A philosophy professor has filed a lawsuit after he was reprimanded for refusing to use a student's preferred pronouns...
And what's worse? He won. Here's the full story...
Now, this kind of news proves more needs to be done to protect transgender rights...
For centuries, the LGBTQ+ community has been wrongfully discriminated against, meaning that people who identify in such a way haven't felt the confidence to come out and embrace their true selves.
Since the birth of Gay Pride in 1969, millions have marched for gay rights...
And the movement is showing no signs of slowing down today.
We've definitely come a long way.
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Here in the States, the LGBTQ+ community is bigger and prouder than ever before.
In Congress, we now have a number of openly-gay and trans congressmen and women...
And, in 2015, the Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage as a legal right across the country.
Obviously, this was a landmark moment in the community's fight for equality.
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that the plaintiffs asked "for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right."
An Ohio college professor refused to use a transgender student's preferred pronouns...
And now he has won his case before a federal appeals court.
In a unanimous ruling, the court said that Shawnee State University violated Prof. Nicholas Meriwether's rights of free speech...
And free exercise of religion by punishing him for his refusal to use correct pronouns.
Meriwether, a devout Christian, sued Shawnee State...
Claiming that they infringed on his religious belief that gender is "fixed from the moment of conception."
The court's decision upheld Meriwether's argument...
"The First Amendment interests are especially strong here because Meriwether's speech also relates to his core religious and philosophical beliefs," Judge Amul Thapar wrote.
"If professors lacked free-speech protections when teaching, a university would wield alarming power to compel ideological conformity," Thapar added...
University Shouldn’t Punish Me for Not Addressing Male Student as ‘Ms.’ - by Nicholas Meriwether, Ph.D. https://t.co/VztXgi9NfJ pic.twitter.com/d2MZhqeRkG
— Dr. Bill Smith, Editor & Author, ARRA News Service (@arra) September 2, 2020
Who was seen as a contender for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat on the US Supreme Court.
Meriwether was reprimanded back in 2016...
Almost exactly one year ago, our world as we knew it changed instantly — and drastically.
— Shawnee State University (@ShawneeState) March 17, 2021
Now, as vaccines become more available and the spread of coronavirus decreases, #ShawneeState is making plans for a full return to campus life by Fall 2021.
🔗 : https://t.co/KhvE06pCap pic.twitter.com/xbWtUyiM5h
After a transgender student complained that he used the pronoun "Mr." instead of "Ms."
This ruling means the professor can pursue a lawsuit seeking damages.
"Nobody should be forced to contradict their core beliefs just to keep their job," said John Bursch, a lawyer with the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom.
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