Flashback: Teacher Sues School Board After Being Fired - He Refused To Compromise on Trans Pronouns
Transgender ideology has been brought to the front lines of the cultural battleground again this winter, as “X-Men” actress Ellen Page announced her gender transition and author Abigail Shrier’s book was temporarily pulled from shelves due to its gender normative ideals.
The topic has been a social landmine in recent years, as an increasingly progressive American left moves to ostracize those who still hold a traditional view of gender and sexuality.
Such was the case in 2019 for Virginia high school teacher Peter Vlaming.
Vlaming filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the West Point School Board last year after school officials fired him in 2018 for refusing to use male pronouns for a transgender student, according to CNN.
Two years ago, the female student and her mother submitted a request that staff and students refer to her using only male pronouns (he, him, his).
Vlaming, who worked with the district for seven years, said he could not “in good conscience” comply, owing to his religious beliefs.
“Mr. Vlaming’s conscience and religious practice prohibits him from intentionally lying,” read the lawsuit filed on the teacher’s behalf, CNN reported.
“And he sincerely believes that referring to a female as a male by using an objectively male pronoun is telling a lie.”
Vlaming did not, however, object to using the student’s male name, and he typically avoided using pronouns in reference to the student.
The decision to fire Vlaming, a foreign language teacher at West Point High School, came after an in-class virtual reality exercise in which Vlaming shouted “Don’t let her hit the wall” as the student walked toward it.
After class, the transgender student approached Vlaming regarding his unintentional remark.
“Mr. Vlaming, you may have your religion,” the student said. “But you need to respect who I am!”
CNN reported that school officials later accused the teacher of insubordination for failing to follow instructions from administrators. According to the board, Vlaming could not be allowed to treat the transgender student differently.
“That discrimination then leads to creating a hostile learning environment. And the student had expressed that,” Superintendent Laura Abel told the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 2018. “The parent had expressed that. They felt disrespected.”
Vlaming’s dismissal from the school, however, led to several petitions and a student walkout in solidarity with the teacher. Students reportedly held signs saying “men are men and women are women,” as well as “facts don’t care about your feelings.”
According to CNN, Vlaming alleges the school board “breached his contract and and discriminated against him,” violating his religious freedom and his First Amendment rights.
Vlaming’s lawsuit was considered by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Sept. 9, 2020, after the West Point School Board motioned to stay the case.
The court sided with Vlaming and allowed the case to proceed.
Vlaming’s legal team is seeking $500,000 in lost wages and benefits, along with another $500,000 for loss of reputation and emotional damages. The teacher also is requesting he get his former job back or be granted another position at the school for equal or higher pay.
“This isn’t just about a pronoun; it’s about what that pronoun means,” Tyson Langhofer, senior counsel and director of the Alliance Defending Freedom Center of Academic Freedom, said in a statement, according to CNN.
“This was never about anything Peter said or did; only about what the school was demanding he say. Nobody should be forced to contradict his core beliefs just to keep a job.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
