Teacher loses job over trans student’s pronoun case

A Christian high school teacher has had his teaching registration cancelled after refusing to use the pronouns of a transgender student.

A Christian teacher has had his teaching registration cancelled after refusing to use a trans student’s preferred pronouns. Picture: iStock.

A Christian high school teacher has left his job and had his teaching registration cancelled after refusing to use the preferred pronouns of a trans student.

The New Zealand teacher was placed before the country’s disciplinary tribunal — an independent body in which cases are heard by a lawyer and two registered teachers — in February after a complaint from the student.

The decision, released publicly on Monday, said a 14-year-old student in the teacher’s maths class had a “preferred male name” registered in the school’s online portal.

The maths teacher, whose name was withheld from the tribunal’s decision, refused to call the student by his preferred name and pronouns.

The teacher later met with the student during a morning tea break and told him gender transition went against his Christian beliefs, the decision said.

The student proposed a compromise, suggesting his teacher refer to him by his preferred name but continued to use she/her pronouns. The teacher again refused, using words to the effect of not wanting the student to “go down a path of sin”.

A teacher has been stripped of his teaching registration after refusing to use a trans student’s preferred pronouns. Picture: iStock.

The teacher vehemently denied any misconduct while representing himself during the disciplinary hearing, presenting a lengthy testimony that covered topics as far-reaching as abortion and homosexuality.

He claimed that calling the student by his preferred name and pronouns would amount to serious misconduct and child abuse, saying the practice went against his “core Christian belief”.

Anyone attempting to transition away from the gender assigned to them at birth needed “help and deliverance”, the teacher said, adding that it was wrong for schools to teach that gender is a choice.

The teacher’s submissions also covered what he believed to be the “obvious next sin” after transitioning, which he claimed to be homosexuality. He presented multiple excerpts from the Bible that read, “man should only lie with a woman” and said homosexuality stepped away from “God’s plan”.

Abortion was also mentioned during his submission, in which he argued that all forms of abortion went against Christian values and ought to be considered murder.

Further submissions saw the teacher compare the student’s pronouns to a hypothetical case in which a child wanted to identify as “earthly royalty or a judge” and wanted to use the pronoun “Your Honour”.

“Although these examples may seem absurd, they are the same logic as calling a girl a boy or a boy a girl and may lead to abuse of teachers and others. Is it appropriate for a teacher to call a student by the pronoun ‘Your Honour’ or to expect teachers to refer to students as different animals?” the teacher suggested.

The student attempted to come to a compromise, but the teacher refused, the tribunal heard.

In its decision, the disciplinary tribunal said it had “no hesitation” in declaring the teacher had acted with serious misconduct.

“For a trusted adult teacher to not only ignore the student’s wishes and the instruction of the school but also to isolate them and advise them it was wrong, risked quite significant harm,” deputy chair Tim MacKenzie wrote.

The tribunal noted it was “not moving to punish” the teacher for his response or position.

“He is entitled to his views and religious beliefs. What we must do is consider whether he has insight and rehabilitative prospects that we could address,” the decision read.

“In our view there is a real and appreciable risk that such conduct, or similar conduct, will be repeated by [the teacher] if he was to be in that position again. Indeed, given [the teacher’s] statements to us, we would say that it is quite likely to occur again in similar circumstances.”

The tribunal also found the teacher’s submissions to contain “unrealistic hysteria”.

“The arguments referencing the risk of homosexuality and abortion may well be welcome and normal within the context of [the teacher’s] private life and views. However, they are disgraceful when used in the present context,” it said.

The tribunal found the cancellation of the teacher’s license was the only appropriate way forward and ordered him to pay costs.

The decision means the man can no longer work as a teacher in New Zealand.

The decision said he resigned from his role at the student’s school.

The decision means the teacher, who was not named, will no longer be allowed to teach in New Zealand.

The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, responded to the decision, saying all students were “entitled to feel that schools are a safe space, where they are respected and valued”.

“All teachers are legally bound and regularly recommit to comply with the code which sets out the commitments to the teaching profession, learners, families and whānau (the extended family group) and society. In essence it describes how a teacher must behave. When the code is broken, it can result in disciplinary action being taken,” the body said.

“Teachers need to help learners to think critically about issues and understand different views, theories, perspectives and experiences and it is not okay for a teacher to use their authority to undermine the personal identity of their learners, or to inappropriately influence them to take a course of action.

“It is the Teaching Council’s position that in this case the teacher should have applied the code and the values of the teaching profession, when asked by a student to use their preferred pronouns.”

InsideOut managing director Tabby Besley said using a student’s preferred pronouns shouldn’t be “such a big deal”. Picture: InsideOut

InsideOut, one of New Zealand’s top LGBT+ charities, said it believed it was important that young people’s preferred pronouns be used in school.

InsideOut managing director Tabby Besley told the NZ Heraldthe issue shouldn’t be “such a big deal”.

“I mean, students use nicknames or different names all the time and we’re able to adapt to that. When people get married, they change their name, we adjust to that. It’s really not such a big deal,” Ms Besley said.

“It’s really about the difference that can make, for a young person to have their name and pronouns respected at school. It helps it to be a safe place for them.

“For some young people, that may be the only safe environment they’re part of.”