“I’m not calling a girl a boy or a boy a girl.”
A professor at a public university in Ohio is suing the school, claiming he was punished for not calling a student by their preferred pronoun.
Shawnee State University philosophy professor Nicholas Meriwetherdeclined to address a transgender student as a female, according to a lawsuit filed by Christian conservative nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) in federal court.
The professor called on the student in class, saying “yes, sir.” The lawsuit states that Meriweather “has always used the titles and pronouns that refer to a student’s biological gender” and that he “has never knowingly used feminine titles and pronouns to refer to men or masculine titles and pronouns to refer to women.”
Meriwether says that he addresses his students as “sir” or “ma’am” or by “Mr.” or “Miss” and then says their last name. The lawsuit states he does this to “foster an atmosphere of seriousness and mutual respect that is befitting the college classroom.”
Following the class period in January 2018, the student in question “demanded” that the professor address the student as a female, the lawsuit alleges.
“To accede to these demands,” the lawsuit states, “would have required Dr. Meriweather to communicate views regarding gender identity that he does not hold, that he does not wish to communicate, and that would contradict (and force him to violate) his sincerely held Christian beliefs.”
But, when Meriwether declined to address the student as a female, the student allegedly told the professor, “then I guess this means I can call you a c**t.”