Court Backs Teacher Firing for Preferred Name Refusal

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Facts

  • A US appeals court on Friday ruled that a high school in Indiana did not break the law when they forced music teacher John Kluge to resign over his refusal to use transgender students' preferred names. Kluge claimed he was acting in line with his religious beliefs.1
  • According to the Chicago-based 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals, Kluge's rights to express his religious convictions were superseded by the potentially disruptive impact of his conduct on learning.1
  • Although the teacher was originally allowed to address pupils by their last names, trans students claimed this made them feel uncomfortable and ostracized. The court said that Kluge's actions had led to "students feeling disrespected, targeted, and dehumanized."2
  • First hired in 2014, Kluge led music and orchestra lessons. In 2017, district officials began requiring teachers to use students' names and pronouns as listed in their school's database, but Kluge notified the principal of his religious objection to using those of transgender students.3
  • Kluge's objections were met with criticism and eventually prompted his resignation after the school informed him that his employment was going to be terminated over the matter. Kluge subsequently sued the school board for violation of his First Amendment rights — he reportedly sought damages and to resume his employment.4
  • Though legislation does recognize employers' responsibility to accommodate workers' religious rights, the religious beliefs of teachers should only be protected if they do not cause undue hardship to the school's conduct, according to federal law.4

Sources: 1Reuters, 2Independent, 3ABC News, and 4Business Insider.

Narratives

  • Right narrative, as provided by New York Post. The school district clearly violated Kluge's religious rights — despite Kluge himself going out of his way to accommodate his students' divergent beliefs and treat them all with respect. This kind of unlawful dismissal is exactly what Title VII is designed to prevent. Kluge deserves damages for the undermining of his First Amendment rights.
  • Left narrative, as provided by New Statesman. Kluge's legal tirade is simply false martyrdom. Legislation protecting minority rights is important, hence why the school district intervened to ensure that transgender students — and their education — were protected. Rather than feigning to be martyrs, teachers like Kluge should revise their theology and recognize that Christianity is about understanding rather than conflict.
  • Narrative C, as provided by Federalist. Church-state issues have come to the center of the modern culture wars, partly because protecting the rights of minorities without unjustly curtailing religious liberties is such a delicate balance to strike. The US has veered far from the founding fathers' initial conception of religious freedom. In this time of partisanship, revisiting such a modest approach to religious liberty and encouraging both religious and non-religious individuals and groups to rub shoulders in the search for equality could be beneficial.

Predictions