alliance Defending Freedom believe the AFD violated Fox's First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion, as well as violated the Texas Constitution, by firing him in response to his blog post.
"He was able to serve everyone in the department's community, including LGBT individuals, and he served for eight years without any complaints. There were no complaints against him for eight years, and he was able to faithfully serve," Rachel Rouleau with Alliance Defending Freedom said. "And so, we just want to ensure that people, not just Dr. Andrew Fox, but people around the country, can express their deeply held religious beliefs while they're at work."
When asked to comment on this case, AFD shared the following statement with KVUE:
"The Austin Fire Department respects the ongoing legal process and, out of deference, will not speak to pending litigation."