Valerie Kloosterman refused to surrender her conscience and the fight ended with a health system rewriting its policies. The result could matter far beyond her own case.
[UPDATE] In what is being described as a major win for Christian medical workers, the University of Michigan Health-West (UMHW) has settled its dispute with physician assistant Valerie Kloosterman, who was fired for requesting religious accommodations to the hospital’s mandates on LGBT ideology.
Kloosterman, who worked for UMHW for 17 years, had been forced to complete training in 2021 that required her to affirm gender is fluid, a statement which violated her religious beliefs. Kloosterman requested a religious accommodation to that demand, as well as from UMHW’s policies that would have required her to use transgender patients’ preferred pronouns and refer patients for gender transition procedures.
A Michigan health representative berated her for her beliefs, calling Kloosterman “evil” and blaming her for suicides of those with gender dysphoria. Kloosterman was fired in August 2021 despite years of glowing performance reviews.
Kloosterman filed suit, and four years later, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit unanimously ruled in her favor.
On July 29, First Liberty Institute, her legal counsel, issued a statement saying that the parties had reached a settlement: UMHW will not only pay Kloosterman $410,000 but has also agreed to change its policies. The settlement requires UMHW to create a religious accommodation policy in accordance with the law; notify and train its employees on non-discrimination law; and grant reasonable religious accommodations without retaliation.
“Title VII prohibits employers from discriminating against and punishing employees for their faith,” said Kayla Toney, counsel at First Liberty. “Valerie is an exceptional physician assistant who cares for each of her patients. Employers cannot drive out people like Valerie just because of their sincere religious beliefs. We are grateful to have resolved this matter with University of Michigan Health-West.”
UMHW’s updated non-discrimination notice now states: “Because we respect our employees’ religious beliefs, we will not require them to act in ways that violates their religious beliefs.”
As a result of the settlement, UMHW’s new policies include the following changes:
- Trainings: Employees will not be required to personally affirm statements about gender identity.
- Gender transition treatments: Employees will not be required to participate in transgender procedures, medications, or referrals, but must notify their supervisor so the supervisor can take over patient care.
- Pronouns: Employees will not be required to use pronouns in a way that violates their religious beliefs or conscience, but they must notify their supervisor so the supervisor can assume care and ensure that medical records are maintained per UMHW policies.
Kloosterman responded to the news of the settlement by saying,
“All I wanted to do was provide the best care possible to my patients without being forced to violate my Christian beliefs. This new policy ensures that providers of faith and employees at UMHW will receive religious accommodations so that they can provide excellent care consistent with their medical judgment, because all patients are created in the image of God.”
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Christian Healthcare Worker Battles Firing Over Trans Policy
{Published February 18, 2025} Valerie Kloosterman, a physician assistant who was fired by the University of Michigan Health System (UMHW) after she requested a religious accommodation to refrain from using pronouns that conflict with biological sex and from referring patients for gender transition treatments, had her case heard earlier this month before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
For 17 years, Kloosterman dedicated herself to Michigan Health, continuing a family legacy as the third generation to serve in her local healthcare system.
She was deeply committed to providing the highest quality care to all patients, treating everyone with professionalism and respect, regardless of their sexual orientation or stated gender identity. Her dedication was recognized through outstanding performance reviews, with supervisors describing her as professional and a pleasure to work with.
When the University of Michigan took over the rural health center where she worked in 2021, they required all staff to affirm patients who believed that they had a different gender identity than their biological sex.
As part of this, Kloosterman told Fox News that she was required to complete a diversity training module that mandated her to affirm statements about sexual orientation and gender identity that conflicted with her Christian faith.
“Two of those questions specifically stated that gender was fluid. I couldn’t put, ‘No, I don’t believe that, as we were made in the image of God, it’s something that God designed us to be. It’s not something that we’re assigned with at birth.’ But I couldn’t put, ‘No.’ It wouldn’t let me complete the mandatory survey, and they had already stated you would be terminated if you didn’t fill it out,” she said.
She also refused to use pronouns that conflicted with biological reality and declining to refer patients for transgender medical procedures — both decisions rooted in her deeply held Christian faith and medical judgment. She then asked for a religious exemption to the requirements.
Despite her exemplary record as a healthcare professional, a Michigan Health representative with no medical background berated Kloosterman, calling her “evil” and a “liar” and openly disparaging her religious beliefs. She was even blamed for suicides related to gender dysphoria.
Less than a month later, she was fired. Kloosterman was devastated, tearfully explaining that “I wanted to work there my entire career.”
In response, First Liberty Institute filed a lawsuit in October 2022 against Michigan Health on her behalf, arguing that the University of Michigan had violated her First Amendment rights to the free exercise of religion and free speech and that health officials had engaged in religious discrimination in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Although a federal judge found in favor of Kloosterman, allowing her lawsuit to proceed, Michigan Health appealed the case by invoking its right to use arbitration as a way to fight against Kloosterman. As a result, the case has continued to wind itself through the courts and ended up before the Sixth Circuit appeals court in early February.
“It is intolerant and unconstitutional for employers to demand that medical professionals like Valerie abandon their religious beliefs in order to remain employed,” said Roger Byron, senior counsel for First Liberty. “The University of Michigan Health-West system is sending a message that religious health care workers are not welcome and need not apply. We hope Michigan Health is held accountable for its discrimination.”
The right to the free exercise of faith is a foundational principle in the United States, protected by the First Amendment and federal laws such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Despite these freedoms, conflicts between religious convictions and woke workplace policies are becoming more frequent.
Medical professionals like Kloosterman should never be forced to compromise their religious beliefs to keep their jobs. She has the right to return to work without violating her deeply held convictions, allowing her to continue serving her patients and community with integrity.
Workplace religious discrimination is not only unjust but also illegal. Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for religious beliefs unless it creates an undue hardship on the business. In this case, granting Kloosterman an accommodation would not have hindered patient care, yet she was still penalized for her faith.
No American should be forced to choose between their faith and their career. America’s laws exist to protect religious liberty, ensuring that individuals are not punished for living according to their beliefs. A victory for Kloosterman would be a victory for all who face discrimination for their faith in the workplace, reinforcing the fundamental freedoms upon which this nation was built.
One courageous stand can light the way for others. If Valerie Kloosterman’s story reminds you why Christians must be free to live their faith without compromise, help us keep shining a light on the battles shaping faith and freedom in America. Consider making a gift here.
