A gym teacher in a progressive Virginia school district, who was suspended and then reinstated after refusing to use transgender students’ preferred pronouns, received an outpouring of support during a raucous school board meeting Tuesday.
Byron “Tanner” Cross was suspended after he said at a recent Loudoun County Public Schools meeting that he wouldn’t recognize that “a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa” because of his Christian faith.
“I am speaking out of love for those who are suffering from gender dysphoria,” the Leesburg Elementary teacher last month told the school board, which has already bitterly divided parents and educators by pushing critical race theory.
Judge James Plowman of Virginia’s 20th Judicial Circuit of granted Cross a temporary injunction, criticizing the district for the suspension three weeks before the end of the school year.
During Tuesday’s meeting, many commenters either backed Cross or slammed the school board, Fox News reported.
“Where is your regard for our freedom of speech?” said mother of three Rachel Pisani. “When I saw a teacher express an opinion and suspended for expressing his religious beliefs, I could no longer stay silent. When did it become acceptable to be tolerant only when someone expresses a view that we agree with?”
She added, before her mic was cut off due to time constraints: “When did it become appropriate to silence those that hold Christian, biblical views just because you don’t? When did it become appropriate to allow the school board — I don’t know who you think you are — but it is not appropriate, it is not allowable to silence, bully, or dismiss our views.”
Another woman told the board: “Even being threatened with termination for simply speaking one’s opinion creates a culture of fear and silence — and this does not help anyone on either side of the aisle.”
Teacher Monica Gill said the board’s suspension of Cross and other actions “resemble totalitarianism, not the Constitution,” adding that “first and foremost, I am a Christian.”
“What is most important? We live in truth, not lies. We look at character, not skin color. We love our Lord and we love others. Know this — we will not yield. We will not let you have our souls or the souls of our children,” she said, according to Fox News.
Another teacher, Jeremy Wright, who described school board members as “Chardonnay Antifa,” left what he said was a copy of the First Amendment on the podium.
“For the members of Chardonnay Antifa, here is your assignment with a copy of the First Amendment attached,” Wright said. “I’m going to leave this here and I hope you learn something.”
After he received applause, Chairwoman Brenda Sheridan said: “I’ll remind you that I will entertain a motion to move public comment to the end of our agenda. Jazz hands only.”
But some speakers also appeared to support the district’s approach to gender.
State Delegate Jennifer Boyko, who wore a rainbow pin and mask, told the board: “I want to thank you for your commitment to equality and making sure every child feels loved and valued.”
A remote speaker who identified herself as a mother of Cross’ students suggested he was shirking his responsibilities as a teacher, according to the report.
She argued that he used a “literalist interpretation of the Bible to argue why he refuses to fulfill his responsibility as a public school teacher.”
Cross had sued last week, saying the suspension violated his First Amendment rights.
His remarks came at a meeting about a “Rights of Transgender and Gender-Expansive Students” policy in a district that’s already embroiled in a heated culture-wars debate about critical race theory.
The theory dictates that race is an underlying dynamic of all human interaction and views the human experience as a constant power struggle between the races, often with a focus on “white privilege.”
It has drawn national attention to the school district as parents clashed over the concept, with anti-CRT parents saying they were targeted for their views.
A group took out ads calling for six board members to be recalled for their alleged support of CRT.
US Education Secretary Miguel Cardona helped implement a critical race theory curriculum for Connecticut students while operating the state’s school system.
Critics have argued against including it in students’ curriculum, with many arguing it teaches children to view each other based on race.
Comments