cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/18749281

The Wisconsin English teacher, Jordan Cernek, argues in the suit that the district violated his freedom of religion and free speech in mandating the use of the students’ preferred names and pronouns.

A high school English teacher is suing a Wisconsin school district, alleging it did not renew his contract last year because he refused to use the preferred names of two transgender students.

Jordan Cernek’s federal lawsuit alleges the Argyle School District violated his constitutional and civil rights to be free of religious discrimination and to be able to express himself according to his religious beliefs when it did not renew his contract because he refused to abide by a requirement that teachers use the names or pronouns requested by students.

  • grue@lemmy.worldOP
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    1 month ago

    (Uplifting because a bigot got the consequences he deserved, not because the whiny piece of shit sued over it.)

      • Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works
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        1 month ago

        Asshole loses job because of said assholery is a reasonably uplifting news story I’d say.

          • Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works
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            1 month ago

            Remember, God doesn’t make mistakes. So if he made you in such a way that you want to change your name later in life you should just do it.

            • hendrik@palaver.p3x.de
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              1 month ago

              I completely don’t get what those people do. Where I come from, you either don’t believe in God, because you believe in facts. And you’re nice to people because it’s the right thing to do… Or you believe that God had a son (who is at the same time also him) and that son also told you to be nice to people… So I don’t get how people claim being an asshole is somehow mandated to them.

              • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world
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                1 month ago

                Because they aren’t actually believers, they want to have a shield for being shitty. And the church will even help defend them.

          • Stern@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            Clearly God made folks a specific way and that shouldn’t be altered, which is why I’m against glasses and braces. /s

            • frickineh@lemmy.world
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              1 month ago

              Plastic surgery, too. Fox “News” presenters have boob jobs, nose jobs, veneers, fake tans, and dye jobs, and they have the nerve to say people shouldn’t alter their bodies.

      • tyler@programming.dev
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        1 month ago

        Hate speech isn’t protected. This is hate speech. And he’s doing it to cause emotional distress.

  • BougieBirdie@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 month ago

    The teacher believes he is being discriminated against because the state won’t allow him to discriminate against society’s most vulnerable members, who happen to be in his care.

    You can’t make this stuff up.

  • ravhall@discuss.online
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    1 month ago

    Back in the 90s, most of my teachers would ask the class on the first day if they had any (school appropriate) nicknames they prefer to be called.

    Just make this a requirement.

  • Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I’m currently working at a school with a trans kid. She’s an absolute delight and if I hear anyone in the district dead name her, there will be hell to pay. I’m so glad schools are getting rid if jackasses like this guy.

    • TachyonTele@lemm.ee
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      1 month ago

      What does the student have down on their paperwork? I’m just thinking that there could be some confusion if the old name was on everything instead of their preferred name.

      Does someone at the school try to correct the records in some way in that situation?

      • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Official documentation doesn’t have any bearing on what you call someone in class. It’s literally no different than calling William by his preferred name of Will.

        • TachyonTele@lemm.ee
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          1 month ago

          I’m asking how everyone would know what to call them and if there’s a way to make sure they do.

          Don’t worry, someone else provided a real answer. Thanks.

        • TachyonTele@lemm.ee
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          1 month ago

          Why are you just making things up? What’s the point of you taking the effort to say nonsense?

  • radicalautonomy@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I just had teacher trainings this week at the school district I am working for this year after moving from Texas to the PDX area. It was like night and day compared to Texas. The training began with Land Acknowledgements, and we spent a few hours learning about and discussing how we will be implementing cross-curricular activities on the culture, language, and practices of the Native American tribes from this area. I teared up, I gotta tell ya.

    But the thing that really hit me the hardest was how comfortable I felt as a queer person. They asked us to put our pronouns on our name tent, and I initially put the ones I was assigned at birth (because I’m coming from Texas where I didn’t dare let on that I wasn’t cisgender). But I soon realized through discussions with the trainers and with people at mine and surrounding tables that this really is a safe place, that I can be myself and not fear repercussions that would affect my livelihood.

    So I shared during discussions about privilege and power that I was non-binary, and nobody batted an eye, no microgestures indicating their discomfort, it was just…normal. Safe. I’ve never felt like this before. Every queer person…teacher, student, citizen, immigrant, or otherwise…should be allowed to feel like this.

  • rand_alpha19@moist.catsweat.com
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    1 month ago

    Lmao. Teachers don’t get free speech, they’re acting in loco parentis. Anything detrimental to a child in their care is grounds for dismissal. Just depends on the school.

  • FederatedSaint@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Please stop bringing this kind of crap into “uplifting news.”

    This is objectively sad news. I’m not happy a kid isn’t getting supported by his teacher at school. While it’s probably good he was fired for it, it’s not what I’d call “uplifting” at all.