58 Comments

Also gotta love that yeah the judge says that kids should learn to tolerate harassment basically... but not that the teacher should have to tolerate using a name.

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Also, tolerance is a cornerstone of christianity, so I guess their "deeply held beliefs" are whatever they a feeling at the moment to terrorize a child.

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The judge in this case completely neglected a number of things in this case like literally never even brought up that that wasn't about names... because she refused to even use last names, she didn't want the students in her classroom.

Also the conflicting stories... the judge literally always took the plaintiff's side, even though the judge mentioned a number of other things were up to a jury to figure out. Like with the resignation. The teacher said that was forced on her they the defense brought it up... but the defense said the teacher felt she had to resign... (the judge even contradicts herself on this in at least two places).

This whole ruling is a fucking mess.

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author

It is one of the most bizarre, ugly rulings I've ever seen.

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Also the whole ass bit about a hypothetical Jewish teacher that has a student that wants to be called Yahweh.

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Also can't say I've seen a US District Court in any case have some things go to a jury trial.

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founding

To be fair, this is Ohio you're talking about. Bizarre, ugly, and idiotic is in the fabric of that place (said as a former Ohioan).

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Stacking the courts with zealots is their plan. Logic doesn't matter, reason, and precedent do not matter. They will rule on a whim and make shit up as they go.

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What if I told you this judge had bipartisan recommendation (The recommendation from the Dem was Sherrod Brown) and was confirmed with 91 yeas?

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Aug 28·edited Aug 28

Then I'd say the vetting by Democrats was abysmal. This person has no right to be a judge with the bias (s)he showed in this ruling. (fixed my error)

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she

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Thank you, my mistake.

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😩

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Hold on, isn't religion the one supposed to be teaching "tolerance?"

She had plenty of options that she could've done that any religion wouldn't have frowned upon, like the last name and neutral pronouns. If she's denying any of that, this should totally be on her and this baseless lawsuit should be dropped. It would be embarrassing if any judge took this seriously.

I work at a Christian baptist church, I've told them I'm trans, and we've come up with a compromise of them calling me a neutral nickname. I wish they'd use my legal and preferred name, but they aren't using my deadname. If they can do that, so can she.

If this is religious based, the only valid evidence she can provide are scriptures saying "you shall deadname your students" (which obviously doesn't exist) because, otherwise, she's just making stuff up. Again, any judge who doesn't immediately throw this out should be disbarred or whatever. This whole thing is ridiculous.

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I think it's insane to let them pretend their religion demands them to not respect trans people the way they respect other people. A gender neutral nickname sounds insulting as hell. I'm sorry you're going through that.

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The fact they won't use your LEGAL name is fucking insane.

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There IS a commandment for this: Thou shalt not kill.

I love you.

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we've known for a long time that anti-lgbtq religious people have nothing to do with tolerance

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What if I call the judge a Cunt, Karen etc and she does not like it and I do it anyway? Would that teach her 'tolerance'?

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As a person named Karen, I really resent that my name now has a derogatory meaning. Comparing Karen to a cunt is the most insulting definition I've heard.

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One could call the teacher "Santorum."

I understand that name also has an additional meaning beyond the name.

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As long as it's from a deeply held belief that the judge is in fact a cunt. Then he should absolutely feel compelled to uphold your feelings. But let's be real, he's just a cunt and wouldn't tolerate anyone calling him anything other than what he wants to be called and would throw your ass in contempt.

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Throw my ass? But it is my deeply held belief that she is in fact a cunt, what about my freedom of speech and me telling about biological reality as it is? One cannot name a cunt, a cunt anymore... :(

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Aug 26·edited Aug 26

EVERY EXPLETIVE I CAN THINK OF. My daughter left school last year and missed an entire semester and then worked her butt off over the summer to catch back up to her cohort because of being constantly misgendered. Again, EVERY EXPLETIVE!!! There are times when the only thing to do is misgender and mis name THESE PEOPLE!!! Separation of church and state much?!!! Y'all, I love you so much. I get so f'ing mad when I see this crap. This judge is DEAD WRONG. I will tell you that because I flew into the school like a wet hen there have been some CHANGES! She won't be heading back with this fear anymore. Sometimes, it's the kids doing the mis and mis-ing. A video isn't going to teach teenagers about our community. Real training is needed. If this gal is an open-hearted, Jesus loving C, then she is capable of learning that we are not lepers! UGH!!!

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So in other words, the judge is saying that we just need to tolerate hate and suddenly all our problems go away. Gee, it all makes sense now, why didn't I think of that!

My heart goes out to the students who always have to put up with this. These kinds of teachers could just do their job and teach the students while being respectful of their identities, but it always has to be about their delicate "religious" (bigoted) beliefs. Get a new profession already!

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Christian Fascism is the enemy.

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She "wanted those students out of her classroom."

Forget about the name and gender issues. She is expressing a right not to teach Students A and B *at all*. She is saying that, as a public school teacher, she has a right to decide who gets an education and who doesn't, based on who they are. What if it were Muslim students? Atheists? Black students? Boys? Gay students?

It's also worth remembering that this isn't a public accommodation issue. The teacher in question is not a private business trying to close her doors to certain people, though that would still be illegal. She is an employee *of the government*. Conduct by public officials is held to a higher standard than private citizens for good reason.

If the judge compels the school district to re-hire this teacher, the district will be compelled to discriminate against some of its students based on their identity. Which I suppose is the entire point.

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This, the judge literally ignores everything about this not actually being a name and pronoun issue, she didn't want those students in her classroom and that was the only remedy she was ok with.

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Plus, they are denying the other students, the right to have friends of their choice. I keep wanting to read that the students are supporting and showing some opposition

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Rachel, you raise excellent points. She absolutely just wanted those kids out of her classroom. As a former public HS teacher myself, I find this teacher and *especially* the judge to be absolutely bat shit crazy.

Judge, you need to be sent back to high school civics class. Teacher, you need to go away and never step foot into a place of learning ever again.

You cannot, and should not be able to pick and choose your students, for the exact reasons you give. Some principals will accept requests ("I'd like to have Student assigned to my class next year"), but they aren't going to honor a request that discriminates against a student bc, you know, LAWS. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Title IX.

Unreal.

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"Intolerance is tolerance."

Orwell, eat your heart out. That shit fits 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 in with "War is peace," "Freedom is slavery," and "Ignorance is strength." Umpteenth memo to conservative asshats: 𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟰 is 𝘯𝘰𝘵 an instruction manual!

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founding

Transphobic arguments keep getting more ridiculous by the day. What even is a biological name? Some kind of vestigial organ? The lengths these people will go to justify their bigotry is astounding.

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Well, they already think that pieces of clothing and bathroom fixtures are biologically encoded to only admit particular sets of chromosomes... I suppose it was only a matter of time before names joined that transphobic accumulation of weirdness. Once you've decided to accept one absurdity, after all, the next one is far less of a stretch.

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founding

The adherence to a purely biological construct, when trans people exist at an intersection of social and biological systems is a deliberate misunderstanding of the issue. It’s the keystone that allows them to think of themselves as logical when it really boils down to believing we’re icky.

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Where in their religious text does it say thou shan’t respect preferred names or pronouns? Lol people use religion as an excuse to reject change and the word bizarre is accurate.

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Simply put, if the teacher is allowed to call the students whatever she wants to, that same courtesy should be extended to the students towards her. Respectful communication is a pretty basic requirement of a teaching environment. If she wants to turn all her classes into a madhouse for no reason, she should simply be fired for that reason after establishing the rule that nobody needs to respect each other in her class.

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founding

If it is okay for Rafael Cruz to go by Ted and Nimarata Haley to go by Nikki, then allowing some to go by preferred names and not others is discriminatory. This teacher would only be happy if these students who made her uncomfortable were removed. Typically students are removed from a classroom if they are disruptive not the teacher (and yes this teacher is disruptive)

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What was his name? The teacher dude? I want to uphold HIS right to be called whatever I decide. What is HIS name again? (Yeah, I know she's a bitch.)

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One of the things I do is contact those that make the right choices. I googled Jackson Middle School Massillon, Ohio. https://www.jackson.stark.k12.oh.us/domain/531 This link has a contact option where one can send a note of appreciation for choosing to make decisions that respect all students. The mailing address is 7355 Mud Brook Drive NW 44646. The school is going to need as much positive documentation as possible in court. I also found it interesting to google Vivian Geraghty. Lots of news concerning her.

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Called b/c I’m not linked to outlook but left a message! Great idea!!

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