A former employee of the City University of New York (CUNY) alleges she was let go from her job after converting to Christianity and asking to be removed from a program that required her to recruit students for an LGBT fellowship in compliance with her Christian faith.
The Daily Caller reports:
Teona Pagan, who worked at CUNY’s Research Foundation as the Fellowships and Public Service Program Coordinator, alleges she was denied a religious accommodation for an aspect of her job that required her to recruit students for a fellowship focused on the promotion of LGBT “rights and causes,” according to the complaint filed Aug. 28. When Pagan converted to Christianity in April 2022 — months after beginning her job in November 2021 — she suddenly found her duties related to the fellowship in conflict with her sincerely held religious beliefs.
Pagain said, “After my hire, I was told that the committee was particularly drawn to me because of my youthful maturity and willingness to stand boldly for issues plaguing our generation. Ironically, when I decided to finally stand for the Truth, who is Jesus Christ, they chose to terminate my employment.”
According to CUNY’s website, the fellowship “supports CUNY students committed to LGBTQI+ causes, rights and advocacy with a not-for-profit internship program,” and grants them $5,000 scholarships to fund eight week internships.
After putting in her written request to be removed from the program, and asking to be more involved in other programs to compensate for her removal from the LGBT fellowship, she says she was interrogated about her beliefs in a June 2022 meeting that the human resources director was present in. The school’s dean denied the request on June 9th, citing that it created an “undue burden on the office,” placing her on administrative a week later, and five days after that, told her her contract wouldn’t be renewed.
The Daily Caller continued:
Pagan oversaw nine other fellowship programs, and less than 10% of her job was devoted to the LGBT-centered program, known as the Mixner Fellowship, she told the DCNF. She thought the religious accommodation would be an “easy fix and compromise,” especially since she had collaborated with her supervisor on other projects “where roles shifted smoothly.”
Pagan initially filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint, but the commission opted not to pursue further investigation in May 2024, according to a notice of right to sue.
Since the termination of her position at CUNY, Pagan has held to her convictions, and has found a better fitting role at a Christian apparel company.
“I give God all the glory for this entire journey and situation because I know that it is all for the Kingdom, and so that somebody else might ask, what must I do to be saved? I even pray the prosperity and peace of God for those that I am filing suit against.”
