Teacher Fired For Not Using Transgender Pronouns May Sue High School

A high school in Virginia voted to fire a teacher who refused to refer to a male transgender student by his preferred pronoun Thursday.

Peter Vlaming, 47, who taught French at the institution, refused to call a ninth-grade student who had undergone a gender transition by the pronoun that he had selected, despite being ordered to do so by the administrators of the school. The board held a closed session for almost an hour before taking the final vote count – 5 to 0 in favor of termination.

“The School Board has policies that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity. As detailed during the course of the public hearing, Mr. Vlaming was recommended for termination due to his insubordination and repeated refusal to comply with directives made to him by multiple WPPS administrators. As superintendent, it is my responsibility to enforce board policy, and due to Mr. Vlaming's non-compliance I therefore recommended termination,” West Point schools’ Superintendent Laura Abel said in a statement after the hearing, CBS 6 News reported.

Virginia has never had a case of this kind before. Abel added Vlaming was warned several times to address the student who had gone through the sex change process as “he” or “him” but the teacher did not heed the orders, forcing her to recommend termination.

Vlaming only agreed to call the student by his new name and not address him by his preferred pronouns because the former believed doing so would go against his Christian beliefs.

"We are here today because a specific worldview is being imposed on me," Vlaming said in a statement. "Even higher than my family ranks my faith."

According to Principal Jonathan Hochman, Vlaming refused to refer to the student using male pronouns because he considered it to be a lie.

“[He told me] I’ve had a slip up and he went on to describe what happened," Hochman described. "He goes, 'the student was participating in an activity, almost walked into a wall and yelled out stop her.'"

Vlaming's lawyer, Shawn Voyles, argued there was no specific guidance on the use of gender pronouns and that his client was entitled to constitutional rights of his own.

“One of those rights that is not curtailed is to be free from being compelled to speak something that violates your conscience,” Voyles said.

The terminated teacher said he wants to sue the school for wrongful termination but will decide on his next course of action after consulting with his lawyer. He has 10 days to appeal the school board’s decision to the Circuit Court.

“I have to research how we would do that [sue the school], what that would entail,” he said, local news outlet Richmond reported. “I do think it’s a serious question of First Amendment rights.”

After serving for seven years at the school, Vlaming’s professional biography was taken down from the institution’s website. Previously, it read: "Native of Chicago, I finished my bachelors degree in French at La Sorbonne through the University of Illinois. I lived in France for a total of 11 years, where I worked, earned a theological degree, and met my wife, Nathalie. We live in Williamsburg with our 4 children."