SHAVE OR YOU’RE FIRED? EEOC Sues Ice Cream Company Over Jewish Worker’s Beard

 
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency, sued Bluebell Creameries, an ice cream company, Friday for religious discrimination after it fired a Jewish employee who requested a religious accommodation to keep his beard.

Gary Blackshear, a body shop technician, worked at a production facility in Sylacauga, Ala., refurbishing fiberglass parts for the fleet maintenance department. For this work, he needed to wear a respirator mask, which didn’t seal properly because of his beard. He requested a special mask that would fit over his beard, and although the requested mask was ordered, he was fired in March 2025, “less than a month after he refused to shave his beard due to his religious beliefs,” the EEOC said.

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The company claimed that Blackshear was fired for “theft of company time,” citing two instances when he left without permission: once to pick up food for his coworkers and once to deliver food to his son, who was nearby. The complaint states that other employees had engaged in similar conduct without repercussions and that those who sported beards were not asked to shave.

The EEOC therefore alleges that the reason for his firing was pretextual.

“Blue Bell’s stated reason for firing the longtime employee, a timekeeping violation, was a pretext for religious discrimination and retaliation and claimed that other workers routinely engaged in the same conduct without repercussion,” the federal agency alleged.

It added that “a supervisor baselessly questioned the sincerity of the worker’s religious beliefs on multiple occasions.”

The agency is seeking an injunction, nondiscrimination policies, punitive and nominal damages, costs, and a jury trial. The lawsuit also demands that Blackshear be given back pay with interest, and be reinstated, as well as compensated for financial and emotional harm.

“Religious discrimination is illegal under federal law,” said Marsha Rucker, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Birmingham, Ala., district. “The EEOC will continue to firmly enforce federal protections for religious freedom.”