Florida’s state prisons agency is being sued in federal court by a former prison chaplain who said he was discriminated against when he was fired for not wanting to train and oversee a female chaplain.
Liberty Counsel, a Christian nonprofit legal ministry, is representing Michael Horst in his suit against the Florida Department of Corrections and the Madison Correctional Institution, about 60 miles east of Tallahassee.
Horst was fired Dec. 12, 2024. Court filings include an incident report filed by the woman chaplain, unnamed in the lawsuit, accusing Horst of telling her that he wasn’t in agreement “with a woman in this position being over men.”
The 75-page legal complaint, filed in Tallahassee, explains that Horst’s religious beliefs prohibit women from ministering to men. His denomination is not disclosed.
Christians who believe women should not be ordained ministers usually refer to passages from the New Testament, mainly from the apostle Paul’s letters, such as 1 Timothy 2:11-12: “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.”
Horst’s complaint acknowledges that while the Bible emphasizes equality, it “incontrovertibly implements gender roles within Christian ministries,” and refers to passages in which women are specifically directed to teach younger women of the church.
“When Senior Chaplain Horst was engaging in speech related to his religion’s interpretation of the Bible, he was engaged in expression the First Amendment protects,” the complaint says.
A DOC spokesperson didn’t respond to a request for comment, but Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver said in a statement that “prison officials cannot fire a chaplain for exercising his rights under the law. Constitutional rights and religious freedom do not yield to state agency supervisors.”
Horst’s accusations not only focus on his free exercise of his religious beliefs, but also say the department is engaging in viewpoint discrimination, when the government favors or disfavors a certain message.
This comes weeks after Florida intensified its compliance with the Trump administration’s focus on combating anti-Christian discrimination in organizations. Within one week in November, Florida’s attorney general threatened legal action in three instances related to anti-Christian discrimination.
Horst’s case has been assigned to Chief U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor of the Northern District of Florida.
This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. USA Today Network-Florida First Amendment reporter Stephany Matat is based in Tallahassee, Fla. She can be reached at SMatat@usatodayco.com. On X: @stephanymatat.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Lawsuit claims firing tied to objection to woman chaplain
Reporting by Stephany Matat, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
