Teacher Who Won’t Use Trans Student’s Pronouns Sues VA District for Firing Him
He says his religion prohibited him from treating the student with respect.
In casual conversation or in the hallway, he would use the wrong one when referring to the student. The student eventually dropped Vlaming’s class. He was then fired for insubordination last October. Now he’s suing.
The lawsuit itself is a tough read in part because attorneys for conservative group Alliance Defending Freedom exhibit the same transphobia throughout the document. They pretend that the student flipped a switch — that this is merely a case of a girl becoming a boy, then demanding everyone else play along.
Among the “facts” listed in the lawsuit are “The student is objectively female” and “The student subjectively identifies as male.” That’s not how any of those things work. It’s also a weak argument to say a teacher’s religion prevents him from creating a welcoming environment for the student. It’s hardly an undue burden to ask a conservative Christian teacher to call a student by the right pronoun. Accidents are one thing; this is a complete refusal to acknowledge the student’s basic humanity.
All the student asked was for Vlaming to stop using feminine pronouns in reference to him since they were inaccurate. He refused to do it because his faith-based ignorance mattered more than the student’s well-being
Wow v helpful
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Hello allandnothingsokoya. What do you mean? What is helpful? Hugs
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Helpful to b reminded to respect how another person defines themselves. Keep our judgements to ourselves. Judgement =conflict 😜
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Hello allandnothingsokoya. Ah, thank you. I was a bit confused. Yes we should try to respect people until they show they are not capable of respecting others. Some times conflict has to happen especially if you are defending those who are unfairly being attacked. Hugs
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Hi Scottie;
paraphrasing: …it is in my religion that I have every call and duty to humiliate, disrespect, demean and diminish a child because he or she is doing something I find objectionable. ??? Really? I remember the good ole’ days when people were just called asshole for this type of behavior. Now they are “demonstrating religious freedom”. ?
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adding this separately so you can include it if you wish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKvIpdAlTLw
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Hello Brother. You called it correctly and well done! Hugs
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