An Ohio teacher who refused to use students' preferred pronouns will receive $450,000 in a legal settlement with his local school district.
Vivian Geraghty filed a lawsuit against the Jackson Regional School District, about 20 miles south of Akron, in 2022 after being told to resign from her middle school language arts position over her stance on the issue. Ta.
“By ordering Vivian to personally participate in the social transition of students, schools are able to address issues that touch on the foundations of morality and human identity, such as what makes us male or female.'' “They tried to force him to accept and repeat his side's position,” said Logan Spena, a lawyer for the group Alliance Defender Freedom, which represents Geraghty. He told NBC4 in his hometown of Ohio..
“The First Amendment prohibits abuse of power, and Jackson Local School District officials know it comes at a steep price,” Spena added.
The settlement, reached last month, comes after the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio ruled in August that the school's pronoun policy was “not neutral” and that forcing Mr. Geraghty to use his preferred pronoun was ” This came after the court ruled that it was a form of “coerced speech.”
The row began in 2022 after Mr Geraghty said two students had requested to use a name “in line with their new gender identity rather than their legal name”. Another student wanted to be called by a different pronoun, citing a school policy that requires teachers to use the student's preferred pronoun.
However, Ms Geraghty steadfastly refused to use the student's pronouns or new name, citing her “religious beliefs and constitutional rights”. The school then forced her to drop out.
