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.

  • andros_rex@lemmy.world
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    3 months 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?

    • CeruleanRuin@lemmings.world
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      3 months ago

      That sucks, but I can’t say I was surprised to hear it was in Oklahoma. I’m sorry you have to live in such a backwards craphole of a state.

    • Jojo, Lady of the West@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      3 months ago

      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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        3 months 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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          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.

  • Zahille7@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Idk man. When I was in school before everyone started coming out as trans and such, all my teachers would still ask if there was a different name you preferred on like the first day of school. And they suck to it. It didn’t matter if the student was gay, straight, trans, or whatever; they still had a preferred name they liked to be called by, the teachers asked, and they respected it. I’d like to think those teachers of mine would continue this practice and not have an issue with it, but you never really know.

    • quantumantics@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Teacher here; this is the first thing I do on day one with new students! You want to build a classroom community of mutual respect; failure to do so makes for a hostile classroom and a wasted year.

    • TallonMetroid@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      That was my experience as well, but then I grew in San Francisco, which is like the gay hippie commie Mecca that the Christofascists jerk themselves off on hating. Plus we had a lot of minority students with potentially difficult to pronounce ethnic names, so that might also have been a factor.

      • Zahille7@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Makes sense. My personal experience with this is coming from a small Midwest city in elementary and middle school. By the time we got to high school, the teachers just knew because it was in your record by that point.

  • LordOfLocksley@lemmy.world
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    3 months 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”.

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    3 months 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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      3 months 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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        3 months 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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          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.

  • alienanimals@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Someone should start going by the name, “I owe you 5 dollars”. It’s a fool-proof way to get rich quick.

  • betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Good, fuck off. He can find a new job where he’s not expected to treat his fellow humans with the respect they deserve. Being wrong about the nature of reality doesn’t grant the right to be an asshole even if they sincerely believe that it should.

    • Samvega@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      3 months ago

      Since I realised it, I have never forgotten that applying basic decency to all living beings is a revolutionary act that will be resisted in various ways, including violence, by those who uphold a status quo based on forced inequity.

  • answersplease77@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    those poor students felt awful considering not being able to correct him on top. So, highly likely a horrible teacher to begin with

  • irotsoma@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    No “personal freedom” to violate the rights of others should exist when you are acting on behalf of the government, just like you can’t advertise AT&T’s service while on a call working tech support for Verizon and not expect to get fired.

  • ObliviousEnlightenment@lemmy.world
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    3 months 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.

    • CeruleanRuin@lemmings.world
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      It’s pretty weak to begin with to claim it’s his religious right to be an asshole to people. If some kid was named Alphonzious and wanted people to call him Al, but you insisted on using the name he hates instead, that’s just you being a huge dick, and it’s the school’s prerogative to fire you for it. Gender doesn’t even come into it.

      Go ahead and claim your religion requires you to be an obnoxious toolbag bully to children. Good luck finding work, shitheel.

    • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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      3 months ago

      The part at the beginning where God turned the rib of a man into a person and that person identified herself as Eve.

  • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    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

    Fun fact: when your religious beliefs include a mandate to trample on the rights of others based on pure bigotry, you and your obnoxious interpretation of bronze age fairy tales can fuck off.

    • Blum0108@lemmy.world
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      I also am unsure of where in the Bible it states that pronouns are immutable.

        • girlfreddy@lemmy.ca
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          Genesis 5: 2 says “Male and female he created them, and he blessed them.”

          I like to point to the word ‘and’, just to make sure Xtians notice it doesn’t say ‘or’.

          • Sharkwellington@lemmy.one
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            3 months ago

            Genesis 5: 2 says “Male and female he created them, and he blessed them.”

            In an English translation. I’d be interested to see what subtleties in the original text didn’t make it over.

      • Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world
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        Idk, but the lady on Fox said it was against my religion, she sounded really sure of herself, and it lines up nicely with my bigoted personality. I think this one’s safe to just take at face value and assume it’s part of my religion. It’s what I’m told Jesus would do!!

        • Sharkwellington@lemmy.one
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          3 months ago

          And Native Americans have 5 genders.

          Weird that entirely separate and different societies all come to the conclusion that there should be more than just 2 genders that are locked in at birth.

          It’s almost as if each person is unique and shoehorning people into only one possible way of living based on your sex is archaic and holding us back from living our most fulfilling lives.

  • Ilovemyirishtemper@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Whelp, Walker neutered our teachers’ unions, and the conservatives pushed for being a right to work state, so here are some unexpected consequences of that. They do not have to tell him why his contract wasn’t renewed, and now he doesn’t have a union backing his position. Plus, he wasn’t even “fired,” just not renewed.

    F this teacher for creating an environment of hate.

    • jerkface@lemmy.ca
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      Teachers don’t even have a union? WHY DO YOU HATE YOURSELVES SO MUCH??

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Because unions are villainous commie organizations who do nothing but sap your paycheck and eat god fearing children. The worst part is they have a better villain laugh than the politicians. Really they just had to be stopped!

    • Samvega@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      3 months ago

      show common decency

      Ah, but isn’t it persecution to tell someone who has an ideology of hatred against an outgroup to show decency to them?

      At least, that’s what they’re told from the pulpit and from behind the presenting desk.

  • swampwitch@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Don’t know what happened to “love thy neighbour”/The Golden Rule, but some Christians sure are struggling with that part of the Bible.

    • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      3 months ago

      To be fair, there’s a lot of contradictions in there regarding how one should treat other humans.

      For example, Jesus endorsed slavery, which doesn’t seem very “love thy neighbor” to me…

      • Hackworth@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Small point of clarification - God endorsed slavery. Jesus doesn’t say anything about it.

          • Hackworth@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            It depends on the denomination, interestingly. Jehovah’s Witnesses see Jesus as a created being, separate from and subordinate to god the Father, and view the Holy Spirit as god’s active force rather than a person. Mormons believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as separate beings united in purpose, rather than one god in three persons.

            • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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              I’m willing to bet this guy believes Jesus is God, it’s the predominant belief in the religion regardless of a few sects having their own fanfictions.

    • callouscomic@lemm.ee
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      Most Christians have always struggled with that part.

      Setting aside religion, I used to have a shitty boss who would never shut up about how the platinum rule (treat people how they want to be treated) is better than the golden rule (treat people how you want to be treated), but then would proceed to never actually follow it and never really understood how he treated people.

      People suck in general at just giving a shit about others. They just want to sound and feel like they give a shit without actually following through.

      • linearchaos@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        That’s the church modernization strategy right there.

        Here are the rules you should follow the rules.

        Preacher, I disagree with the rules. The rules make me feel icky.

        You should just do your best end repent and give back in another ways. By the way this month’s tidings are a little light can you help us out.

        • callouscomic@lemm.ee
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          Gave my parents the excuse they needed to never have to face everyone they’ve hurt.

          “I’ll have to answer to God for that, not to you.”

          How convenient. I’ll just sort out my abusive childhood myself I guess.

      • optissima@possumpat.io
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        People who claim that that’s not already part of the golden rule don’t understand the golden rule anyway.