Attorneys are defending a Christian infantry officer in the Idaho Army National Guard after he was stripped of his command for publicly discussing his views on biblical sexual ethics.

The infantry officer was removed from command and illegally pressured to resign after a subordinate who claims to be homosexual filed a complaint over his statements on social media, according to a press release from Liberty Counsel. The infantry officer, who posted the statements while “running for a political office or otherwise acting in his private capacity,” had voiced concerns about drag queen events in schools and obscene books in libraries.

Davis Younts, an attorney and retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who represents the infantry officer through legal nonprofit Stand With Warriors, said in a statement to The Sentinel that his client faces “discrimination because of his traditional Christian beliefs,” while the Idaho National Guard “has taken the position that those unremarkable beliefs represent dangerous extremism.”

The subordinate said in the complaint that he believes he has “been discriminated against because of my sexual orientation” and claimed the social media statements “caused a hostile work environment.” Liberty Counsel attorneys nevertheless emphasized that the infantry officer believes all people are made in the image of God and “have inherent dignity and are worthy of respect,” and that he remains “committed to serving those under his command, regardless of political or religious disagreements, and would give his life in defense of his state and nation.”

Liberty Counsel sent a letter to Idaho Republican Governor Brad Little requesting intervention in the case, urging him to exercise oversight in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Idaho Army National Guard. They noted that the infantry officer has been removed from his command for more than a year “with all of the long-term career-ending ramifications of that removal.”

Attorneys also contended in the letter that self-described homosexual service members are “required to tolerate Christians in the military workplace” and are not permitted to file false equal opportunity complaints against them in order to “interfere with good order and discipline.”