A Virginia school board has agreed to pay $575,000 to settle a lawsuit with Peter Vlaming, a former French teacher at West Point High School, who was fired in 2018 after refusing to use a transgender student’s pronouns. The settlement was announced by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative Christian legal advocacy group, which represented Vlaming in the case.
Vlaming’s refusal to use the student’s male pronouns stemmed from his religious belief that a person’s biological sex is unchangeable. He claimed he accommodated the student by using their name but avoided using pronouns altogether. However, school administrators and the student’s parents insisted that he follow the school’s anti-discrimination policy, which required staff to use a student’s chosen pronouns.
After being fired, Vlaming sued the school board, arguing that his constitutional rights to free speech and religious exercise were violated. Though a judge initially dismissed the lawsuit, the Virginia Supreme Court reinstated parts of it in December 2022, allowing two claims to proceed: one alleging the violation of Vlaming’s religious freedoms under the Virginia Constitution and another for breach of contract.
Vlaming expressed his views in an ADF statement, stating that his religious beliefs led to a conflict with school administrators who, in his view, enforced a singular perspective on gender identity. “I loved teaching French and gracefully tried to accommodate every student in my class, but I couldn’t say something that directly violated my conscience,” Vlaming said.
The school district confirmed the settlement, noting that it was pleased to have reached a resolution that would not negatively impact the students, staff, or the broader school community.
The case comes amidst broader debates about the treatment of transgender students in Virginia. Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration has rolled back policies put in place by his Democratic predecessor, including accommodations that allowed transgender students to be referred to by their chosen pronouns. Current lawsuits seek to challenge these policy changes and clarify school districts’ responsibilities regarding transgender students.
