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In a recent dispute at a high school in Vermont, a soccer coach was suspended for refusing to publicly apologize to the community for “misgendering” a trans student. This school has been the center of national controversy over allegations that the trans student infringed on the rights of young girls to change their clothes without onlookers. The soccer coach at issue is the father of one of those girls, and his firing raises a different question: does the school’s action infringe on his right to free speech?
This school’s superintendent has previously prohibited students from wearing shirts that claim ” there are only two genders ,” and children who say so have been threatened with disciplinary action. With children in school and parents out of school being censured, the free speech question extends to whether Americans have the right to even state that they believe there are only two, and not many, biological genders. Existing law is clear that they do possess that fundamental liberty.
In Meriwether v. Hartop , Ohio college professor Nick Meriwether was determined to have been wronged when he was disciplined for “misgendering” a student. The district court below noted that Professor Meriwether was a government employee speaking in the course of his teaching work, not as a private citizen, and that his speech was directed solely toward the student.
This was not true of Vermont soccer coach Travis Allen, who was speaking outside school in defense of his daughter on Facebook, not addressing the trans student at all. The district court noted : Speech by a government employee is protected under the First Amendment only if the speech was made “as a citizen,” while addressing “a matter of public concern.” … Speech on a “matter of public concern” is broadly defined as speech that can “be fairly […]
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They’re Trying to Shut Us Down
Over the last several months, I’ve lost count of how many times the powers-that-be have tried to shut us down. They’ve sent hackers at us, forcing us to take extreme measures on web security. They sent attorneys after us, but thankfully we’re not easily intimidated by baseless accusations or threats. They’ve even gone so far as to make physical threats. Those can actually be a bit worrisome but Remington has me covered.
For us to continue to deliver the truth that Americans need to read and hear, we ask you, our amazing audience, for financial assistance. We have a Giving Fuel page to help us pay the bills. It’s brand new so don’t be discouraged by the lack of donations there. It’s a funny reality that the fewer the donations that have been made, the less likely people are willing to donate to it. One would think this is counterintuitive, but sometimes people are skeptical because they think that perhaps there’s a reason others haven’t been donating. In our situation, we’re just getting started so please don’t be shy if you have the means to help.
Thank you and God bless!
JD Rucker