Man Fired For God Button: Trevor Keezer Says Home Depot Fired Him Over "One Nation Under God" Pin (VIDEO)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A former cashier for The Home Depot who has been wearing a "One nation under God" button on his work apron for more than a year has been fired, he says because of the religious reference. The company claims that expressing such personal beliefs is simply not allowed.Scroll down for video of a news report on this story

"I've worn it for well over a year and I support my country and God," Trevor Keezor said Tuesday. "I was just doing what I think every American should do, just love my country."

WATCH:

The American flag button Keezer wore in the Florida store since March 2008 says "One nation under God, indivisible."

Earlier this month, he began bringing a Bible to read during his lunch break at the store in the rural town of Okeechobee, about 140 miles north of Miami. That's when he says The Home Depot management told him he would have to remove the button.

Keezer refused, and he was fired on Oct. 23, he said.

"It feels kind of like a punishment, like I was punished for just loving my country," Keezer said.

A Home Depot spokesman said Keezer was fired because he violated the company's dress code.

"This associate chose to wear a button that expressed his religious beliefs. The issue is not whether or not we agree with the message on the button," Craig Fishel said. "That's not our place to say, which is exactly why we have a blanket policy, which is long-standing and well-communicated to our associates, that only company-provided pins and badges can be worn on our aprons."

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Fishel said Keezer was offered a company-approved pin that said, "United We Stand," but he declined.

Keezer's lawyer, Kara Skorupa, said she planned to sue the Atlanta-based company.

"There are federal and state laws that protect against religious discrimination," Skorupa said. "It's not like he was out in the aisles preaching to people."

Keezer said he was working at the store to earn money for college, and wore the button to support his country and his 27-year-old brother, who is in the National Guard and is set to report in December for a second tour of duty in Iraq.

Skorupa noted the slogan on Keezer's pin is straight from the Pledge of Allegiance.

"These mottos and sayings that involve God, that's part of our country and historical fabric," Skorupa said. "In God we trust is on our money."

Michael Masinter, a civil rights and employment law professor at NOVA Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, said any lawsuit over religious discrimination might be a tough one to win.

"Because it's a private business, not one that's owned and operated by the government, it doesn't have to operate under the free speech provisions of the First Amendment," Masinter said.

"But we're not talking about religious displays here," he said. "This sounds more like a political message ... Wearing a button of that sort would not easily be described as a traditional form of religious expression like wearing a cross or wearing a yarmulke."

Comments

[awc4562]

Well that does it Home Depot - I have already applied for my Lowes credit card and as soon as I apy off my Home Depot account I WILL be closing the account. - firing Trevor is absolutly ludicrious and this country needs to wake up and stand for freedom and God again -

[Katie69]

Another case of discrimination against Christians. Period. And for those who would like to disagree saying that there's some law that requires the Separation of Church & State...you are both correct & out of your mind. Our Constitution says that the government can NOT interfere in lawful religious practices [like the Monarchs of England, France & Spain did]. No where does either the Declaration of Independence or our Constitution [including the Bill of Rights] say that religion has no place in government. Period. Thomas Jefferson only mentioned, in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, that the government had no right to dictate to churches. Then an idiot Supreme Court Justice who didn't know what he was talking about mentioned the phrase 'separation of church & state' out of context in his legal brief of a SC decision. Then, anti-Christians grabbed the ball & ran with it to where the ignorant among actually believe that there really is some founding doctrine to the separation of church & state. Puhleeze!
I'm personally getting sick & tired of anti-Christians, anti-Judaics from trying to turn my Christianity founded country into some anti-religious, PC utopia! For those who haven't done your own homework properly & actually graduated from a public school able to read, there's a book just for you: Christianity and the American Commonwealth by Galloway.

[kimrc11]

Please it is so laughable when Christians ( and I am one) try to say it is not politically correct to be one. This country was founded on Christianity and we have NO tolerance for anything else. This is a case of an employer enforcing their rule Period! If someone came in with a gay flag all of a sudden it would not be so okay for them to express themselves. Who are you people kidding. Outside of work he can do what ever he wants, that is America.On the job he must obey the rules of his employer. He was given teh opportunity to take it off and keep his job, HE chose not to and he was fired end of story...move on!

[Katie69]

Please speak only for yourself with regards to whether Christians have any tolerance for other beliefs.
As an intelligent, thinking human being, I do have to wonder about the ironic coincidence of the button becoming a problem only AFTER the young man began to bring a Bible to work. Would a Muslim wearing a head covering be fired, due to company safety policy of course, after bring a Koran to work?
There are definite instiances of descrimination against Christians in our own United State. This may be another.

[brady61995]

" in god we trust " is on our money, that has been the biggest point made lately by the kooks. really this lump needs to move on.

[Etanah]

Why is everyone arguing that he got fired for "not taking the button off" not because of what the button says?!...come on now. He got fired because he was wearing the pin and people starting complaining that he wore it. AND! he brought a bible into work to read on his break. So what if he's a "God freak" as I read a few times here. He wasn't trying to preach to anyone. People bring books to work all the time.
Why not a bible? It's a book. I love Home Depot, it's one of my favorite stores...but after reading this I feel differently about it now. I think I"ll start shopping at Lowe's from now on! Me and a few hundred others that feel the same way I do. How's that for you ..."home depot"? You're a disgrace. I'm on Trevor's side here.

[Katie69]

Our extended family stopped shopping at Home Deport over a year ago when they were descriminating against soldiers enlisted with the National Guard. Lowe's has a much more family friendly & Christian friendly store policy. The people who work are there are generally nicer [overall] than those we've encountered at Home Depot.

[Dwmjr1985]

Am i wrong to believe that he should have a right to wear the pen, and so should atheist and every other religion. Although i know that if it was an atheist pen or a Muslim pen Fox news would be talking about how Home Depot did such a great job at firing those people.

[kwinter]

"Am i wrong to believe that he should have a right to wear the pen"

He has the right to wear the pin ... but if he chooses to wear the pin while at work, and unapproved pins are against company policy ... HD also has the right to fire him.

If I ran a retail business, I would probably have the same policy. I am an atheist, but if that was my policy, and an employee wore a pin saying *one nation under NO gods*, and he refused to remove it ... I would fire him.
Advertising religious or political beliefs are not good for business. Wearing a pin is advertising. Your employees are representing your business while they're on the clock.

[Gnrshrtd]

"Am i wrong to believe that he should have a right to wear the pen"

He refused all of the patriotic pins offered by the company - but, no, his pin had to have the word 'god' on it. The terms of his employment were clear, and he accepted them when he took the job. It is defiance of the terms of his work contract - but he thinks god makes him exempt.

Well, he gets to choose when he owns the company.

[momintum]

For countless centuries this or that religion has found ways tp proselytize, promote, and force their superstitious nonsense down the throats of the human race. This god, that god, gods in general, boogermen, and various sky fairies have been utilized to separate, divide, and wreak havoc across this planet. The cultural memes that adhere to dogma is strong even in error and until evolution ejects this nuisance, as it eventually will, we can look forward to more of this same fantastic baloney. It behooved the human race earlier in time to quickly explain phenomena away as a creation of some super guy in the sky, ie...Thor with his hammer creating thunder. This mentality has "hung around" for much too long creating miseries and atrocities uncountable. The human race will either progress forward or one of these religious manipulators will manufacture a calamity far worse than Jonestown.

[Eric Penner]

This has been turned entirely on its head. He was fired for not removing the button, not because of what the button said, and both he and Fox are bothered by the fact that this religious button was not given special treatment.

Like the statement from Home Depot said, the content of the button meant nothing to them; he was simply not dressing according to their standards and he was fired. It hasn't got anything to do with religion, or bringing his bible to work.

[DemiCrat]

First they came for the tattooed, but I did not have a tattoo, so I did not speak out;
Then they came for the pierced, but I did not have a piercing, so I did not speak out;
Then they came for the mohawked, but I did not have a mohawk, so i did not speak out;
Then they came for the Jesus buttons... and I filed a federal lawsuit.

[mediamarv]

Good.
Tired of all the jesus freaks imposing their religious views on everyone else. And they are the only ones doing it.

[Katie69]

Au contrair. Check out the problems that Dearborn, Michigan is having. I won't even tell you which 'religious' group is the problem.

BTW, true Christians have never imposed their views on anyone...ever.

[Watain]

I guess we won’t see any employees wearing burkas anytime soon at Home Depot.

[Ranta]

Maybe the right can turn this sheepboy into the next Joe the plumber.

[belly dancer]

This guy should go work at my local whattaburger...it has One Nation Under God Indivisible written all over its windows as well as three signs outside and 4 different places on the inside walls.....

[MissVirginiaVoter]

Ok, Florida? Yeah right he got fired for bringing a Bible, or wearing the pin? You could start preaching in any store in Florida and it would be fine.....there's more to the story we are not getting.

[Lulubelle1]

The dress code is the dress code. Companies have a right to determine how their employees represent themselves in the workplace. Wearing that button was not a requirement of his religion, such as covering of the head, etc., so it was optional, and therefore subject to the dress code.

Other employees would not be permitted to wear buttons that said, "Satan is my copilot," or any other button that implied a controversial point of view, or even a vehemence that the company found inappropriate for the workplace.

Presumably, the company asked him to remove the button and he refused. He did deserve an opportunity to comply, and the requisite warnings/p­robationar­y status. If the firing was without warning, that seems somewhat improper, as if he were fired not for wearing the button (which could be removed) but for having a certain worldview (which cannot be readily removed).