Former Liberty University worker speaks out about job termination for being transgender

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — A day after the ACLU filed a lawsuit against Liberty University for firing a woman for being transgender, WSET spoke to her to hear more about her side of the story.

Ellenor Zinski, the woman fired from Liberty, said she started working in the IT department in 2023. A few months into the job, Zinski decided to tell HR that she identified as a trans woman and planned to legally change her name. The lawsuit said about a month of no response followed before she was called into a meeting with the heads of Liberty's HR and IT departments.

RELATED: ACLU files lawsuit accusing Liberty University of firing worker for being transgender

"Liberty University officials read a termination notice aloud to Ellenor citing 'denying biological and chromosomal sex assigned at birth' as the basis for her termination, stating a conflict with Liberty’s Doctrinal Statement that names 'denial of birth sex by self-identification with a different gender' as a 'sinful act prohibited by God,'" the lawsuit said.

Zinski said the reasoning behind her decision to alert HR about her transgender identity was difficult to navigate.

"I got to a point where I felt like, 'Okay, enough people are treating me with kindness and with God's love. I feel like I can do this,'" Zinski said.

She said the way she decided to send that message was intentionally tactful without making demands, but the month-long wait for a response after that was grueling to her mental health.

"It was just anxiety," she said. "Every single day I remember just checking my emails and seeing if I had any correspondence at all, and every day there was nothing. It was anxiety-inducing."

Zinski said she identified as a transgender woman before she had started working at Liberty but knew that her name and appearance would mean others would perceive her as a man. To try to fit in in the workplace, she continued doing her job that way--presenting more as a man with her old name rather than openly identifying as a trans woman. She did have two coworker friends who she had come out to as transgender who were supportive of her, but other than that she stayed under the radar until the official notice.

Wyatt Rolla with the ACLU of Virginia, who also joined WSET for Zinski's interview, said the termination letter read aloud and sent to Zinski made one thing very clear: she was being fired because she was transgender.

The termination letter that LU provided Ellenor and read aloud in that meeting cited verbatim: 'denying biological and chromosomal sex assigned at birth' was basis for termination. They explicitly fired Ellenor for being transgender," Rolla said. "And no one should be fired for who they are and that is exactly what the university did."

SEE ALSO: Settlement reached between Jerry Falwell Jr. and Liberty University

Rolla connected the termination to the violation of Title VII. Title VII protects employees from facing discrimination in the workplace based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.

"Basically, the Supreme Court has said by virtue of discriminating against someone for being transgender, you are discriminating on the basis of sex, which violates Title VII," they said.

Zinski said the moments when Liberty officials read her termination letter to her were devastating.

It was like my worst fears had come true. My heart sunk in my chest," Zinski said.

She said she is not only transgender but also a Christian herself. The implications of being rejected by a Christian organization were hurtful to her at a religious level.

"I identify as a Christian, and them casting me out is like saying a sinner can't be a Christian. Even though I don't even view being trans as a sin, I know many people do," she said.

According to the lawsuit, Zinski is seeking the following:

• Appropriate declaratory relief declaring the acts and practices complained of herein in violation of Title VII.
• An award of compensatory and punitive damages in the amount of $300,000, plus back-pay damages, with pre-judgment interest at the prevailing rate.
• Equitable relief including reinstatement, or front pay in lieu of the same.
• Award of reasonable attorney's fees and costs, including expert witness fees expended.
• Further relief to which Plaintiff may show she is justly entitled.

WSET has reached out to Liberty University for a statement regarding the lawsuit. A spokesperson for the school said there is "no comment as of yet on the most recent development."

Zinski hopes more can come from the situation than just the terms of the lawsuit.

I hope that standing up to Liberty will show that they cannot do this to anyone else," she said. "I don't want anyone to ever have to experience what I did, whether it's at Liberty University or any other religious institution.