A recent ruling from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a decision by a federal judge, stating that an Indiana school district did not violate a former music teacher’s rights. And the district was not at fault for the teacher’s resignation after he refused to use transgender students’ first names and gender pronouns.
The court case has sparked a debate about religious beliefs, accommodation, and the rights of transgender students in schools.
The teacher in question, John Kluge, was hired in 2014 as the music and orchestra teacher for Brownsburg High School, which is 30 miles from Indianapolis.
In 2017, the district implemented a policy requiring teachers to use the names and pronouns listed in the school’s official student database, which allowed for changes with parental and medical consent.
Kluge expressed a religious objection to using transgender students’ names and pronouns, and the district initially accommodated him by allowing him to use last names only and exempting him from handling orchestra clothing.
