The Wisconsin English teacher, Jordan Cernek, argues in the suit that the district violated his freedom of religion and free speech in mandating the use of the students’ preferred names and pronouns.
A high school English teacher is suing a Wisconsin school district, alleging it did not renew his contract last year because he refused to use the preferred names of two transgender students.
Jordan Cernek’s federal lawsuit alleges the Argyle School District violated his constitutional and civil rights to be free of religious discrimination and to be able to express himself according to his religious beliefs when it did not renew his contract because he refused to abide by a requirement that teachers use the names or pronouns requested by students.
He better not fucking win. Apart from it being bigoted against trans kids, this opens the door for teachers to give kids whatever insulting nicknames they want. Call the clumsy kid the r-word? Don’t violate his free speech! Call the black kid the n-word? The Book of Mormon clearly says black people are inferior! Don’t violate his freedom of religion!
He better not fucking win. Apart from it being bigoted against trans kids, this opens the door for teachers to give kids whatever insulting nicknames they want.
Put Elon back in school and call him Cis.
No need. He’s already getting schooled on his own platform daily by trans, intersex, nonbinary, and cis people of all ages, sexualities, races, and nationalities.
He’s a unifier: uniting the world in opposition to his bigotry and general obnoxiousness!
I don’t think he is capable of learning, sadly.
True, but you don’t have to in order to be schooled.
I believe that being schooled requires being humiliated and/or punished. I don’t think he’s up to the former, and I’m not sure who will do the latter.
He better not fucking win because a public school teacher needs to check their religion at the door. The SC said that private businesses can practice their religion as part of commerce but this is the public sector. Kim Davis lost her case about refusing the same sex marriage license due to “her religion” and this should follow.
Only the Spanish teacher is allowed to do that. Michael -> Miguel.
We had a similar case in the UK, and the teacher lost their case after taking it to an employment tribunal. Hopefully this one goes the same direction.
Good, fuck off. He can find a new job where he’s not expected to treat his fellow humans with the respect they deserve. Being wrong about the nature of reality doesn’t grant the right to be an asshole even if they sincerely believe that it should.
Since I realised it, I have never forgotten that applying basic decency to all living beings is a revolutionary act that will be resisted in various ways, including violence, by those who uphold a status quo based on forced inequity.
Sucks for the violent
I mean, good. If he isn’t going to do even the single most basic thing to connect with his students and meet them where they are, how can he ever be an effective teacher?
Right? Some of these kids see their teachers more than their actual parents. Could you imagine having to deal with such blatant disrespect every day from someone that is meant to be your role model?
I can, I did, it fucked me up mentally. I’m 41 now and still suffer some of the consequences of the abuse by my peers and one especially vicious teacher.
My condolences. I’m sorry that happened to you.
Idk man. When I was in school before everyone started coming out as trans and such, all my teachers would still ask if there was a different name you preferred on like the first day of school. And they suck to it. It didn’t matter if the student was gay, straight, trans, or whatever; they still had a preferred name they liked to be called by, the teachers asked, and they respected it. I’d like to think those teachers of mine would continue this practice and not have an issue with it, but you never really know.
That was my experience as well, but then I grew in San Francisco, which is like the gay hippie commie Mecca that the Christofascists jerk themselves off on hating. Plus we had a lot of minority students with potentially difficult to pronounce ethnic names, so that might also have been a factor.
Makes sense. My personal experience with this is coming from a small Midwest city in elementary and middle school. By the time we got to high school, the teachers just knew because it was in your record by that point.
I have young kids in school currently. At the open house, that’s the very first thing they asked.
Teacher here; this is the first thing I do on day one with new students! You want to build a classroom community of mutual respect; failure to do so makes for a hostile classroom and a wasted year.
I’m not trans.
I hate my legal name. I will change it when I’m ready to do the paperwork. Until then, everyone calls me the name I prefer.
I would have been a thorn in this teacher’s side. I’m not answering to that name, asshole. I’m not writing it on any documents. I’m allowed to tell you what to call me for whatever reason I want. My mother’s best friend, who I was named for, was an abusive fucking cunt to me and every time you say her name I’m reminded of her.
What a douche. Stop policing names. The only names worth policing are the ones that are remarkably dumb.
Probably wouldn’t have a problem calling Michael Mike. Would they have a problem calling someone by their birth name if it didn’t follow traditional gender norms? (I knew a girl named Michael)
I’m reminded of the story of a woman who found out a co-worker was trans and insisted on calling them by their birth-name in order to “honor their mother” despite being told by supervisors and HR not to.
This same woman was married and got very upset when called by her maiden name.She did not see the contradiction.
Every once in a while I’m confronted with something like this and I have to remind myself… lots of very stupid people in the world.
nah. I think there’s room. religious shit should be banned from public use (as in, use by public institutions) , and I don’t think we should have a robert e lee or nathan B forest high school any more than we should have an erwin rommel elementary or a reinhardt heidrich middle school.
The part of the gospel of Luke where he writes that Jesus said “oh and trans people? Not a fan, we shouldn’t respect em.” always did strike me as kinda out of the blue, but it is in there…
God hates figs. Everyone knows that. But while researching the a joke to reply to you with, I learned that apparently, figs are jews. Who knew!!
Never did come up with a joke.
The bible would surely never support people changing their names to reflect their social role either, like when Jesus gave Simon the name Cephas or Peter to reflect his position as the rock the church was founded on
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,
8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
(Ephesians 6:5-10)
The direct words of Jesus, not the Old Testament god.
This was a man who told people to give up their worldly possessions… But what, giving up but concept of owning humans as slaves was just a step too far?
What a bunch of bullshit. Disgusting, and inexcusable.
That’s Paul, not Jesus, though I guess to hear the last 1700 years of Christians tell it, there’s not much difference.
Don’t know what happened to “love thy neighbour”/The Golden Rule, but some Christians sure are struggling with that part of the Bible.
Most Christians have always struggled with that part.
Setting aside religion, I used to have a shitty boss who would never shut up about how the platinum rule (treat people how they want to be treated) is better than the golden rule (treat people how you want to be treated), but then would proceed to never actually follow it and never really understood how he treated people.
People suck in general at just giving a shit about others. They just want to sound and feel like they give a shit without actually following through.
People who claim that that’s not already part of the golden rule don’t understand the golden rule anyway.
I hope you find some better humans!
Protip, they probably aren’t at church.
What’s the platinum rule?
I like it, sorta suggested it unknowingly previously :D
Treat people as they want to be treated
That’s the church modernization strategy right there.
Here are the rules you should follow the rules.
Preacher, I disagree with the rules. The rules make me feel icky.
You should just do your best end repent and give back in another ways. By the way this month’s tidings are a little light can you help us out.
Gave my parents the excuse they needed to never have to face everyone they’ve hurt.
“I’ll have to answer to God for that, not to you.”
How convenient. I’ll just sort out my abusive childhood myself I guess.
To be fair, there’s a lot of contradictions in there regarding how one should treat other humans.
For example, Jesus endorsed slavery, which doesn’t seem very “love thy neighbor” to me…
Small point of clarification - God endorsed slavery. Jesus doesn’t say anything about it.
Big point of clarification: the people who wrote the bible endorsed slavery.
Which is a bit weird, since a couple of the authors were apparently slaves.
They’re the same guy.
It depends on the denomination, interestingly. Jehovah’s Witnesses see Jesus as a created being, separate from and subordinate to god the Father, and view the Holy Spirit as god’s active force rather than a person. Mormons believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as separate beings united in purpose, rather than one god in three persons.
I’m willing to bet this guy believes Jesus is God, it’s the predominant belief in the religion regardless of a few sects having their own fanfictions.
You love them so much that you just have to own them.
Yep, and good riddance.
If students do not feel respected, then they will neither give respect nor learn. You call a kid what they want to be called. Without a sense of shared community, the classroom will fail.
Additionally, there is not a religion on earth that says you can’t use people’s nicknames, preferred names, chosen names, or whatever. This guy can go eat a bag of Dicks.
We had two kids my age that wanted to be called by Final Fantasy character names. AFAIK, no one had any problem with it.
I had a classmate that hated her name that went by Peaches. She would politely correct each teacher each year, and it was done.
The only time I ever saw her have an issue was with a shitheel sub who refused to call her that, and the class literally revolted. Started yelling “thats her name” and “what’s your problem!” We just brutalized that dude for the whole class hour about it. Never saw him again.
It was great.
To be fair, lots of students mess with subs. It’s possible the sub assumed the kids were fucking with them.
She wasn’t, and this guy double/tripled down. We only started yelling at him after he tried to lambast her about her name repeatedly.
She really was sweet as peaches, too. Nobody was going to let some rando asshole treat her bad about her name.
I can see why the sub could think it was a prank to get him in trouble; “peaches” can be slang for breasts. However, it could also refer to a person who is “sweet”.
What religion requires you to use someone’s birth name? It can’t be Christianity since people always go around calling that one dude Jesus when his birth name was Yeshua.
Plus Jesus loved renaming people so there’s that.
Also, As a catholic or protestant you get to choose a confirmation name.
Not all protestants do this, BTW.
If your religion tells you to be an asshole to kids, find a new religion. Weird how there are many Christians who don’t have this problem, almost like this is not how normal people act but we have an asshole looking for an excuse 🧐
Also weird that they have no problems with that same religion being a hotbed for pedophiles.
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every stain is a pedo. that’s my theory. they just need abused repressed ashamed children to rape.
Let’s all say it together.
Your Rights. Do Not. Override. The Rights. Of Others.
It’s a far smaller imposition to use a preferred name than it is to be dead named.
It’s discrimination because he can’t discriminate others?
Freedom of discrimination for me, but not for thee?
then I have a right to sit outside churches and take pot shots every sunday when they let out. saying I can’t is discrimination! AND infringement on my second amendment rights! and saying I should be STOPPED from doing this, rather than just not allowed, is infringement of my fourth amendment rights!
edit: not actually planning this. you can tell because it would require waking up before noon. just that I have the constitutional right to.
The USSC has ruled that there are limitations on free speech in public schools. This includes things that will significantly disrupt the general operation of the school, what is produced in the name of the school (such as a student news paper), and allows for disciplinary action, for both students and staff, in regards to maintaining professional, respectful, conduct. So the guy doesn’t actually have the right to knowingly be disrespectful to students, or other staff members.
okay but these fucking cultists have got away with much worse pretty regularly, and I expect this one to get away with this, so im still going to argue for my constitutional right (though not necessarily ability) to shoot up a church without imposed consequences.
Sounds like a bigot was fired for bigot shit
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You are quite a charming Lad, aren’t ya?
Wow, you brought the reciepts. Seems Steel_Nomad here is a transphobic clown. May he one day find redemption in her heart and act less garbage in the near future.
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hi, cunt. i support your right to address people as you see them, you pathetic lowlife.
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Whelp, Walker neutered our teachers’ unions, and the conservatives pushed for being a right to work state, so here are some unexpected consequences of that. They do not have to tell him why his contract wasn’t renewed, and now he doesn’t have a union backing his position. Plus, he wasn’t even “fired,” just not renewed.
F this teacher for creating an environment of hate.
Teachers don’t even have a union? WHY DO YOU HATE YOURSELVES SO MUCH??
Because unions are villainous commie organizations who do nothing but sap your paycheck and eat god fearing children. The worst part is they have a better villain laugh than the politicians. Really they just had to be stopped!
Republicans: “We need to police what’s taught in schools! Leftists shouldn’t have the right to teach whatever they like to our children! I don’t want my tax dollars being spent filling their heads with woke garbage!”
Republicans when a teacher gets suspended for teaching their views to children: “But muh freeze peach! I have the right to teach whatever I like to children!”
Wilholt’s Law proves true once again
For people who haven’t heard it called that:
Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.
- Frank Wilhoit
