XPost: or.politics, ca.politics, seattle.politics
XPost: fl.politics, alt.law-enforcement

Liberal hardliners think they can force others,
try it, and end up paying!
He spoke correctly, and politely, but they wanted
full compliance with their wishes. Pay up!

from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/10/03/teacher-fired-pronouns-virginia-lawsuit/75493851007/

Virginia teacher who was fired over refusing to use student's preferred pronouns awarded $575,000
Portrait of Natalie Neysa AlundNatalie Neysa Alund
USA TODAY

A Virginia teacher who refused to use a student's preferred pronouns has
been awarded $575,000 after filing a lawsuit against the former school
district he worked for more than five years ago, according to court
fillings and attorneys in the case.

High school teacher Peter Vlaming, who taught high school French in West
Point for about seven years, filed a $1 million lawsuit against the West
Point School Board in 2019 after his former employer fired him, court
documents show.

Vlaming, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court for the
Eastern District of Virginia, avoided using he/him pronouns when
referring to a student who had transitioned and, instead, used the
student’s preferred name.

School leaders ordered him to stop avoiding the use of pronouns to refer
to the student, who had transitioned, and to start using the student's preferred pronouns of he/him, according to previous local media reports
and the Alliance Defending Freedom, a non-profit legal group.

A timeline of allegations:Sean 'Diddy' Combs faces 120 sexual abuse claims:

School board to pay teacher; superintendent releases statement
Peter Vlaming
Caleb Dalton, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, said the
West Point School Board agreed to pay $575,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees. The settlement was signed by a judge on Monday.

West Point Public Schools Superintendent Larry L. Frazier Jr. said in a statement issued to USA TODAY that the school system was pleased to come
to an agreement “that will not have a negative impact on the students,
staff or school community of West Point.”

The school has since adopted transgender policies issued by Virginia
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the Washington Post reported.

The Republican governor's guidelines, handed down in 2022, reversed some transgender protections and gave parents authority over whether a
student can change their preferred identity and name in school records,
USA TODAY previously reported.

"This is a key component of our 2023-2028 Strategic Plan," Frazier wrote
in the statement. "Specifically (one goal) focuses on 'Student & Staff Wellbeing': To promote and nurture a culture of safety, security, and
overall wellness for students, staff, families, and the West Point
community."

Dalton, who framed the settlement as "a win for freedom of speech in
Virginia," told USA TODAY that public educators "shouldn’t force
teachers to endorse beliefs they disagree with."

"No government should force its employees − or anyone else − to voice
their allegiance to an ideology that violates their deepest beliefs,"
Dalton said.

Stories about justice and action across the country: Sign up for USA
TODAY's This is America newsletter.

Peter Vlaming
USA TODAY has reached out to the school board's attorneys in the case.

Dalton said West Point also cleared Vlaming’s firing from his record.

Vlaming is working for a French book publisher, his attorney said Thursday.

Contributing: Cady Stanton and Alia Wong, USA TODAY

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)