The Wisconsin English teacher, Jordan Cernek, argues in the suit that the district violated his freedom of religion and free speech in mandating the use of the students’ preferred names and pronouns.

A high school English teacher is suing a Wisconsin school district, alleging it did not renew his contract last year because he refused to use the preferred names of two transgender students.

Jordan Cernek’s federal lawsuit alleges the Argyle School District violated his constitutional and civil rights to be free of religious discrimination and to be able to express himself according to his religious beliefs when it did not renew his contract because he refused to abide by a requirement that teachers use the names or pronouns requested by students.

  • ObliviousEnlightenment@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Just wanna point out, noone is threatening the teachers right to be a dick, just lost his government job over it. This is basic seperation of church and state. A member of a racist religion would be fired for trying to only teach white kids.

  • KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 month ago

    didn’t know being an asshole was a religious freedom, at this rate domestic terrorism is going to be covered under religious freedom, jesus christ.

    also, separation of church and state, gotta love it.

  • andros_rex@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I’m a transgender teacher that can’t work in public schools because I’m trans.

    In fact, Oklahoma has executive ordered trans people out of existence.

    Can I get news coverage please?

    • Bring a lawsuit, I guess? I worry it could go up to the supreme court to decide if the law banning you from working in a school is constitutional, and I don’t trust our current supreme court with that decision

      • andros_rex@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        I’ve reached out to multiple federal agencies, and no one can agree on who has jurisdiction. And my local ACLU won’t do shit, because as you pointed out, the Supreme Court is itching to set lots of fucked up precedents.

        I took out TEACH grants - agreed to serve as a teacher for four years. After three years they ripped the ground out from underneath me.

        • Jojo, Lady of the West@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          1 month ago

          Super shitty, my friend. I’m sorry. I lost my teaching job when I came out too, but I worked for a sort of alternative Christian high school/middle school with like 30 students max so I kinda knew mine was coming.

  • LordOfLocksley@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Please tell me which religion he is, as no where in the bible does it say “Trans people are evil, don’t believe the woke agenda”, it does say however, “Love thy neighbour”.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    He better not fucking win. Apart from it being bigoted against trans kids, this opens the door for teachers to give kids whatever insulting nicknames they want. Call the clumsy kid the r-word? Don’t violate his free speech! Call the black kid the n-word? The Book of Mormon clearly says black people are inferior! Don’t violate his freedom of religion!

    • Samvega@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      1 month ago

      He better not fucking win. Apart from it being bigoted against trans kids, this opens the door for teachers to give kids whatever insulting nicknames they want.

      Put Elon back in school and call him Cis.

      • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        No need. He’s already getting schooled on his own platform daily by trans, intersex, nonbinary, and cis people of all ages, sexualities, races, and nationalities.

        He’s a unifier: uniting the world in opposition to his bigotry and general obnoxiousness!

    • rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works
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      He better not fucking win because a public school teacher needs to check their religion at the door. The SC said that private businesses can practice their religion as part of commerce but this is the public sector. Kim Davis lost her case about refusing the same sex marriage license due to “her religion” and this should follow.

  • AVincentInSpace@pawb.social
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    1 month ago

    Republicans: “We need to police what’s taught in schools! Leftists shouldn’t have the right to teach whatever they like to our children! I don’t want my tax dollars being spent filling their heads with woke garbage!”

    Republicans when a teacher gets suspended for teaching their views to children: “But muh freeze peach! I have the right to teach whatever I like to children!”

      • ReveredOxygen@sh.itjust.works
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        1 month ago

        For people who haven’t heard it called that:

        Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.

        • Frank Wilhoit
  • isyasad@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    “It’s against my religion to use preferred pronouns”
    Also that religion: hi my pronouns are He/Him CAPITALIZED please. Please capitalize them when you use them.
    🤷‍♀️

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        If you only refer to one being in the entire universe with a capital H when calling that being He, I’d say it was a different pronoun from he.

        • JackbyDev@programming.dev
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          1 month ago

          I don’t use uppercase pronouns when talking about gods because I don’t worship them. That doesn’t mean I’m misgendering them.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            It was a general ‘you’ and you (specific this time) said it wasn’t a different set of pronouns. You (again, specifically you personally) weren’t talking about misgendering.

            “He” is clearly a different pronoun from “he” if only one being in the universe is referred to as “He.”

  • StrandedInTimeFall@lemm.ee
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    1 month ago

    Your pastor or preacher told you to do it, not your religion. Pretty sure there’s no explicit mention how to use or not use pronouns or using someone’s preferred name in the bible. Language is just arbitrary, made up bullshit anyways. Let’s reverse it, his name is no longer Jordan Cernek using pronouns he/his/him. Now, it Jerkin Cumneck with the special pronoun of shitstain.

    Jerkin Cumneck is a dumbass. Shitstain shouldn’t bring shitstain’s political views to work. Jerkin should teach at a private christian academy because shitstain can be an obnoxious asshole over there without having shitstain’s fragile little mind broken every time shitstain has to use words that shitstain doesn’t like.

  • flicker@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I’m not trans.

    I hate my legal name. I will change it when I’m ready to do the paperwork. Until then, everyone calls me the name I prefer.

    I would have been a thorn in this teacher’s side. I’m not answering to that name, asshole. I’m not writing it on any documents. I’m allowed to tell you what to call me for whatever reason I want. My mother’s best friend, who I was named for, was an abusive fucking cunt to me and every time you say her name I’m reminded of her.

    What a douche. Stop policing names. The only names worth policing are the ones that are remarkably dumb.

    • Itsamelemmy@lemmy.zip
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      1 month ago

      Probably wouldn’t have a problem calling Michael Mike. Would they have a problem calling someone by their birth name if it didn’t follow traditional gender norms? (I knew a girl named Michael)

    • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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      I’m reminded of the story of a woman who found out a co-worker was trans and insisted on calling them by their birth-name in order to “honor their mother” despite being told by supervisors and HR not to.
      This same woman was married and got very upset when called by her maiden name.

      She did not see the contradiction.

      • flicker@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Every once in a while I’m confronted with something like this and I have to remind myself… lots of very stupid people in the world.

    • primrosepathspeedrun@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      nah. I think there’s room. religious shit should be banned from public use (as in, use by public institutions) , and I don’t think we should have a robert e lee or nathan B forest high school any more than we should have an erwin rommel elementary or a reinhardt heidrich middle school.

  • ImADifferentBird@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 month ago

    I mean, good. If he isn’t going to do even the single most basic thing to connect with his students and meet them where they are, how can he ever be an effective teacher?

    • Sharkwellington@lemmy.one
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      Right? Some of these kids see their teachers more than their actual parents. Could you imagine having to deal with such blatant disrespect every day from someone that is meant to be your role model?

      • Enkrod@feddit.org
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        1 month ago

        I can, I did, it fucked me up mentally. I’m 41 now and still suffer some of the consequences of the abuse by my peers and one especially vicious teacher.

  • graphene@lemm.ee
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    1 month ago

    Trans people should start their own religion and then claim bigots are violating their right to freedom of religion or whatever

  • norimee@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    It’s discrimination because he can’t discriminate others?

    Freedom of discrimination for me, but not for thee?

    • primrosepathspeedrun@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      then I have a right to sit outside churches and take pot shots every sunday when they let out. saying I can’t is discrimination! AND infringement on my second amendment rights! and saying I should be STOPPED from doing this, rather than just not allowed, is infringement of my fourth amendment rights!

      edit: not actually planning this. you can tell because it would require waking up before noon. just that I have the constitutional right to.

      • Jiggle_Physics@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        The USSC has ruled that there are limitations on free speech in public schools. This includes things that will significantly disrupt the general operation of the school, what is produced in the name of the school (such as a student news paper), and allows for disciplinary action, for both students and staff, in regards to maintaining professional, respectful, conduct. So the guy doesn’t actually have the right to knowingly be disrespectful to students, or other staff members.

        • primrosepathspeedrun@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          okay but these fucking cultists have got away with much worse pretty regularly, and I expect this one to get away with this, so im still going to argue for my constitutional right (though not necessarily ability) to shoot up a church without imposed consequences.

  • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Let’s all say it together.

    Your Rights. Do Not. Override. The Rights. Of Others.

    It’s a far smaller imposition to use a preferred name than it is to be dead named.