Ohio teacher forced to resign after refusing to call students by preferred pronouns: Lawsuit

A middle school teacher in Ohio alleges in a lawsuit against her former employer that she was forced to resign after refusing to refer to students by their preferred pronouns.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court on behalf of former Jackson Memorial Middle School teacher Vivian Geraghty by the Alliance Defending Freedom, states that her school district required teachers to participate in the “social transition” of students in her class who have “‘transitioned’ to a gender that was inconsistent with their sex.” Jackson Memorial Middle School is in Massillon, Ohio.

Geraghty, however, refused to participate in the policy because of her Christian religious beliefs. The lawsuit alleges that the school “ejected her” within two hours of Geraghty telling principal Kacy Carter about her reservations to the policy.

“But as soon as Defendants found out that Ms. Geraghty had a religious basis for resisting their attempt to implement an orthodoxy, they forced her to resign. Within two hours of being notified that Ms. Geraghty had reservations about their approach to the issue on Aug. 26, without there ever being any complaint from a student or disruption of any school services, Defendants ejected her from the school,” the lawsuit states.

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When Geraghty went to Carter and Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Monica Myers and informed them about her religious beliefs, they allegedly told the teacher that “she would be required to put her beliefs aside as a public servant.” 

ADF Legal Counsel Logan Spena said in a press release that the school district unconstitutionally forced Geraghty to resign.

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“No school official can force a teacher to set her religious beliefs aside in order to keep her job. The school tried to force Vivian to recite as true the school’s viewpoint on issues that go to the foundation of morality and human identity, like what makes us male or female, by ordering her to personally participate in the social transition of her students. The First Amendment prohibits that abuse of power,” Geraghty said.

The lawsuit is alleging that the school district violated the First and Fourteenth Amendment, as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1871.

A spokesperson for Jackson Local School District told Fox News Digital that it is aware of the lawsuit.

“The Jackson Local School District is aware of this lawsuit. This district always will strive to provide a safe, comfortable environment for all of our nearly 6,000 students in which to learn. We have engaged legal counsel and we will have no further comment on pending litigation,” the spokesperson said.