Teacher Fired After Repeatedly Misgendering High School Student

A teacher at West Point High School in Virginia was fired on Thursday after a history of refusing to call a transgender student by his preferred pronouns.

Peter Vlaming taught French at the school for seven years, and had been on paid leave for over a month until the school board held a hearing to decide how to proceed.

“I won’t use male pronouns with a female student that now identifies as male though I did agree to use the new masculine name but avoid female pronouns,” Vlaming is quoted as saying on an online petition circulating in his defense. “Administration is requiring that I use masculine pronouns in any and every context at school.”

The petition also states that Vlaming had accidentally referred to the transgender student in his class as “she” twice this year and might “slip up” again.

Other students launched a petition in support of the student, instead, claiming Vlaming had been “constantly” corrected throughout the year in regards to pronoun misuse.

Vlaming admits he was sent a letter by the superintendent after he was placed on leave, giving him the opportunity to agree to do better:

“My expectation is that you will treat [the student] the same as other male students, including using his preferred name and using male pronounces to refer to him," the letter read. "If you refuse to comply with this directive or if you have any further instances of using female pronouns or of avoiding the use of male pronouns to refer to [the student], it will be considered insubordination and will result in termination of your employment.”

But Vlaming remained stubborn about not wanting to use the student's pronouns. He read the following statement at his hearing:

“My religious faith dictates that I am to love and respect everyone, whether I agree with them or not. Because we are all made in God’s image. I am also aware of, and agree, with speech limits that are placed on public school teachers, concerning matters of religious faith. I represent the state in my role as a public school teacher and therefore speak with a certain authority. That authority is not to be used to promote any one specific worldview, and I don’t. However, we are here today because a specific worldview is being imposed upon me.”

Yes, because respecting someone’s identity is such a difficult worldview to reconcile with.

Ultimately, the school board approved the superintendent’s recommendation that Vlaming should be let go, citing policies that “prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity.”

Vlaming’s lawyer claims all Vlaming “respects this student’s rights; he is simply asking that his rights be respected as well," and that "tolerance is a two-way street."