Virginia Supreme Court rules in favor of teacher who refused to refer to transgender students by their preferred pronouns

PE teacher Byron “Tanner” Cross was placed on paid administrative leave after he took a stand during a board meeting back in May and refused to refer to the transgender students by their preferred names and pronouns. Among the rest, Cross said in his speech: “I’m a teacher, but I serve God first, and I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa because it’s against my religion.”

Once he was forbidden to step on the school’s ground, he sued Loudoun County Public Schools for violating his right to free speech and free exercise of religion as granted under the Virginia Constitution.

After Loudoun County Circuit Court ruled in favor of Cross, now the Virginia Supreme Court has done the same.

“Cross was opposing a policy that might burden his freedoms of expression and religion by requiring him to speak and interact with students in a way that affirms gender transition,” the 14-page justices wrote, as reported by The Washington Post. “Although the [Loudoun school] Board may have considered Cross’ speech to be ‘a trifling and annoying instance of individual distasteful abuse of a privilege,’ we believe Cross has a strong claim to the view that his public dissent implicates ‘fundamental societal values’ deeply embedded in our Constitutional Republic.”

Cross is now again able to do his job as a PE teacher as his lawsuit proceeds through county circuit court.

“Good news! The Virginia Supreme Court rejected Loudoun County Public Schools’ appeal, affirming the Circuit Court’s decision to reinstate Leesburg Elementary School teacher Tanner Cross,” Alliance Defending Freedom Vice President Michael Friel tweeted. The ADF is known for getting involved in lawsuits that question the rights of transgender people.

As reported by Fox News, Tyson Langhofer, ADF senior counsel, wrote in a statement that “teachers shouldn’t be forced to promote ideologies that are harmful to their students and that they believe are false, nor should they be silenced for commenting at a public meeting.”

For more on the story go to the video below. You can take a look at Cross’ speech from May this year here.

Monica Pop
Monica Pop
Monica Pop is a senior writer for Bored Daddy magazine covering the latest trending and popular articles across the United States and around the world.

More from author

Related posts

Latest posts

At 14 I was left to raise my 6-year-old brother until the system tore us apart

I was just 14 when my brother and I were left all by ourselves. He was everything I had, so I did my best...

5 everyday drinks that can harm your liver like alcohol

As the second largest organ in the human body, the liver is responsible for metabolizing nutrients and detoxifying the bloodstream. When too much fat...

She deceived my granddaughter — and I let her get caught in her own trap

When my daughter, Meredith, passed away, I was heartbroken — not only because of the pain and grief that settled in my heart from...

The photograph of a little boy who became one of the most recognizable men today

A photograph of a little boy went viral after people started sharing it and asking others to guess who that boy grew up to...

Place garlic under your pillow and see what happens

That garlic offers an abundance of impressive health benefits is a well-known truth. Not only does it add flavor to most of your favorite...

It was late afternoon when 16-year-old Jake walked through the front door holding a baby

When 16-year-old Jake rushed into the house with a baby in his arms, his mother froze. "Oh, Jake, whose baby is that?" she asked...