Virginia teacher fired for refusing to use student's preferred pronouns speaks out, says he's been blacklisted
Virginia Supreme Court hearing arguments in lawsuit over alleged violations of teacher's religious beliefs
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Virginia Supreme Court this morning heard oral arguments in a case that could shape whether teachers can be forced to speak in a way that violates their religious beliefs.
Peter Vlaming was a teacher in the West Point School district in Virginia who was fired for refusing to use pronouns that contradicted with a student's biological sex. Vlaming did agree to call the student by a preferred name, but refrained from using pronouns at all when referring to the student.
Vlaming told Fox News Digital after being fired from the West Point school district, he was "blacklisted," and unable to get another job teaching in Virginia.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Caleb Dalton, legal counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, who is representing Vlaming in the case, told Fox News Digital the Virginia Supreme Court is addressing the question of "whether or not public schools will be allowed to fire teachers simply because they can’t express and personally endorse an ideological belief."
The issue of pronoun usage has become controversial in states and school districts across the country. (iStock)
Vlaming said since his case became public, he has had other teachers across the country reach out and share that they are experiencing similar situations in their districts. His advice, he said, is "sometimes it costs something to speak the truth, to not lie."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We’ve come to a point where your job may be in the balance, but if people don’t take a stand, then we’re basically going more and more toward a totalitarian system where things that have nothing to do with the curriculum are being required," he added.
But, Dalton said teachers should not have to choose between making statements that contradict their beliefs or be fired.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"No government should be able to force an employee on pain of firing, to lie and to violate their conscience," he said. "We’re thankful that the Virginia Constitution protects his rights, and we’re hopeful the Virginia Supreme Court affirms those."
The controversy of pronoun usage in the classroom – which has arisen in school districts across the country – does not have to be a "stumbling block" in the classroom, Vlaming said.
"I didn’t… share my point of view in the classroom. I was there to teach French as a French teacher," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}JUDGE ALLOWS LAWSUIT BY PENNSYLVANIA MOMS OVER FIRST-GRADE TRANSGENDER LESSONS TO MOVE FORWARD
"[Peter] respects the right of the student to believe what the student believes and what the parents believe about gender ideology," Dalton said. "All he’s asking for is not to be compelled to say that he believes the same thing."
The Commonwealth of Virginia filed an amicus brief in support of Vlaming saying that he was punished by the school board "because of his religious beliefs."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}RICHMOND, VA - JANUARY 15: Virginia state Supreme Court building. (Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images) (Photo by Eze Amos/Getty Images)
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"The Commonwealth urges this court to… hold that Virginia’s Constitution and Code forbid the government from forcing its citizens to express personal agreement with messages contrary to their deeply held religious beliefs," the brief read.
The West Point School District did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.