Freedom Updates
Advocates in Action
MLB Must Choose
Dear Friend,
Major League Baseball warned three Christian San Francisco Giants baseball players about writing Bible verses on their ballcaps during the team’s LGBTQ pride celebration. After public outcry at the hypocrisy, including a letter from Advocates for Faith & Freedom which can be read here, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred wrote a June 19, 2026 response letter to Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri. The letter fell short of resolving the issue.
It is good to be thankful for how far we have come in this matter. First, Manfred noted that MLB changed its policy in 2023 to prohibit teams from altering uniforms during “their celebration days except under very narrow circumstances.”
Second, he emphasized that players had “the option to wear their normal uniform” instead of the Giants’ pride one, which apparently was not effectively communicated to the Giants players. Third, the Commissioner promised Senator Hawley that players who write Bible verses “were neither fined nor disciplined, nor will they ever be,” which is a positive reversal of the prior warning.
The Commissioner’s letter, however, shows how far MLB still must go for equal treatment. Manfred stated that MLB specially allows the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers to alter their official uniforms for LGBTQ pride nights. Christian players, however, are not permitted to equally alter their uniforms with Bible verses on these same or other nights. This is unequal. Manfred mentions that certain clubs have Faith nights, but he does not mention that teams are allowed to alter their uniforms with a Cross or Bible verses, which would be equal to the pride night treatment. Judging from the Commissioner’s letter, the only issue of its kind that MLB allows to have official uniform alterations is LGBTQ pride.
MLB must make a final choice. Either its players and teams totally refrain from promoting personal beliefs on uniforms or it fully opens the doors to this. Letting two teams promote anti-Christian sexual beliefs while not letting Christian employees promote their opposite beliefs in the same manner is discriminatory. This is especially important because of the honor giving to religious freedom during the United States of America’s 250-year history. This matter goes well beyond the players and affects thousands of team staff and stadium employees. Significant results often happen through legislation, government investigation, or successful litigation, such as a class action. MLB may need one of these. How easy is it for MLB to simply print the Cross or Bible verses on players’ ballcaps during the LGBTQ and Faith nights? One proven truth throughout history is that any matter that contradicts the Word of God does not go away, which is why the present matter is still unsettled.
In Christ,
Shea T. Hasenauer
Senior Legal Counsel
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM FILES RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST KAISER PERMANENTE
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2026
CONTACT: NICOLE VELASCO AT
MEDIA@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Murrieta, CA — Advocates for Faith & Freedom has filed a federal lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente on behalf of Sarah Plath, a former Kaiser medical assistant who was terminated after seeking a religious accommodation from Kaiser’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
Mrs. Plath is a devout Christian whose faith guides her conscience, her view of the sanctity of human life, and her belief that her body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. When Kaiser required employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccination or obtain an exemption, Mrs. Plath submitted a religious accommodation request explaining her sincerely held beliefs. She also provided additional written support, including a letter from her pastor.
Kaiser initially provisionally approved Mrs. Plath’s religious exemption, but later reversed course, denied her request without meaningful explanation, placed her on unpaid leave, and ultimately terminated her employment. At the same time, Kaiser granted accommodations to other similarly situated employees and allowed alternatives such as masking, testing, symptom screening, social distancing, and other precautionary measures.
“This case is about more than one employee losing her job,” said Sam Kane, Senior Legal Counsel at Advocates for Faith & Freedom. “It is about whether Americans can still live and work according to their sincerely held religious convictions without being punished by corporate gatekeepers. No employer should be allowed to force a faithful Christian to choose between her conscience and her livelihood – especially when reasonable accommodations were available.”
Mrs. Plath had worked for Kaiser since approximately 2010 and complied with masking, testing, and other safety protocols. Rather than engage in a meaningful interactive process or explain why her accommodation would create an undue hardship, Kaiser rejected her request and ended her employment.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued Mrs. Plath a Right to Sue letter and found reasonable cause to believe that violations of federal law occurred.
Advocates for Faith & Freedom maintains that religious liberty does not disappear in the workplace. Neither government pressure nor corporate mandates can override the conscience rights protected by federal and state law.
“Our Constitution and civil rights laws were written to restrain overreach and protect the individual,” Kane added. “When large institutions trample the religious convictions of everyday Americans, we will stand in the gap and fight back.”
The lawsuit brings claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act for religious discrimination, failure to accommodate, and retaliation. Mrs. Plath seeks damages, attorneys’ fees, reinstatement, and a declaration that Kaiser violated her rights under federal and state law.
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BEFORE SHE BEGINS SERVING AT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE…
Dear Friend,
We are incredibly grateful for Julianne Fleischer’s years of service defending faith, freedom, and families. As she prepares to begin her next chapter with the U.S. Department of Justice, we sat down to reflect on her journey, her calling, and the lessons she’s learned along the way.
Watch the full interview and please keep Julianne in your prayers as she embarks on this exciting new opportunity to serve our nation.
In Christ,
Robert Tyler
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