VP of cybersecurity startup Bitwarden fired for using ‘Assigned By God’ as preferred pronoun; sues employer

Chard Scharf, a former vice president at a California-based cybersecurity tech startup Bitwarden, found himself in hot water when he chose to list “Assigned By God” as his preferred pronoun on his employee profile, according to a story first reported by the Epoch Times. This decision ultimately led to his termination from the company. In response, Scharf has taken legal action by filing a civil rights lawsuit against Bitwarden, citing discrimination.

The lawsuit filed by Chard Scharf against Bitwarden alleges that the company violated his rights under Title VII by permitting other employees to display their preferred pronouns on their profiles while forbidding Scharf from using his preferred pronoun based on his religious beliefs, The Epoch Times reported.

Scharf’s attorney, Jennifer Vasquez from the law firm Campbell, Trohn, Tamayo & Aranda in Florida, stated that if Scharf had compromised his religious convictions and adhered to Bitwarden’s gender ideology, he would not have been terminated. Thus, the attorney argues that Scharf’s religious beliefs were the direct cause of his dismissal. Bitwarden and its attorney, B. Tyler White from Jackson & Lewis, have not responded to multiple inquiries from The Epoch Times regarding Scharf’s lawsuit, and the company has yet to file a response to the federal complaint.

“Had Chard set aside his religious beliefs and acquiesced to Bitwarden’s promotion of gender ideology, he would not have been fired,” Scharf’s attorney Jennifer Vasquez told The Epoch Times, “which means his religious beliefs were the cause of his termination.” Vasquez is with the Florida law firm Campbell, Trohn, Tamayo & Aranda.

The lawsuit contends that Bitwarden violated Title VII by treating Scharf unfavorably through the promotion of its gender ideology, denying his reasonable accommodation request, and ultimately terminating his employment. According to the lawsuit, Scharf faced consistent pressure to add his preferred pronouns to his employee profile on the Slack platform, which the company implemented as part of its inclusivity initiative.

“Bitwarden violated Title VII when it placed Mr. Scharf into a disfavored class by promoting its gender ideology, when it failed to approve his reasonable request for accommodation, and when it terminated his employment,” the lawsuit states.

When Scharf added “Assigned By God” to his employee profile, he was instructed to remove it, as stated in his complaint. Scharf, a practicing Catholic, informed the company that he could not comply with the request to choose preferred pronouns due to its association with a gender ideology that contradicted his religious beliefs. He expressed his belief that there are only two sexes and that gender cannot be altered or chosen and accused the company of discriminating against him by refusing to accommodate his beliefs.

Vasquez claimed that the correspondence indicates the company insisted on completing the gender field on Scharf’s employee profile, rather than it being an initiative initiated by Scharf himself.

The lawsuit further mentions that two employees in Bitwarden’s human resources department complained of feeling harassed by Scharf’s religious statements.

Additionally, Scharf received a reprimand for not using preferred pronouns in notes related to an interview he conducted with a job applicant whose preferred pronouns did not align with their biological gender. Scharf argued in the lawsuit that he refrained from using any pronouns during the interview and only used the applicant’s biological pronouns in internal notes.

Founded in 2015 by Kyle Spearrin, Bitwarden is a cybersecurity startup that offers an online password management solution that securely stores sensitive login information, such as usernames and passwords, in an encrypted vault. This enables users to access their passwords across various devices and platforms, ensuring convenience without compromising security.