Ruling lets lawsuit over transgender pronoun dispute proceed

[ripcord]

Source: Associated Press

CINCINNATI (AP) — A Friday ruling from a federal appeals court allows a professor to continue with his lawsuit against a small, public university in Ohio that rebuked him for not addressing a transgender student using the student’s preferred gender terms.

Nicholas Meriwether argues Shawnee State University officials violated his rights by compelling him to speak in a way that contradicts his Christian beliefs. The small, public school argues such language was part of his job, not speech protected by the First Amendment.

A federal judge concluded that the manner in which Meriwether addressed the student wasn’t protected under the First Amendment, and dismissed Meriwether’s claims related to free-speech and religious protections. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, saying in the ruling Friday that the First Amendment protects professors’ academic speech.

The panel sent the case back to the trial court for further proceedings.

Meriwether’s lawyer, John Bursch, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, said the court’s message was effectively: “If Dr. Meriwether is able to prove these allegations true, these are constitutional violations, and he should win.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/ohio-lawsuits-courts-4a4ecf85dddf335829dd3ef4680510dc

[marble falls]

1. This cannot stand. Religious rights justify the use of think of any kind of hatred for classes?

[earthside]

2. Free speech works both ways.

Accommodations have to be made ... in another report on this it said that the professor decided to just call this individual by their last name ... that ought to be acceptable.

I also don't think that I have to call you by whatever name you want ... I'm not going to call you 'Your Royal Highness' no matter what.

[janterry]

4. I think this is interesting and will head on up to SCOTUS

These free speech cases are on the rise.

I also agree that calling someone by their last name is acceptable.

ETA: One case in the UK was based on someone who wants to be called a man some days and a woman others (it depends on what he wears, apparently). So, there is more to parse - in the future.

[ripcord]

7. Who wins when rights collide?

Is there an order of precedence for rights?

[janterry]

9. a college students suspension was just reversed

he basically said he believes we are a dimorphic species and was suspended. But it appears that SUNY-Geneseo has reversed that.

These issues have just started to bubble up. I think they will probably become more visible in the coming year or two (my guess, we'll see)

[Dr. Strange]

16. What?

What case was that?

[-misanthroptimist]

10. It's hard to avoid the conclusion...

...than in some of these cases it is more about control than respect. Calling someone by their last name is perfectly appropriate.

[Orrex]

12. But you don't get to call me by whatever name you want, either

If I formally asked you, in a professional setting, to call me "Orrex" instead of "Rexxy" and you continued to call me "Rexxy," then you are committing an act of deliberate disrespect, especially if you justify it by some bullshit agenda-driven misreading of your religious beliefs.

(Not referring to your actual beliefs here; I'm extending the example along hypothetical grounds).

[I_UndergroundPanther]

13. Your royal highness is a title not a name

I am transgender and my name is panther.

I chose panther because I adore cats and big cats and panthers are beautiful.

Secondly it's a totally non binary name.

Before you go saying panther is not a name,there is a famous golfer named tiger.

About gender outing

Having your birth gender and name outed can put a transperson in danger.

On a psych unit,they refused to use my chosen name and gender on a board where they wrote who your nurse was for the day. I told them not to out me,they didn't give a shit and outed me anyway.

One problem with some men is they think they can"make" you be hetero and accept your original birth name/ gender
With raping you with thier stupid dicks.. as if a good fucking will make a transperson straight.

Before the rape occured every male on that unit was over the top intrusive about what was between my legs.

I told them it was none of your business.

I felt threatened by this. And staff didn't give a shit,told my doctor about the harassment he did nothing to stop it.

And I got raped on that psych unit.

I told the staff to call the police. Went through a safe test.
It was horrible. Testified to a detective,everything.

Nothing was done never heard from the detective or anybody else regarding the case after I pressed charges against the rapist.

When transpeople get misgendered or misnamed it can lead directly to awful things.

Call people by thier real chosen name and gender you might spare them from rape or death.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

22. That is terrible, I'm so sorry that happened to you ...

I do have a small 'technical' question about nomenclature ... forgive me if this is a dumb question.

"One problem with some men is they think they can"make" you be hetero and accept your original birth name/ gender
With raping you with thier stupid dicks.. as if a good fucking will make a transperson straight."

My question is, for example, if one were born with girl parts but were actually male ... if this person were attracted to girls, they would be hetero/straight, correct? And if they liked boys, they'd be gay?

I guess what I'm asking is ... isn't the question of being cis or transgender a totally separate matter from being gay/straight?

Again, I'm very sorry for what happened to you there. That's a freaking travesty.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

25. Yes they are seperate

Gender issues have nothing to do with sexual orientation.

[Orrex]

24. I believe you.

I am grateful that you survived this horrific attack and the abuse before and after it occurred.

You are stronger than they are, and you will persevere.

[NullTuples]

21. "that ought to be acceptable."

...sorta like separate but equal bathrooms, or sports leagues, right?

[Hugh_Lebowski]

23. I don't see how that's equivalent to 'separate but equal' oppression

Calling someone by their name (whether first or last) should be 'acceptable'. Why wouldn't it be?

Seems like a reasonable compromise if someone is so freaking religious/uptight that they can't bring themselves to call someone by the proper pronoun ... but that doesn't match their birth gender.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

26. My fundie Christian aunt

She always misgendered me and uses birth name.

It is one of the reasons among many I don't associate with her anymore.

I had to see her when she was taking care of my mom before she died. I have to say my aunt took excellent care of her as she declined. She was really good to my mom.


Now that I don't have to see her,now that my mom has passed, I don't see her or call her and whatever.

No use dealing with her right wing bullshit.
She freaked out once when I turned off faux news because I could hear it upstairs when I was trying to sleep.
Turning it off woke her from a dead sleep..

She used to be a dem.
She hooked up with a rather dumb control freak right winger.

He has since died but the right wing poison he put into her remains.

[CurtEastPoint]

3. Prick

[targetpractice]

6. Nope. He identifies as a "dick'. I rebuke you, CurtEastPoint. n/t

[targetpractice]

5. He was rebuked? Oh dear, poor thing.

Nobody can call customers, clients, or students anything they want while working for someone (especially, offensive pronouns) and not expect at least a "rebuke" from their employer.

[NYC Liberal]

8. He called her by her name, though, not an offensive pronoun

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/03/27/transgender-pronouns-shawnee-state-professor/

[mezame]

11. Not much more to read...

...and the trans student isn't even involved in this asshole's lawsuit; no mention if this prick is still employed by SSU. No mention if the student (public or not, still invested in getting an education) is at least still attending (just not taking any of this dick's classes). And now this pet peeve of a lawsuit gets bumped up the food chain.

Well, good for SSU on rebuking this puke of a man, who obviously props up his religion as an excuse for his lack of respect. Did he add a "Ms." or "Mr." prior to the last name excuse? I wonder how badly SSU needs teachers if this guy's on their payroll. So...if this dude wins his petty project, woohoo for religious liberty - good luck finding a decent job afterwards nimrod.

The fact that SSU welcomed trans kids to learn something (boy did this kid learn something, eh?), speaks well of public education in Ohio...or not. Ya think the trans student is waiting to learn he/she will be banned from playing on the softball team?

All this because of a lack of respect - to a child!

[tblue37]

17. University students aren't children.

[dsc]

19. the student involved did submit a brief in the case

[rainin]

14. Can't he say whatever he wants? Then, can't the school fire him because

he isn't following the rules? I'm pretty sure you can cuss out the principal, too, but you should lose your job. Would the courts step in and reinstate you because you have the first amendment right to say anything you want?

[tblue37]

18. Universities have deans and chancellors, not principals.

[dsc]

15. So if he called all the white students Mr. So and so

and called all the black ones by their given first names which was the practice in the 1950's and was justified by religious tenets that would be OK?

[Botany]

20. ATTN Prof. NIck

Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion too and his not calling the student
by the gender he/she identifies with means he is taking away that person's freedom from
his religion. Fuck him and if the all powerful being, who lives someplace clouds, and agrees
with his bigotry then that God creature will be good to the religious dickwad in his afterlife.

BTW the transgender student was born that way so then his God made that person trans
and he is spitting in his God's face.