(OPINION) A now-former Best Buy employee is planning to sue the big-box chain, claiming he was fired from his job for expressing his biblical views on sexuality.
Enis Sujak, a Serbian immigrant who lives in Jacksonville, Florida, worked for the Geek Squad at a local Best Buy until Sept. 1, when he was reportedly dismissed for taking issue with a mandatory training video on LGBT history, he wrote in the description of his GiveSendGo campaign.
Rather than tend to the needs of a waiting customer, Sujak alleged, he was told to watch the video. “As a Christian, I believe marriage is between a man and a woman,” he wrote. “Yet, for some reason, Best Buy insisted that I submit to a lesson series on ‘The History of the LGBTQ Movement’ while I have clients waiting on my assistance.”
Sujak continued, “My ability to help and serve customers with electronic repairs and the sexual orientation of my colleagues have nothing in common. In fact, sexuality has no place in the workplace, and forcing me to subject myself to conduct that I believe constitutes a sin while taking me away from serving my former employer’s customers is simply unacceptable — in fact, it’s unlawful.”
The allegations against Best Buy and Sujak’s manager, Mike Hirsch, first came to light Sept. 2, when leaked audio was shared by activist journalist James O’Keefe, formerly of Project Veritas.
Furthermore, Sujak confronted Hirsch over reported Christian discrimination in the kinds of things employees are allowed to display on company property.
When the ex-employee asked Hirsch why LGBT Pride flags and symbols are permitted while a Christian cross is not, the Geek Squad manager said the two are “not the same” because a person chooses to be a Christian while, in his view, individuals don’t decide their own sexual orientations or identities.
“You can 1,000% choose religion,” Hirsch reportedly said. “[Y]ou are choosing to choose to believe in Christianity or Muslim or whatever; you choose that. … They’re not choosing gay.”
Sunjak stated he has hired an attorney and plans to file a civil lawsuit against Best Buy. At the time of this story’s publication, Sunjak has raised more than $10,500 to cover legal fees associated with his pending lawsuit.