A Wisconsin Christian man has filed a religious discrimination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming he was terminated for refusing to use the preferred name and pronouns of a trans-identifying employee.
Spencer Wimmer is a former employee of Generac Power Systems, Inc., where he worked for almost five years before his termination. The complaint, filed last week with help from the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, accuses Generac of discriminating against Wimmer in violation of federal law under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In response to an inquiry from The Christian Post, a Generac spokesperson denied the claims made by Wimmer in his complaint, adding that the company “will defend against this frivolous claim.”
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“The company complies with all federal and state employment laws. Additionally, we’ve never had a policy on gender pronoun usage,” the spokesperson told CP. “We have voluntarily and proactively complied with the administration’s executive order that the company not have DEI related requirements. We are unable to comment further given the ongoing nature of this pending litigation.”
Wimmer claims that he sought religious accommodations to avoid using the preferred name and pronouns of a trans-identifying employee, but human resources and his supervisor denied the request.
Wimmer maintains that no employee complained about him and that his performance at the company resulted in various raises and even a promotion to a leadership role until April 2025. According to the complaint, soon after making the accommodation request, Wimmer was fired from the company.
“I was asked to choose between my livelihood and my love for God and my beliefs,” Wimmer said during a Friday interview with Fox News Digital. The former employee called the situation “heartbreaking,” saying it was “very emotional having everything kind of ripped out from under me.”
According to the complaint, none of Generac’s notice policies require employees to refer to their colleagues in a certain way. After making it clear that he would not use a trans-identifying employee’s preferred name and pronouns, Wimmer received a disciplinary action note.
The note informed Wimmer that the company expects him to use an employee’s preferred name and pronouns, and the consequences for failing to comply include termination.
When delivering the disciplinary action note, an HR employee reportedly told Wimmer that his religious objections “did not make any sense” and likened using preferred names and pronouns of a trans-identifying individual to using a nickname, such as “Lizzy” for “Elizabeth.”
After attempting to seek religious accommodations, which were denied, Wimmer resigned from the company on March 31, feeling that his workplace would put him in conflict with his faith. A few days later, Wimmer claims that he learned he may have “certain rights” that protect his religious beliefs in the workplace.
On April 2, Wimmer sent an email to rescind his prior resignation and resume working for the company. The email went unanswered at first, but hours later, Wimmer was called into a conference room, where he was informed that his request to rescind his resignation was denied and that he was to be terminated.
The former employer was instructed to leave the premises, and his items would be shipped to him at a later date. Wimmer claims that several of his items, including a Bible and a black mug with an image of Chi Rho, were returned to him “defaced and badly damaged.”
“Generac’s bias and hostility toward Mr. Wimmer’s religious beliefs — including the company’s discipline, harassment, denial of a reasonable accommodation, and ultimate termination of Mr. Wimmer — constitute religious discrimination under Title VII,” the complaint concludes, requesting that EEOC open a formal investigation into the matter.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
