Shawnee State University in Ohio has agreed to pay a professor $400,000 after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ruled that the school violated First Amendment rights by requiring him to use a student’s preferred pronouns.
Philosophy professor Dr. Nick Meriwether has been fighting Shawnee State University since 2018, when it issued him a warning, according to a statement from his attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). Meriwether “declined a male student’s demand to be referred to as a woman, with feminine titles and pronouns,” said the statement.
While the professor refused to use the student’s preferred pronouns, he did offer to refer to them by a name they requested. Shawnee State rejected that proposal, “forcing the professor to speak contrary to his [Christian] religious convictions and philosophical beliefs,” his attorneys claim.
ADF attorney Thomas W. Kidd, Jr., served as local counsel on Meriwether’s behalf.
Shawnee State agreed that Meriwether has the right to choose when to use, or avoid using, titles or pronouns when referring to or addressing students as part of the settlement, said ADF. Going forward, Meriwether will not be mandated to use pronouns for a student “that conflict with his or her biological sex.”
Apart from agreeing to let Meriwether choose what pronouns to use for his students, Shawnee agreed to pay $400,000 in damages to the professor. After the settlement was reached, ADF attorneys filed last week to have Meriwether’s case against the school dismissed.
“This case forced us to defend what used to be a common belief—that nobody should be forced to contradict their core beliefs just to keep their job,” said ADF Senior Counsel Travis Barham.
Shawnee State University – a public institution that was founded in 1986 and has roots going back to 1945 – said in a statement that “though we have decided to settle, we adamantly deny that anyone at Shawnee State deprived Dr. Meriwether of his free speech rights or his rights to freely exercise his religion.”
It said that it followed federal law that protects students from bigotry and discrimination. It also said that it continues to stand for the rights of its approximately 3,300 students to a discrimination-free learning environment, and that the settlement was an economic decision.
“Over the course of this lawsuit, it became clear that the case was being used to advance divisive social and political agendas at a cost to the university and its students,” said the school. “That cost is better spent on fulfilling Shawnee State’s mission of service to our students, families and community.”
So far, 2022 has already been a “record-setting year for state legislation targeting LGBTQ adults and children, with more than 200 anti-LGBTQ bills proposed as of March 21,” according to GLAAD. “This follows 2021’s record of proposed bills targeting transgender Americans’ access to education, athletics, healthcare, and bathrooms.”
Another bill related to LGBTQ+ issues and education is the “Don’t Say Gay” bill signed into law this year in Florida, which prevents discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels.
Last month, The Washington Post reported that a Christian teacher Pamela Ricard of Kansas is suing the school district she works for a situation similar to Meriwether’s. She said she is uncomfortable with referring to the students by names and pronouns that were different from what was listed in the district’s enrollment system and was suspended for conflict with the district after a student complained.
“Public universities should welcome intellectual and ideological diversity, where all students and professors can engage in meaningful discussions without compromising their core beliefs,” said ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, of the Ohio case. “Dr. Meriwether rightly defended his freedom to speak and stay silent, and not conform to the university’s demand for uniformity of thought. We commend the university for ultimately agreeing to do the right thing, in keeping with its reason for existence as a marketplace of ideas.”
A 2020 blog post from the National Institutes of Health offers a different perspective on the subject of pronouns.
“Nothing may be more personal than the words people use to refer to us through our names and pronouns,” said the post. “It is imperative that workplaces become more accustomed to these realities.”
As of 2021, a Pew Research Center report found that “growing shares of U.S. adults say they know someone who is transgender or who goes by a gender-neutral pronoun.” However, the research center found that the public’s comfort level with using preferred pronouns remained static.
“Properly using an individual’s correct pronoun is an easy way to show respect. In an instance where a pronoun is not indicated or unknown, gender-neutral pronouns provide a useful option,” said the National Institutes of Health post. “Whether intentional or not, using the wrong pronouns can be hurtful, angering, and even distracting. Some might find it equivalent to being told they do not matter or deserve respect. Invalidating someone’s identity puts a strain on how a person moves about in society and how that individual interacts with others.”
According to a 2018 study in the Journal of Adolescent Health, transgender youth who could use accurate names and pronouns experienced 71% fewer symptoms of severe depression, a 34% drop in reported suicidal thoughts and a 65% decrease in suicide attempts.
Related
Related
