News From KT where A federal judge ruled that a library’s dress code that prevented a worker from wearing a necklace with a cross pendant was an unconstitutional violation of free-speech rights.
The employee, Kimberly Draper, was fired for refusing to take off the pendant, which she wore as an expression of her religious faith.
“It is simply beyond credibility that an employee’s personal display of a cross pendant, a star of David, or some other minor, unobtrusive religious symbol on her person would interfere with the library’s purpose,”
just wondering
What is WITH dress codes in libraries? I can understand the “no holes in pants” “no jeans” “no thongs showing” “no visible clods of dirt in hair” guidelines. No parasites? No peekaboo teddies on the ref desk? Sure. I grumbled when my workplace banned flipflops, but I understand it. I can even understand the “no writing on teeshirts” rules many places have. Having demonstrated my empathy for rulemakers, however, I have to say that religious jewelry is:
a) Within the traditional boundaries of “professional” dress
b) Unless it is a 2’x2′ pendant, heavily hung around one’s neck, with some sort of televangelical type slogan on it, pretty subtle
c) providing information about the person wearing it (that they are Christian, a Sikh, etc) but not necessarily saying “you, too must become a Christian!”
If the person is saying that with their mouth, though, on company time, you got a problem.