They don’t want to admit that intersex exists. Because it blows the gender binary out of the water. So they’ll just say they’re transgender. It’s just another lie to them.
Here we go again, and unsurprisingly it's happening in Florida, where Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers have spent years passing discriminatory laws targeting anyone who does not fit their narrow definition of male or female.
In this case, a single parent, without presenting any evidence whatsoever, accused teacher Shepard Scalf of being transgender. Rather than stand behind a respected educator with a proven record of excellence, the school district chose to accept an unsubstantiated accusation and reportedly demanded that Scalf resign or face dismissal.
The district knew Scalf's sex when he was hired. They knew his qualifications. They knew his record as a teacher. Yet they were willing to throw all of that aside based solely on the word of one individual and fear generated by discriminatory laws and political hysteria.
This is not about protecting students. It is not about education. It is about discrimination, intimidation, and creating an atmosphere where anyone who does not conform to someone's personal beliefs can be targeted, accused, and punished without evidence. That is wrong, it is unjust, and it has no place in a civilized society.
That's weird, because even Florida law (derogatory) says "It shall be the policy of every public K-12 educational institution that is provided or authorized by the Constitution and laws of Florida that a person’s sex is an immutable biological trait and that it is false to ascribe to a person a pronoun that does not correspond to such person’s sex. This section does not apply to individuals born with a genetically or biochemically verifiable disorder of sex development, including, but not limited to, 46, XX disorder of sex development; 46, XY disorder of sex development; sex chromosome disorder of sex development; XX or XY sex reversal; and ovotesticular disorder." Title XLVIII, 1000.071 (1).
Why hasn't the teacher's union joined in the case on the side of Mr. Scalf? This is as much a labor issue as it is a trans/intersex issue. Is the union down there so weak that they can't stand athwart the arbitrary firing of a teacher based on a single complaint from a single parent? I don't live in FL so I'm not sure how it works. Is there even a union in any meaningful sense?
Surely, in states and districts where cooler heads prevail, a teacher of the quality and record of Shepard Scalf will be sought-after.
The odd part is that many people still believe that binary sexual classification equates to gender identification, rather than realizing that “male” and “female” are terms of convenience… boxes, if you will.
One of the nicest advances in reason, IMHO, is the realization that there are plenty of people whose apparent sex at birth may not agree with their gender identity, and they live accordingly, and happily so.
Throw a little religious absolutism and some politics in the mix and you get what we face today: ignorance in motion.
I believe it's covered under the "Don't Say Gay(/Trans)" law. If you're trans, you would have to show up at school in assigned-sex-drag and go by your deadname and incorrect pronouns. Short of that, you are bringing "gender ideology" into the classroom, which is illegal.
I hear what you're saying, and it is infuriating that trans people (and transness as a concept) are viewed and treated as we are, I agree. That being said, it seems like you may not be aware that intersex people—including those who are cis—are just as much targets of discrimination and violence as trans people are; this is true even when the intersex person in question is correctly identified as such, rather than mistaken as trans (even though I know the latter is what happened in this particular case). The oppressions of trans people and intersex people are two sides of the same coin, and as an intersex trans person, I feel really disheartened by the broader trans community's apparent difficulty with standing in solidarity with intersex folks, especially around incidents like these that make so clear (imo) that our struggles are intertwined.
I'm not trying to jump on you for expressing justified anger, I just wantedbto voice a reminder that perisex trans people are not the only ones in this fight who are expected to "just get used to being gang fucked by chainsaws," to use your words.
As part of the trans and not intersex community, I really don't get the impression that we have any sort of reluctance to stand in solidarity with intersex people - or that we feel our issues aren't deeply intertwined. I also don't really see Jamie's comment as being unsupportive. The first part of it was offered sarcastically ("/s").
I do feel that we trans women, for whatever reason, are the ones who are most in the frying pan right now. If you see mostly us fighting these issues, that's probably why. All are welcome to come fight with us (and we deeply appreciate those who do). The more we come together, the more we will understand each other's issues, and the better we can advocate for each other.
Meanwhile, I think I speak for most of us trans people, in that we are happy there is a case to be made for this teacher not being trans. Not only is it good for the teacher, but it muddies the legal aspects of discrimination in a way that weakens these oppressive laws and makes case law arbitrary and inconsistent. That's good for all of us, because the house of cards eventually has to collapse on itself. And it also makes discrimination costly, which also benefits us all.
My understanding is that even if the teacher were trans, that is not fireable under Bostock and Florida law can't trump this.... the don't-say-gay law is about statements made at school/in classroom regarding lgbt stuff (which is bs in itself, but another issue). It's just that this case has an extra layer of the individual being intersex that makes it an even bigger slam dunk, I suppose. Not sure if this is a private school that would not have to adhere to public employment law, however. It's sick that this person who is a terrific teacher by all accounts is made to endure all this scrutiny just to pursue basic fairness. I hope the state is slapped hard.
Tell me more about the “parent “ .. Parents come in pairs . This article scrupulously sticks to the singular form of the term . Why was the accusation made ?! What fear precipitated the accusation ?! What fear precipitated the request for the teacher to resign or be fired ?! Clearly Florida and many other states not mention voters of all stripes are living in a state of fear . Keep living our lives as authentically as possible . Be True to ourselves our families ( of origin or found ) , friends and community .
I've been waiting for this. This is where all their false logic falls apart. As a trans & intersex person, I've been waiting for this one.
It does sound like a direct, easy ADA win for them. Can we leverage it?
It wiuld be nice, but I'm afraid denial trumps logic. All puns intended.
They don’t want to admit that intersex exists. Because it blows the gender binary out of the water. So they’ll just say they’re transgender. It’s just another lie to them.
Here we go again, and unsurprisingly it's happening in Florida, where Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers have spent years passing discriminatory laws targeting anyone who does not fit their narrow definition of male or female.
In this case, a single parent, without presenting any evidence whatsoever, accused teacher Shepard Scalf of being transgender. Rather than stand behind a respected educator with a proven record of excellence, the school district chose to accept an unsubstantiated accusation and reportedly demanded that Scalf resign or face dismissal.
The district knew Scalf's sex when he was hired. They knew his qualifications. They knew his record as a teacher. Yet they were willing to throw all of that aside based solely on the word of one individual and fear generated by discriminatory laws and political hysteria.
This is not about protecting students. It is not about education. It is about discrimination, intimidation, and creating an atmosphere where anyone who does not conform to someone's personal beliefs can be targeted, accused, and punished without evidence. That is wrong, it is unjust, and it has no place in a civilized society.
That's weird, because even Florida law (derogatory) says "It shall be the policy of every public K-12 educational institution that is provided or authorized by the Constitution and laws of Florida that a person’s sex is an immutable biological trait and that it is false to ascribe to a person a pronoun that does not correspond to such person’s sex. This section does not apply to individuals born with a genetically or biochemically verifiable disorder of sex development, including, but not limited to, 46, XX disorder of sex development; 46, XY disorder of sex development; sex chromosome disorder of sex development; XX or XY sex reversal; and ovotesticular disorder." Title XLVIII, 1000.071 (1).
Why hasn't the teacher's union joined in the case on the side of Mr. Scalf? This is as much a labor issue as it is a trans/intersex issue. Is the union down there so weak that they can't stand athwart the arbitrary firing of a teacher based on a single complaint from a single parent? I don't live in FL so I'm not sure how it works. Is there even a union in any meaningful sense?
This is HORRIBLE
Sad society that does not applaud an amazing teacher! The students are losing out. Thanks to their ignorant, hateful parents.
Sue their butts
I hope he sues and wins a TON of money!
Honestly, this could have happened to many cisgender teachers, too.
Surely, in states and districts where cooler heads prevail, a teacher of the quality and record of Shepard Scalf will be sought-after.
The odd part is that many people still believe that binary sexual classification equates to gender identification, rather than realizing that “male” and “female” are terms of convenience… boxes, if you will.
One of the nicest advances in reason, IMHO, is the realization that there are plenty of people whose apparent sex at birth may not agree with their gender identity, and they live accordingly, and happily so.
Throw a little religious absolutism and some politics in the mix and you get what we face today: ignorance in motion.
There is a bigger issue here. Why would a transgender teacher have to step down or be fired? What am I missing?
Because it's against their unconstitutional law.
Wait. Seriously? You can be fired in Florida for being trans??
I believe it's covered under the "Don't Say Gay(/Trans)" law. If you're trans, you would have to show up at school in assigned-sex-drag and go by your deadname and incorrect pronouns. Short of that, you are bringing "gender ideology" into the classroom, which is illegal.
“What rights don’t you have?” in 3…. 2….
Well.
As long as he isn't ACTUALLY guilty of being transgender, I suppose he shouldn't be punished. /s
But then I suppose those of us who ARE should just get used to being gang fucked by chainsaws.
I hear what you're saying, and it is infuriating that trans people (and transness as a concept) are viewed and treated as we are, I agree. That being said, it seems like you may not be aware that intersex people—including those who are cis—are just as much targets of discrimination and violence as trans people are; this is true even when the intersex person in question is correctly identified as such, rather than mistaken as trans (even though I know the latter is what happened in this particular case). The oppressions of trans people and intersex people are two sides of the same coin, and as an intersex trans person, I feel really disheartened by the broader trans community's apparent difficulty with standing in solidarity with intersex folks, especially around incidents like these that make so clear (imo) that our struggles are intertwined.
I'm not trying to jump on you for expressing justified anger, I just wantedbto voice a reminder that perisex trans people are not the only ones in this fight who are expected to "just get used to being gang fucked by chainsaws," to use your words.
As part of the trans and not intersex community, I really don't get the impression that we have any sort of reluctance to stand in solidarity with intersex people - or that we feel our issues aren't deeply intertwined. I also don't really see Jamie's comment as being unsupportive. The first part of it was offered sarcastically ("/s").
I do feel that we trans women, for whatever reason, are the ones who are most in the frying pan right now. If you see mostly us fighting these issues, that's probably why. All are welcome to come fight with us (and we deeply appreciate those who do). The more we come together, the more we will understand each other's issues, and the better we can advocate for each other.
Meanwhile, I think I speak for most of us trans people, in that we are happy there is a case to be made for this teacher not being trans. Not only is it good for the teacher, but it muddies the legal aspects of discrimination in a way that weakens these oppressive laws and makes case law arbitrary and inconsistent. That's good for all of us, because the house of cards eventually has to collapse on itself. And it also makes discrimination costly, which also benefits us all.
My understanding is that even if the teacher were trans, that is not fireable under Bostock and Florida law can't trump this.... the don't-say-gay law is about statements made at school/in classroom regarding lgbt stuff (which is bs in itself, but another issue). It's just that this case has an extra layer of the individual being intersex that makes it an even bigger slam dunk, I suppose. Not sure if this is a private school that would not have to adhere to public employment law, however. It's sick that this person who is a terrific teacher by all accounts is made to endure all this scrutiny just to pursue basic fairness. I hope the state is slapped hard.
Tell me more about the “parent “ .. Parents come in pairs . This article scrupulously sticks to the singular form of the term . Why was the accusation made ?! What fear precipitated the accusation ?! What fear precipitated the request for the teacher to resign or be fired ?! Clearly Florida and many other states not mention voters of all stripes are living in a state of fear . Keep living our lives as authentically as possible . Be True to ourselves our families ( of origin or found ) , friends and community .