A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling against a man who was fired for refusing to attend an LGBTQ+ training session that he said violated his religious beliefs.

In 2018, Raymond Zdunski — a senior account clerk who worked seven years at a Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in Erie County, New York — refused twice to attend a job training session entitled “LGBTQ Cultural Competency,” The Buffalo News reported.

[...]The state-mandated anti-discrimination training was designed “to facilitate a safe environment for both students and staff,” according to David O’Rourke, the district’s superintendent and the BOCES’s CEO.

In February 2018, Zdunski told his bosses he didn’t want to attend and listen to “indoctrination that is in contradiction to the tenets of his faith.” He said his beliefs “are dictated to him by the Holy Scripture,” his lawsuit noted. He requested that the BOCES create a mandatory training session about anti-Christian discrimination.