Former teacher awarded settlement in “preferred pronouns” lawsuit with “seismic implications” for freedom from LGBT tyranny

 A Virginia schoolteacher who was fired from his job for refusing to address his transgender students using their "preferred pronouns" has won a settlement in a lawsuit he filed against the school board.

Peter Vlaming, formerly an employee of the West Point School District, received a $575,000 payout, which one right-leaning media outlet said has "seismic implications" for the rest of Virginia's educational system as the transgender virus continues to spread far and wide.

Vlaming was represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) whose president and CEO Kristen Waggoner issued a statement about how her organization is "grateful that, because of this decision, tolerance is now a two-way street, not a one-way ratchet for totalitarian ideology."

"It protects all teachers in Virginia and its rationale should guide other courts addressing similar issues," she added about the settlement ruling.

 

ADF representing other teachers in same boat

Vlaming is hardly the only teacher to face mistreatment for refusing to play ball with the Cult of LGBT. Many other teachers, including some who are represented by the ADF in other states, face similar persecution for doing what is right.

"No teacher should be fired for living according to their [sic] beliefs or protecting their students," Waggoner wrote on X / Twitter. "But that's exactly what happened to Peter Vlaming. So we sued. And won."

In addition to receiving a $575,000 cash settlement, the West Point School District's board also cleared Vlaming's termination from his employment record as well as altered its policies on gender pronoun tyranny to comply with the updated Virginia education policies established by Republican Gov. Glenn Younkin.

The West Point School District clearly violated Vlaming's right to free speech – or in this case, his right to not be forced to utter someone else's preferred speech. As such, the school district was held accountable in a court of law for this infringement.

"Peter wasn't fired for something he said; he was fired for something he couldn't say," commented senior counsel Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom, in a statement. "The school board violated his First Amendment rights under the Virginia Constitution and commonwealth law."

"As a teacher, Peter was passionate about the subject he taught, was well-liked by his students, and did his best to accommodate their needs and requests. But he couldn't in good conscience speak messages that he knew were untrue, and no school board or government official can punish someone for that reason. We're pleased to favorably settle this case on behalf of Peter and hope other government and school officials will take note of the high cost involved in failing to respect an American's constitutionally protected freedoms."

Before winning the settlement, Vlaming's case was tossed by a judge in the King William Circuit Court who declared that Vlaming, a Christian, should not be protected because there is no "valid reason for the law to accept his suit."

Virginia Commonwealth Supreme Court Justice D. Arthur Kelsey later overturned that ruling, writing that Vlaming had valid "constitutional, statutory, and breach-of-contract claims" on his former employer.

"Examining only the allegations in Vlaming's complaint, the circuit court dismissed Vlaming's claims, finding that they failed to state legally viable causes of action. Disagreeing with the circuit court, we reverse and remand for further proceedings," Justice Kelsey said.

In speaking to the media about his victory, Vlaming said he is "relieved" that his rights of freedom of expression and freedom of religion were ultimately upheld.