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       Ontario pastor Junia Joplin is suing the Baptist church for wrongful dismissal after coming out as transgender.

       Laur Bereznai/The Canadian Press

       An Ontario pastor who was fired from a Baptist church after coming out as transgender has filed a lawsuit for wrongful dismissal, alleging her termination was spurred by discrimination.

       Rev. Junia Joplin presented as male when she first took on the job of lead pastor at Lorne Park Baptist Church in 2014, and continued to do so until she came out to the congregation in a live-streamed sermon in June of last year.

       In a statement of claim not yet tested in court, Joplin says she received support from some members of the congregation and other Baptist churches and organizations after her announcement.

       However, the claim alleges that in the days that followed, the Mississauga, Ont., church unilaterally suspended her from her duties and gave no date for her return.

       The lawsuit alleges Joplin was then subjected to an “unfair process” that saw congregants question her in a series of virtual town halls and, in July 2020, vote to end her employment.

       Lorne Park Baptist Church did not immediately respond to request for comment. The church said in a statement last year that Joplin had been fired for “theological reasons.”

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