By HatetheSwamp October 2, 2024 3:49 am Category: Gay & Lesbian (0.0 from 0 votes) Rules of the Post Write A New Article How To Post Here Rate this article (5=best, 0=poor)

VA school board to pay $575K, change policies to end ADF lawsuit on behalf of wrongly fired teacher

RICHMOND, Va. – To settle a lawsuit brought by Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a former Virginia high school teacher who was fired for avoiding the use of pronouns to refer to one of his students, the West Point School Board has agreed to pay $575,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees. In addition, the school board cleared Peter Vlaming’s firing from his record, and separate from the settlement agreement, changed its policies to conform to the new Virginia education policies established by Gov. Glenn Youngkin that respect fundamental free speech and parental rights. The settlement follows last December’s landmark Virginia Supreme Court opinion in Vlaming’s favor affirming that the Virginia Constitution contains robust free speech and free exercise protections for public employees.

“Peter wasn’t fired for something he said; he was fired for something he couldn’t say. The school board violated his First Amendment rights under the Virginia Constitution and commonwealth law,..”

“I was wrongfully fired from my teaching job because my religious beliefs put me on a collision course with school administrators who mandated that teachers ascribe to only one perspective on gender identity—their preferred view."

In December, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that it would reinstate Vlaming’s lawsuit after a lower court dismissed his case.

A day or two ago, I noted to isle that I'd just reread the end of 1984... the last chapter, actually, which is a sort of addendum. The story's over. But, Orwell writes an essay on the efforts of Big Brother to end freethought by creating a new language, Newspeak. That's, essentially, what you woke are attempting.

This Virginia decision is about the First Amendment. Freedom. Of religion. Of speech. Which, as we know, po and Donna... and the TQs, and, here on SS, especially isle, vigorously oppose.

A request of isle:

Please splain to the Virginia Supreme Court that: You don't UNDERSTAND.

Cited and related links:

1. adfmedia.org

Comments Start Below

by islander on October 2, 2024 4:31 am Childish nonsense. Stubborn teacher vs. stubborn school board. Looks like the teacher came out way ahead $ in the end. Leaves me wondering though, what religion is the teacher a part of that says you can’t call a person what the person would like to be called? I’ll bet the teacher was very uncomfortable with Johnny Cash’s song, “A boy Named Sue.” 😁 by HatetheSwamp on October 2, 2024 5:25 am He doesn't UNDERSTAND, eh!!!!!? And. I've made this point to Curt many times. To you, isle I'll say that it's what Jefferson and Madison would say you yourself don't understand about the liberties their generation carved out for our citizens. Or maybe you do understand but reject in our founding documents. The freedom we have is directed, especially, toward the most outrageous (religous) beliefs and the most outrageous speech. What I love about the current Supreme Court is that it empowers radical American liberty. A liberty the Courts denied for 60 years and which you oppose. Do you UNDERSTAND that? by islander on October 2, 2024 6:16 am Ya I probably don’t understand what’s so hard for an adult to call a kid what makes the kid feel more comfortable and what the kid wants to be called. But then doing that kind of thing is apparently against the guy’s religion. So I don’t understand why the school couldn’t simply transfer the kid to a teacher whose religious beliefs teach one to have little more compassion and understanding for a child who is not hurting anyone but is seen by many as ‘different’. by Ponderer on October 2, 2024 6:22 am "Leaves me wondering though, what religion is the teacher a part of that says you can’t call a person what the person would like to be called?" -Isle Isle, when you get right down to it, in this country everyone has the freedom to be as big of a bigoted, fuckheaded asshole as they want to be I guess. Especially if they bring "religion" into it. This asshole's religion, if he actually has one, doesn't say that he can't call anyone whatever they prefer to be called. Hate here, our resident seminarian, couldn't present scriptural evidence showing such a stipulation to save his life. This fuckheaded bigot simply wants to be an asshole and blame it on his god. We've seen these sorts of "Christians" pull this purely bigotedshit many times already. But Hate and this bigoted asshole will declare that their religion demands that they be bigoted fuckheaded assholes to people whom their god they don't approve of. Then they hide behind their religion as they blame their bigoted, fuckheaded assholery on their god. It's my belief that such "Christians" make Jesus want to puke his divine and immortal guts out. by HatetheSwamp on October 2, 2024 6:38 am "Ya I probably don’t understand what’s so hard for an adult to call a kid what makes the kid feel more comfortable and what the kid wants to be called." But, do you understand that the radical liberties the teacher possesses are a good thing? And, a quintessentially American thing? Do you understand that we have our liberties to protect us from Big Brother oppression? Can you agree? by HatetheSwamp on October 2, 2024 6:43 am "Isle, when you get right down to it, in this country everyone has the freedom to be as big of a bigoted, fuckheaded asshole as they want to be I guess." And you should thank your Founders, po, because you are the most egregiously bigoted EFFIN @$$hole in the whole long history of SS. I love it when a court lets freedom ring! by Ponderer on October 2, 2024 7:08 am "But, do you understand that the radical liberties the teacher possesses are a good thing? And, a quintessentially American thing?" -Hate Irrelevant blather. "Do you understand that we have our liberties to protect us from Big Brother oppression? Can you agree?" -Hate Irrelevant obfuscation. by meagain on October 2, 2024 8:00 am Nobody should have the "liberty" to call another by anything other than what that person wants to be known as. This teacher is a bigot who does not belong anywhere near kids. It's also a strange idea that calls this "American" liberties. Your liberties are no different than any other liberties except that your Cpurts allow the abuse of liberty. And that is a restraint on the liberties of weaker parties. That is settled in Canada. Here we have the problem that some of the Righ Wing (Conservative) led provinces have legislated that the kids do not have to be called by their preferred pronouns without parents being informed - a damper on freedom for obvious reasons. One of the casualties of this and more if the American ruling stands is higher suicide rates among children. by islander on October 2, 2024 8:16 am I understand that the government can't prevent a person from exercising their right to free speech and I wouldn't want it to be any other way, with qualifications of course. What I also understand and you don’t seem to, is that having a legal right to do something doesn’t necessarily mean that “something” is right or good. And that’s what this school case that you brought up shows. Would you say a teacher has a right to call a gay kid a pervert or an abomination if that’s a part what his religion teaches? You say; ~ “The freedom we have is directed, especially, toward the most outrageous (religious) beliefs and the most outrageous speech.” I completely agree that a person has absolute freedom to hold any religious belief a person wants to believe no matter how irrational or outrageous. Of course, there is no way for the government or anyone else to control what a person believes. What the government should have and does have however, is reasonable control over a person’s religious practices. by HatetheSwamp on October 2, 2024 8:24 am "Nobody should have the "liberty" to call another by anything other than what that person wants to be known as." In the next life, you can take that up with Jefferson and Madison. They disagree. Let freedom ring, BABY! "Would you say a teacher has a right to call a gay kid a pervert or an abomination if that’s a part what his religion teaches?" No one says that. Hyperbole. It's soooo brainless. "What the government should have and does have however, is reasonable control over a person’s religious practices." Agreed. That's our Supreme Court precedent. But the way our Founders understood what's reasonable veers radically toward individual liberty. I'm proud to be an American... more and more with each passing day! by islander on October 2, 2024 8:37 am Hate, When I asked you; "Would you say a teacher has a right to call a gay kid a pervert or an abomination if that’s a part what his religion teaches?" I know you wouldn't want to answer it and I was right !! 👍 by Ponderer on October 2, 2024 8:41 am "Would you say a teacher has a right to call a gay kid a pervert or an abomination if that’s a part what his religion teaches?" Isle, that's essentially what any teacher refusing to use a child's chosen name and gender is saying. by Indy! on October 2, 2024 8:43 am If she’s a teacher in a public school, the she should have to follow state law. If she’s a teacher in a private school, she woukd not necessarily have to conform. by Ponderer on October 2, 2024 8:46 am Such teachers are saying to a transgender student, "You are offending my utterly misguided allusions about my religion and are not worth treating decently or with any care to your wellbeing at all." by HatetheSwamp on October 2, 2024 8:56 am "Such teachers are saying to a transgender student, "You are offending my utterly misguided allusions about my religion and are not worth treating decently or with any care to your wellbeing at all."" po, Please, please please please pleeeeeeease. Don't ever leave SS. You are a treasure. by oldedude on October 2, 2024 10:13 pm So I did some looking at this. The teacher tried to use the student's first name instead of the pronoun thinking that was a good work around. The student refused to be called by his "dead name" and filed the report with the administration. Item #2. The school board did not have a written policy at the time and was using the Dept. of Education "suggestion" for Title IX. DOE, because this was not "mandatory" it needed to have a policy in place at the time of the occurrence. FYSA, this is the same "reasoning" that was used in the Parkland shooting. DOE's "suggestion" stated that it "lables" students "bad" if the police are called on them and their actions. Therefore, it was suggested principals did not tell the police what problems there were in the school, including threats of bodily harm or violence and weapons. The settlement follows a December ruling by Virginia’s Supreme Court that reinstated Vlaming’s case after a lower court dismissed it. The state’s highest court wrote that the Old Dominion State’s constitution broadly protects freedom of speech and religion and allowed Vlaming’s claim that the school board violated his free exercise rights to proceed to trial. “Absent a truly compelling reason for doing so, no government committed to these principles can lawfully coerce its citizens into pledging verbal allegiance to ideological views that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs,” Justice D. Arthur Kelsey wrote in the majority opinion. msn.com by oldedude on October 2, 2024 10:24 pm MASSILLON, Ohio. A former Ohio middle school teacher is headed to trial after she resigned for refusing to address two transgender students by their preferred names and pronouns, and asked to have them removed from her classroom. After nearly two years of back and forth, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio ruled this month that forcing Geraghty to use students’ preferred names amounts to “compelled speech” and said the school’s “pronoun practice was not neutral.” So the issue in this case, is if she was compelled to resign or not. The issue about the "misgendering" the students has been upheld for the teacher. “The court concludes that there are genuine disputes of material face about whether Geraghty involuntarily resigned and, if she did, whether her protected conduct [if there was any] caused her to resign,” the Aug. 12 filing written by U.S. District Judge Pamela Baker states. I don't see this going away very soon. And it's also going to be awhile before we have an answer. So far though. The teachers have won every time. Just to add, the parents have also won every time regarding parental rights to know what happens in the child's school. (if there are any stories about these and I'm wrong, let me know.) by oldedude on October 2, 2024 10:29 pm Also, A Kansas teacher who argued she had a religious belief that prevented her from calling transgender or nonbinary students by their preferred names and pronouns reached a $95,000 settlement with school district officials, according to a release from the teacher’s attorneys. So she copped a 3-day suspension for doing "mis-gendering" students and settled for $95K. cnn.com by Indy! on October 3, 2024 12:11 pm Which religion was aware of transgender folks when they wrote whichever book it is they claim their god wrote? The notion is ludicrous at face value. by Ponderer on October 3, 2024 12:33 pm Indy!, no person or organization has ever explained how calling a student by their preferred name and pronouns is supposed to violate a teacher's religious beliefs. Not one. Because no one can. by oldedude on October 3, 2024 9:44 pm Again. That's not true. You live in a world of multicolored unicorns and tipptoe through the tulips, through the tulips with me! Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't true. There is so little you know... There are seven texts often cited by Christians to condemn homosexuality: Noah and Ham (Genesis 9:20–27), Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1–11), Levitical laws condemning same-sex relationships (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13), two words in two Second Testament vice lists (1 Corinthians 6:9–10; 1 Timothy 1:10), and Paul's letter to the Romans (Romans 1:26–27). homosexual relationships between two free, adult, and loving individuals. They describe rape or attempted rape (Genesis 9:20–27, 19:1–11), cultic prostitution (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13), male prostitution and pederasty (1 Corinthians 6:9–10; 1 Timothy 1:10), and the Isis cult in Rome (Romans 1:26–27). Ergo, you are going to the flaming part of hell regardless of what you want. This is why you, curt, indy and other condone rape. You support the anti-Christ, everyday of your lives. This was the easy one that "we" thought was already known in the conversation... And like HG Wells, you can't look for "saving" on your death bed for years and then "change". Sorry. I believe you get to decied. I should treat you with respect, knowing that you are damned. Have a great trip. by Indy! on October 4, 2024 12:54 am 🥱 by HatetheSwamp on October 4, 2024 3:42 am "Indy!, no person or organization has ever explained how calling a student by their preferred name and pronouns is supposed to violate a teacher's religious beliefs. Not one." You're kidding. Oops. That can't be. You have no sense of humor. po, You know that a court did exactly that... and is forcing the school to pay more than $half a freakin friggin EFFINmill for violating the teacher's Bill of Rights speech and religion Rights. You can pretend that away, po, as you do, and choose to fold yourself into that precious little fable of a universe which you center in your deranged, narcissistic cocoon. But, in the real world, you're full of freakin friggin EFFIN$#!T. Bahaha. I get it. It scares you that pb's three-headed monster, led, more and more, by those anti-TQ LGB groups and activists who are becoming increasingly influential. Truth? What was once your spiritual home: the LGBTQIA2+ community is fractured. Today, much of it is GOP. Some of it is even EFFINMAGA! Much of it is celebrating the Virginia decision. Much of it can, and does, splain, clearly and precisely "how calling a student by their preferred name and pronouns is supposed to violate a teacher's religious beliefs..." AND, a teacher's Bill of Rights free speech right, too! The world has moved beyond your derangement. Especially the LGB world! Keehee hoohoo ha! adfmedia.org by islander on October 4, 2024 5:51 am Ever wonder why so many people today are taking a second look at religion in our society and turning away from it with disgust? Here we have a case where a teacher used religion to make $575,000. Who was the kid in this case hurting? No one. If anyone was hurt it was the kid. Here we have and adult who should be able to understand why the kid wished to be called by the name that the kid most identified with. What’s so hard for an adult to simply say, OK, that’s what I’ll call you…But the adult refused, and used religion as his excuse…and walked away with over half a million dollars. The teacher and those who are applauding this can try to rationalize using religion like this, but their phony sanctimony is a big part of the answer to the question I asked at the beginning. by HatetheSwamp on October 4, 2024 6:02 am "Ever wonder why so many people today are taking a second look at religion in our society and turning away from it with disgust?" Not I. "Here we have a case where a teacher used religion to make $575,000. Who was the kid in this case hurting? No one." Honestly, isle, I think you're be just a tad theophobic here. The issue was his speech. His speech is what it is because of his beliefs. But if he'd only believed, there would have been no issue. That's where woke Big Brotherism is most dangerous, as that last chapter of 1984 points out. po would rob us of what we can say. "Here we have and adult who should be able to understand why the kid wished to be called by the name that the kid most identified with." I can't agree. As OD pointed out in another thread, issues of sexuality and gender were established as being crucial to the life of faith looooooooong before the Old Testament Law was given. To a person of faith, this is huuuuuuuuuge! by Ponderer on October 4, 2024 6:57 am No person or organization has ever explained how calling a student by their preferred name and pronouns is supposed to violate a teacher's religious beliefs. Not one. I said it before and I'll say it again... no person or organization has ever explained how calling a student by their preferred name and pronouns is supposed to violate a teacher's religious beliefs. Not one. You guys aren't even listening to what I am saying. I didn't say that there aren't plenty of things in the Bible that condemn its adherents from engaging in certain basic ingrained aspects of humanity. There are all manner of verses that tell the Faithful they shouldn't engage in homosexual acts and such. Valiant effort there though, od. What I am saying is that there isn't anything in the Bible that commands adherents to ostracize such people, to insult them, deny them service, take away their rights, or to traumatize and belittle a young person by being as big of an uncaring fuckingdick asshole to them as is humanly possible. Where in the Bible does it command followers of Jesus Christ to be such giant assholes to those engaging in a "lifestyle" that their religious text forbids them to live? "Sell not thy goods to nor do commerce with those who sleep with their own kind or live lifestyles that thou dost not approve of." "Petition thy leaders to strip the civil and human rights from those who are living lives that thou art forbidden to live thyself." "Call not a child by any name or pronoun that they prefer to be called by other than such approved by society for their sex, for to do so shall invite the very wrath of a vengeful God upon your house for seven generations." Got book and verse of any of those handy there, od...? The Bible commands that followers shall not engage in such acts or lifestyles themselves. Nowhere in it does not command that they be heartless fuckingassholes to those who do. by islander on October 4, 2024 7:01 am Hate ~ You are a prime example of what I just said; "The teacher and those who are applauding this can try to rationalize using religion like this, but their phony sanctimony is a big part of the answer to the question I asked at the beginning." You are totally transparent, Hate. by HatetheSwamp on October 4, 2024 7:16 am Fine. Like it or not, the Bill of Rights was written specifically to empower the extreme and offensive in speech and faith. I make the point that, in our youth, progressives oozed tolerance. Today, as you are demonstrating, progressives are quick to condemn. Okayfine. Hate what I believe. Condemn what I say... and, what I don't say. This is America, BABY. "Liberty and justice... for ALL!" by Ponderer on October 4, 2024 7:31 am "Fine. Like it or not, the Bill of Rights was written specifically to empower the extreme and offensive in speech and faith. I make the point that, [Blithering obfuscation and ass-covering irrelevant blather]." -Hate HA!!!! Thanks, Bill. It's an awful rare occurrence when you admit that I was right and you were wrong. So yeah, thanks! So some followers of Christ are fuckingassholes to the LGBTQ community not in fact because they are commanded to be by their religion... ...They are fuckingassholes to the LGBTQ community because the Bill of Rights allows them to be. GOT IT!!! HA!!!! by HatetheSwamp on October 4, 2024 8:05 am Perhaps, po. But, you, regularly, are a "fuckingasshole" toward people of faith to the tenth power compared to what I see from them to y'nes. It's a "take the plank out of your own eye thing." You're probably too much of a narcissist to even imagine that... but, it's true. If anyone here benefits from the radical nature of the First Amendment, it's you... to the point that the LGB community is turning away from you and your ilk. by Ponderer on October 4, 2024 8:26 am "But, you, regularly, are a "fuckingasshole" toward people of faith to the tenth power compared to what I see from them to y'nes." -Hate That's just a lie. I have no problem with people of faith. None at all. Until they try to impose their faith on me or my community. Until they seek to have our basic human and civil rights taken away. Until they try to make us into second class citizens. And again to my point... Where in the Bible have they been commanded by Jesus Christ to do any of that, Bill? by Donna on October 4, 2024 8:35 am I don't think the teacher should have been fired, but it was pretty lame for him to hide behind his religion. by HatetheSwamp on October 4, 2024 8:43 am "That's just a lie. I have no problem with people of faith. None at all." Except that you call them effin@$$holes, eh? In this case, the teacher didn't try to impose his faith on anyone. He didn't want y'all to impose YOUR faith on him, and remember, the court sided with him. "And again to my point... Where in the Bible have they been commanded by Jesus Christ to do any of that, Bill?" Do what? by HatetheSwamp on October 4, 2024 8:45 am Donna, This ain't about religion. He was busted for speaking his truth. This case came down to speech. by islander on October 4, 2024 8:49 am Hate wrote ~ "I make the point that, in our youth, progressives oozed tolerance. Today, as you are demonstrating, progressives are quick to condemn." I never claimed to be tolerant. I am however tolerant of a lot of things but I do draw a line between things I don’t and shouldn’t tolerate and things that might simply be annoying but tolerable. by Ponderer on October 4, 2024 8:53 am "Except that you call them effin@$$holes, eh?" -Hate When they are being fuckingassholes to others. Sure. "Do what?" -Hate • Try to impose their faith on me or my community. • Seek to have our basic human and civil rights taken away. • Try to make us into second class citizens. Forgive me. I forget about your debilitating reading disability sometimes, Bill. by HatetheSwamp on October 4, 2024 9:09 am How are they attempting to have your basic human rights taken away? Understand! The court ruled that it was your side who took away the teacher's basic human rights. Period... so basic that y'nes took away his right to speak. Oy! po, You don't center the real universe. by Donna on October 4, 2024 10:36 am Amber Thurman died because of Georgia's abortion ban which became the new law after the SCOTUS justices that Trump appointed killed Roe v Wade, a decision that Trump continues to praise. propublica.org by Ponderer on October 4, 2024 10:40 am I am obviously talking about this subject beyond this one specific issue, Bill. I realize that besides your debilitating reading disability, you also cannot understand a bigger picture than what is in front of your MAGA Hatted face at any given moment. So, I forgive your ignorance in not seeing the obvious. If this is what the court decided in this case, then that's the way the case went. I'm certainly not going to condemn the entire justice system of the United States and declare it to be entirely corrupt and bigoted towards your side just because I am not overjoyed by the verdict. That would be a totally absurd and asinine thing to do. Wouldn't it, Bill? by HatetheSwamp on October 4, 2024 11:13 am "I am obviously talking about this subject beyond this one specific issue, Bill." So... and know my many disabilities... you're saying that this teacher didn't violate this kids' "basic human rights," but, in every other similar case your ilk's "basic human rights" are being destroyed? Fill me in. Go To Top

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