A California childcare teacher sued her former employer last week after she was allegedly terminated and mistreated because of her religious objection to reading books to children featuring same-sex couples.
Nelli Parisenkova, who is being represented by lawyers with the Thomas More Law Society, worked four years at Bright Horizons Children's Center in Studio City and cared for children aged five and younger, according to the complaint she filed Thursday in the Superior Court of California.
The lawsuit claims Parisenkova was aware of such LGBT-themed material at the Studio City location of the largest childcare company in the U.S., but at first had not been required to read them.
Founded in 1986, Bright Horizons has hundreds of locations worldwide and employs more than 26,000 people. Parisenkova's situation changed in April when Katy Callas, who serves as director of the location, learned of Parisenkova’s religious objections to the material, refused her request for a religious accommodation and ultimately created a hostile work environment that led to her termination, according to the complaint.