The high school teacher was dismissed in 2018 after he refused to use a student’s preferred male pronouns, opting to use the student’s name instead.
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Peter Vlaming taught for seven years at the West Point Public Schools in Virginia. Courtesy Peter Vlaming
By Tom Ozimek
10/1/2024Updated: 10/2/2024
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A Virginia school board has agreed to pay $575,000 in damages and legal fees to settle a lawsuit brought by former high school French teacher Peter Vlaming, who was dismissed after refusing to use a transgender student’s preferred pronouns, citing religious convictions.
The settlement, announced on Sept. 30 by the legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), resolves the case Vlaming filed against the West Point School Board. Vlaming argued that his dismissal violated his First Amendment rights after he refused to comply with the superintendent’s demand that he refer to a transgender student by pronouns inconsistent with the student’s biological sex.
Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom and senior counsel for ADF, which represented Vlaming in his lawsuit, praised the settlement.
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“Peter wasn’t fired for something he said; he was fired for something he couldn’t say,” Langhofer said in a statement. “He couldn’t in good conscience speak messages that he knew were untrue, and no school board or government official can punish someone for that reason.”
Vlaming’s case, which began in 2019, became a focal point in the ongoing national debate over free speech, religious liberty, and transgender rights in education. The case gained renewed attention in December 2023, when the Virginia Supreme Court reinstated Vlaming’s lawsuit after it had been dismissed by a lower court. The decision ultimately led to the settlement and voluntary dismissal of the case.
Vlaming was fired in 2018 after he refused to refer to a transgender student by the student’s preferred male pronouns, citing sincerely held religious beliefs that gender is biologically determined and cannot be changed. Vlaming opted to use the student’s preferred name while avoiding the use of any pronouns. However, school administrators insisted he must use the student’s male pronouns in accordance with the district’s anti-discrimination policy. When Vlaming refused, the school board terminated his employment.
“I was wrongfully fired from my teaching job because my religious beliefs put me on a collision course with school administrators who mandated that teachers ascribe to only one perspective on gender identity—their preferred view,” Vlaming said in a statement. “I loved teaching French and gracefully tried to accommodate every student in my class, but I couldn’t say something that directly violated my conscience.”
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In response to his dismissal, Vlaming sued the West Point School Board, arguing that the school violated his First Amendment rights under the Virginia Constitution. He claimed his rights to free speech and religious expression were infringed when he was forced to comply with what he described as “government-mandated pronouns in addition to using the student’s preferred name,” per the state Supreme Court ruling. Initially, a lower court dismissed the case, finding that Vlaming’s claims did not constitute legally viable causes of action.
The Virginia Supreme Court overturned the lower court’s dismissal of the Vlaming’s lawsuit, arguing that it raised substantial constitutional questions, while noting that it was the court’s view that the Virginia Constitution “seeks to protect diversity of thought, diversity of speech, diversity of religion, and diversity of opinion.”
“Our Constitutional Republic, framed upon principles of classical liberalism, cannot be true to itself if it curates between those who can and those who cannot participate in the public marketplace of ideas and retreat, when necessary, to the private sanctuary of conscience,” reads the state Supreme Court’s majority opinion. “Absent a truly compelling reason for doing so, no government committed to these principles can lawfully coerce its citizens into pledging verbal allegiance to ideological views that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs.”
In addition to reinstating the case, the Virginia Supreme Court upheld two key claims: Vlaming’s assertion that his right to freely exercise his religion had been violated, and his breach-of-contract claim against the school board. The ruling paved the way for the settlement announced by ADF on Sept. 30.
Under the terms of the settlement, the West Point School Board will pay $575,000 to Vlaming, covering damages and legal fees. The board has also cleared Vlaming’s termination from his record, allowing Vlaming to pursue teaching positions without the stigma of dismissal.
West Point Public Schools Superintendent Larry L. Frazier Jr. expressed satisfaction with the settlement, emphasizing that it would not negatively impact the school community.
“As we move forward, WPPS will continue to be a place where all students feel safe, respected, and welcomed on a daily basis,” Frazier said in a statement to several media outlets. “Our focus is on all students, and our goal is to continue building positive relationships throughout our school division community.”
174
118
Save
Peter Vlaming taught for seven years at the West Point Public Schools in Virginia. Courtesy Peter Vlaming
By Tom Ozimek
10/1/2024Updated: 10/2/2024
X 1
0:00
5:01
A Virginia school board has agreed to pay $575,000 in damages and legal fees to settle a lawsuit brought by former high school French teacher Peter Vlaming, who was dismissed after refusing to use a transgender student’s preferred pronouns, citing religious convictions.
The settlement, announced on Sept. 30 by the legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), resolves the case Vlaming filed against the West Point School Board. Vlaming argued that his dismissal violated his First Amendment rights after he refused to comply with the superintendent’s demand that he refer to a transgender student by pronouns inconsistent with the student’s biological sex.
Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom and senior counsel for ADF, which represented Vlaming in his lawsuit, praised the settlement.
Story continues below advertisement
“Peter wasn’t fired for something he said; he was fired for something he couldn’t say,” Langhofer said in a statement. “He couldn’t in good conscience speak messages that he knew were untrue, and no school board or government official can punish someone for that reason.”
Vlaming’s case, which began in 2019, became a focal point in the ongoing national debate over free speech, religious liberty, and transgender rights in education. The case gained renewed attention in December 2023, when the Virginia Supreme Court reinstated Vlaming’s lawsuit after it had been dismissed by a lower court. The decision ultimately led to the settlement and voluntary dismissal of the case.
Vlaming was fired in 2018 after he refused to refer to a transgender student by the student’s preferred male pronouns, citing sincerely held religious beliefs that gender is biologically determined and cannot be changed. Vlaming opted to use the student’s preferred name while avoiding the use of any pronouns. However, school administrators insisted he must use the student’s male pronouns in accordance with the district’s anti-discrimination policy. When Vlaming refused, the school board terminated his employment.
“I was wrongfully fired from my teaching job because my religious beliefs put me on a collision course with school administrators who mandated that teachers ascribe to only one perspective on gender identity—their preferred view,” Vlaming said in a statement. “I loved teaching French and gracefully tried to accommodate every student in my class, but I couldn’t say something that directly violated my conscience.”
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It’s Puzzling Why We’re Told Fraud in Transgenderism Is Never Possible
9/25/2024
Judge Exempts Catholic Employers From Federal Rules on Abortion and Transgender Accommodations
9/24/2024
In response to his dismissal, Vlaming sued the West Point School Board, arguing that the school violated his First Amendment rights under the Virginia Constitution. He claimed his rights to free speech and religious expression were infringed when he was forced to comply with what he described as “government-mandated pronouns in addition to using the student’s preferred name,” per the state Supreme Court ruling. Initially, a lower court dismissed the case, finding that Vlaming’s claims did not constitute legally viable causes of action.
The Virginia Supreme Court overturned the lower court’s dismissal of the Vlaming’s lawsuit, arguing that it raised substantial constitutional questions, while noting that it was the court’s view that the Virginia Constitution “seeks to protect diversity of thought, diversity of speech, diversity of religion, and diversity of opinion.”
“Our Constitutional Republic, framed upon principles of classical liberalism, cannot be true to itself if it curates between those who can and those who cannot participate in the public marketplace of ideas and retreat, when necessary, to the private sanctuary of conscience,” reads the state Supreme Court’s majority opinion. “Absent a truly compelling reason for doing so, no government committed to these principles can lawfully coerce its citizens into pledging verbal allegiance to ideological views that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs.”
In addition to reinstating the case, the Virginia Supreme Court upheld two key claims: Vlaming’s assertion that his right to freely exercise his religion had been violated, and his breach-of-contract claim against the school board. The ruling paved the way for the settlement announced by ADF on Sept. 30.
Under the terms of the settlement, the West Point School Board will pay $575,000 to Vlaming, covering damages and legal fees. The board has also cleared Vlaming’s termination from his record, allowing Vlaming to pursue teaching positions without the stigma of dismissal.
West Point Public Schools Superintendent Larry L. Frazier Jr. expressed satisfaction with the settlement, emphasizing that it would not negatively impact the school community.
“As we move forward, WPPS will continue to be a place where all students feel safe, respected, and welcomed on a daily basis,” Frazier said in a statement to several media outlets. “Our focus is on all students, and our goal is to continue building positive relationships throughout our school division community.”
