A Loudoun County, Virginia, teacher has been placed on administrative leave after saying he won’t address transgender students by their preferred pronouns.
Leesburg Elementary School teacher Byron Tanner Cross told the county’s school board that the use of preferred gender pronouns for transgender students was against his religion during the board’s Tuesday meeting.
Loudoun County School Board just put a school teacher on administrative leave for stating he would not teach LGBTQ because it violates his Christian principles.
鈥� Michael S. Miller (@imichaelsmiller)
鈥淚鈥檓 a teacher, but I serve God first,” Cross said. “I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa because it鈥檚 against my religion. It鈥檚 lying to a child, it鈥檚 abuse to a child and it鈥檚 sinning against our God.鈥�
The school system confirmed to WTOP Sunday that Cross had been placed on leave.
鈥淢r. Cross is on paid administrative leave. Because of state and federal law regarding personnel files, this is the only comment that I can make at this time,鈥� said Wayde B. Byard, a spokesman for Loudoun County Public Schools.
Alliance Defending Freedom, a nonprofit legal organization, said it on Friday on behalf of Cross.
鈥淧ublic schools have no business compelling teachers to express ideological beliefs that they don鈥檛 hold,” said ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 just about a pronoun; LCPS wants to compel teachers to endorse and advance an ideology. LCPS favors certain beliefs, and it wants to force Tanner to cry uncle and endorse them as well. It鈥檚 neither legal nor constitutional, and neither was the school鈥檚 move to place Tanner on leave.鈥�
The school system responded to the letter with an email Friday that said it would not reinstate Cross, according to ADF.
During his comments to the board, Cross was criticizing the school system’s new draft policy, “Rights of Transgender and Gender-Expansive Students.”
According to draft policy 8040, “LCPS staff shall allow gender-expansive or transgender students to use their chosen name and gender pronouns that reflect their gender identity without any substantiating evidence.”
