The global landscape has significantly changed in recent years, seen by some as progress and by others as regression.
Pamela Richard, a Kansas teacher, was suspended for three days for refusing to use a student’s preferred pronoun. She explained that she addressed a biologically female student by her legal last name to avoid using the chosen name and gender, which she thought was a fair compromise.
Richard, a Christian with traditional beliefs about gender, stated that this policy violated her beliefs. The lawsuit argued that her faith views sex as unchangeable. In May, she won $95,000 in federal court, with her attorney confirming that she could now communicate with parents in line with her beliefs. The policy, which barred disclosing students’ preferred names and allowed avoiding pronouns for gender-diverse students, was ruled against by the court. The school has not commented on the ruling.
