Christian Lifeguard Suspended Over Pride Flag Heads to Trial Against LA County

A Christian lifeguard captain with more than 20 years of service in the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Lifeguard Division is heading to trial after being suspended for refusing to raise the Progress Pride flag on religious grounds. A federal judge recently issued a sealed ruling on cross-motions for summary judgment, allowing the case of Little v. Los Angeles County to proceed to trial, as Fox News reported.

Background of the Case

In June 2023, the LA County Board of Supervisors voted to require the Progress Pride flag to be flown at all county facilities throughout Pride Month, including lifeguard stations. Captain Jeffrey Little, a devout evangelical Christian, requested a religious accommodation exempting him from personally raising the flag or ensuring his subordinates raised it, citing his Christian beliefs about marriage and sexuality.

The county initially granted Little’s accommodation request but revoked it just two days later, according to court documents. On June 21, 2023, Little arrived at Dockweiler Beach — which he believed was exempt from the flag requirement — and found three Pride flags flying. He took them down, claiming he had permission from Ocean Lifeguard Specialists.

The following day, Lifeguard Division Chief Fernando Boiteux gave Little a direct order to ensure the Pride flag was flown throughout June. Little subsequently faced six disciplinary actions in five days and was ultimately suspended for 15 days without pay.

Legal Claims and Positions

Little alleges that Chief Boiteux told him, “Your religious beliefs don’t matter” — an allegation the county disputes. The Thomas More Society, the conservative Catholic public interest law firm representing Little, argues that the county violated Little’s rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause.

“When a county official tells a heroic public servant of more than 20 years that his religious beliefs don’t matter and then defends that statement in federal court — that tells you everything about how Los Angeles County approached this issue,” said Paul M. Jonna, Little’s attorney. “This was not a good-faith effort to balance competing interests. This was hostility to religion, plain and simple.”

Los Angeles County maintains that Little was not punished for his religious beliefs but for the unauthorized removal of government property and violation of department policy. The county argues its Pride flag policy is a neutral one that applies equally to all employees.

Little is not asking the court to end the county’s Pride flag policy. He seeks a permanent religious accommodation exempting him from personally raising the flag or directing others to do so, along with damages and the removal of disciplinary findings from his personnel file.

Legal Significance

The case tests the application of Groff v. DeJoy (2023), a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision that raised the standard for employers to deny religious accommodations. Under Groff, employers must grant religious accommodations unless they can demonstrate “substantial increased costs” — a significantly higher bar than the previous “more than de minimis cost” standard.

As The Independent reported, the LA County Fire Department declined to comment on the ongoing litigation. Little’s attorney argues that accommodating him “would barely register as a rounding error in its billion-dollar budget.”

Broader Context

The case is part of a larger national debate over religious freedom versus LGBTQ+ inclusion in government workplaces. Similar disputes over Pride flags at government buildings, schools, and military installations have arisen across the United States. In 2025, Utah passed a law banning LGBTQ+ Pride flags, MAGA flags, and other unapproved flags in government buildings and schools.

The case also has local significance: Will Rogers State Beach, where Little was routinely stationed, includes a historically LGBTQ+ friendly section nicknamed “Ginger Rogers Beach” that has served as a refuge for the LGBTQ+ community for decades. In 2023, two lifeguard towers at Ginger Rogers Beach painted in Pride colors were vandalized, prompting an LAPD hate crime investigation.

What’s Next

With the federal judge’s sealed ruling allowing the case to proceed, both sides will now prepare for trial. No trial date has been publicly announced. The outcome could have significant implications for how government employers across the United States handle religious accommodation requests related to LGBTQ+ symbols and events, particularly in light of the Supreme Court’s 2023 Groff v. DeJoy decision.

The case represents a pivotal moment at the intersection of religious freedom and LGBTQ+ rights in public employment, with potential ramifications extending far beyond the beaches of Los Angeles County.