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/ Source: Associated Press
WEST POINT (Virginia) – A Virginia high school teacher who refused to use the new pronouns of 39, a transgender student was fired.
According to media reports, the West Point School Board voted unanimously Thursday to fire Peter Vlaming after a four-hour hearing that drew a large crowd. The school system said in a statement that Vlaming had been fired for insubordination.
During the summer, the ninth grade family informed the school system of man's transition to masculinity. The student did not participate in Thursday's hearing.
Witnesses described a "skid" when the student was about to come up against a wall and Vlaming told the others to stop. "In discussing this incident with the administrators, Vlaming specified that he would not use male pronouns, a position that led to a request for suspension for disciplinary action.
"I can not think of a worse way to deal with a child that was going on, "said Jonathan Hochman, principal at West Point High School, who said he told Vlaming to use male pronouns in accordance with the wishes of the student.
Vlaming said superiors that his Christian faith prevented him from using masculine pronouns for the student.Vlaming said that he had had the student in class the year before where he had been identified as a woman.
Vlaming's lawyer, Shawn Voyles, said his son Link had offered to use the student's name and avoid female pronouns, but Voyles said the school did not want to accept the compromise.
"This discrimination then leads to the creation of a hostile learning environment. And the student had expressed that. The parent had expressed it, "said West Point Superintendent of Schools Laura Abel. "They did not feel respected."
Non-discrimination policies were updated a year ago to include gender identity protections, but did not include advice on The use of the gender pronoun, according to Vlaming's lawyer, Voyles, who notes that Vlaming has constitutional rights. "One of those rights that is not limited is not to be forced to speak anything that violates your conscience," Voyles said.
Vlaming said that he liked and respected all his students, but that he was trying to "on mutual tolerance" was rejected, he risked losing his job for holding back the opinion of "the most much of the world for almost the entire history of humanity ".
"This is not tolerance," Vlaming said. "It's coercion."
Vlaming is considering a judicial remedy, but stated that he wished to consult his lawyer before announcing new proceedings.
"I have to find out how we would do that, what that would mean" says Vlaming. "I think this is a serious issue of First Amendment rights."
Virginia Equality, an LGBTQ rights advocacy group, said the situation revealed the need for "an orientation to the statewide "to protect all students from discrimination at school.
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