Tennessee —
FFRF’s legal work has convinced the West Tennessee Public Utility District in Huntingdon, Tenn., to keep their social media account free from religious postings.
A local resident reported that on March 9, the district’s official Facebook page posted a religious photo including reference to a bible verse. The test overlaying the photo read: “You are God’s masterpiece. Ephesians 2:10.”
The district apparently had also posted religious messages for Good Friday and Easter. “The district’s social media channels should provide all residents with a sense of community and inclusion,” FFRF Anne Nicol Gaylor Legal Fellow Kyle J. Steinberg wrote to the district. “For the West Tennessee residents who subscribe to a minority religion or no religion at all, their utility district telling them they are ‘created in Christ Jesus’ and promoting Christian holidays is exclusionary.”
After filing the complaint, FFRF was informed that Michael U. King, general counsel for West Tennessee Public Utility, would be working on behalf of the district in the matter. King informed FFRF then that the district “removed the Facebook posts based on your complaint.”
