"Kluge said that, as a Christian, he had to call those students by the names they were given at birth. Kluge has been represented by the anti-LGBTQ+ hate group, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). The group's senior counsel, David Cortman, celebrated the conclusion of the years-long dispute in a statement, saying that ADF hopes this settlement shows teachers that they do not have to bow the knee to ideological mandates that violate their religious beliefs."
"When Kluge first filed the lawsuit, he argued he was being compelled to encourage students in what I believe is something that's a dangerous lifestyle. I'm fine to teach students with other beliefs, he said, but the fact that teachers are being compelled to speak a certain way is the scary thing."
"The policy said that trans students who submit written consent from a doctor and a parent must be referred to with their correct names and pronouns. Kluge said that he had an agreement with administrators to refer to all students by their last names and avoid pronouns entirely."
John Kluge, an Indiana orchestra teacher, sued Brownsburg Community School Corporation after claiming he was forced to resign in 2018 for refusing to follow the school's policy on transgender students. The policy required staff to use students' correct names and pronouns when written consent from a doctor and parent was provided. Kluge, represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, argued his Christian beliefs prevented him from complying. After eight years of litigation, the school district agreed to pay $650,000 in settlement and provide staff training on federal religious discrimination protections for employees.
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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