A teacher who claimed she was told to resign after she refused to address two transgender students by their preferred pronouns has won a $450,000 (£362,000) payout from the local school district.
Vivian Geraghty sued the Jackson Local School District in 2022 over claims her First Amendment rights were violated when she was punished for declining to use the students’ preferred names or pronouns.
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In August 2022 two of Ms Geraghty’s language arts students asked her to call them by different names than those listed on the school’s register.
The teacher knew the requests were “part of the student’s social transition”, but disagreed because of her Christian beliefs and “wanted those students out of her classroom”, according to a court filing.
Ms Geraghty continued to refer to the students using the names they were assigned at birth.
‘Dead-naming’
One student then approached a school counsellor about “one of my teachers dead-naming me all the time in class”.
Ms Geraghty met with the school’s head teacher, Kacy Carter, “to seek an accommodation so that students would not continue to feel uncomfortable”.
She told her that her religious views meant she “wouldn’t be comfortable using preferred names or pronouns because she would know what was behind it”.
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She was later called back for a third meeting. Ms Geraghty claims Ms Carter told her: “If that is your final decision, then we need a letter of resignation effective today.”
‘I guess I’ll resign’
Ms Carter and Ms Myers allege Ms Geraghty said she didn’t think she could work for the school anymore, adding: “I guess I’ll resign.”
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“The school tried to force Vivian to accept and repeat the school’s viewpoint on issues that go to the foundation of morality and human identity, like what makes us male or female, by ordering her to personally participate in the social transition of her students,” said Logan Spena, legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom.
The school district said it “remains dedicated to navigating complex and changing legal environments in a manner that prioritises student safety and well-being”.
* Original Article:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/01/04/teacher-wins-450k-payout-in-trans-pronouns-and-names-row/