Jun 8, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Va. judge throws out suspension of teacher who said he would not use trans students' pronouns

Orion Rummler

Illustration of a hand breaking through a blackboard making a "stop" motion — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

A Virginia judge on Tuesday ruled that a Loudoun County teacher who refused to use the current names and pronouns of transgender students should immediately return to work, the Washington Post reports.

The big picture: A handful of states are considering bills brought by Republican lawmakers to bar schools from teaching about gender identity and in some cases, to prevent teachers from using pronouns that match a student's gender.

The bills focused on education are a part of a wide-ranging effort to legislate how transgender youth can participate in sports and receive transition-related health care.

Catch up quick: 20th Circuit Judge James E. Plowman Jr. found that the Loudoun County Public Schools system had taken "an unconstitutional action" in disciplining teacher Tanner Cross.

Cross, a physical education teacher, has brought an ongoing lawsuit against the school district in response to being barred from the school grounds and placed on paid leave, per the Post.
He was suspended after saying at a school board meeting in late May that he would never “affirm that a biological boy can be a girl, and vice versa," citing his Christian faith.

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Va. judge throws out suspension of teacher who said he would not use trans students' pronouns

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