Tag Archives: transgender

Teacher Fired for Not Using Male Pronouns to Address Female Student

Peter Vlaming, a French teacher at West Point High School in Virginia, was recently fired for refusing to use male pronouns when addressing a female student:

While Vlaming conceded to referring to the student by [her] male name, he refrained from addressing [her] by any identifying pronoun, the Times-Dispatch said.

This sounds much like the situation with Shawnee State University and Dr. Nicholas Meriwether, who was fired not for what he said, but for what he refused to say. In both cases, the reports indicate Read more

Professor Sues University over Required Preferred Pronouns

Dr. Nicholas Meriwether, a philosophy professor at Shawnee State University, has filed a lawsuit against his school because it requires faculty to address students by the students’ “preferred pronoun.” As announced by the ADF, which is representing Meriwether:

In January, during a political philosophy class he was teaching, Meriwether responded to a male student’s question by saying, “Yes, sir.” Meriwether responded in this fashion because he refers to all his students as “sir” or “ma’am” or by a title (Mr. or Miss, for example) followed by their last name to foster an atmosphere of seriousness and mutual respect.

The student’s sensibilities were so offended he shouted vulgarities at the professor and threatened to get him fired.

Ultimately, the school accused him of creating a “hostile” environment and placed a warning in his file — a warning that he must call the students by their chosen pronouns.

Meriwether cannot do so, because he said that would violate his religious beliefs: Read more

Transgender Controversy Gnaws at Military Morale, Readiness

While the issue of transgenders in the US military has been at a low simmer for more than a year, it continues to be a source of consternation and angst within the military itself, just as any unresolved policy matter would be. While it seems transgenders would ultimately contribute little in the form of military readiness (some public reports indicate actual transgenders in the military number in the high-two digits), the manner in which to address this demographic continues to substantially draw on senior leader time and every troops’ moral conscience.

In an apparent effort to establish their argument as one beyond Donald Trump, the LGBT community Read more

Column: Does the Air Force Encourage Division?

In a column published by the Air Force Times, US Air Force SSgt Preston Haskell called the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen David Goldfein, “wrong.”

Kind of a bold move, but he has an interesting point of view, including this tidbit on whether the Air Force values diversity over unity:

A truly pervasive cultural phenomenon is plaguing our military, and that is one of political correctness. For example, one of my most cherished feelings I have about our military is how integrated and multifaceted we all are. I absolutely love that I work with people from almost every background, race and religion our nation has to offer. So why would the Air Force encourage division?

You are allowed to be proud, and even proclaim that pride, in being black, Latino, homosexual, atheist or transgender, yet I cannot Read more

In Clever Move, President Trump Rescinds Military Transgender Ban

Though it isn’t being reported this way, last Friday President Trump actually rescinded the ban he previously implemented on transgenders in the military last August.  The new memorandum (PDF) explicitly withdrew his prior policy:

I hereby revoke my memorandum of August 25, 2017, “Military Service by Transgender Individuals,” and any other directive I may have made with respect to military service by transgender individuals.

The new memo did not institute a new presidential directive.  Rather, the President deferred to the Department of Defense — that is, the “independent judgment” of the DoD — with regard to its policies.  He said [emphasis added]:

These [DoD-produced] documents set forth the policies on this issue that the Secretary of Defense, in the exercise of his independent judgment, has concluded should be adopted by the Department of Defense.

It’s a clever move.  Lawsuits and Read more

USAFA Hosts Transgenders at Character Symposium

Last week, the US Air Force Academy hosted its annual National Character and Leadership Symposium. Superintendent LtGen Jay Silveria — fresh off his “diversity” Op-Ed — noted that diversity was a large part of this year’s NCLS as well:

[Silveria said] the Air Force Academy’s appreciation for diversity and its willingness to respectfully address controversy make the school stronger…

The theme of the event is “Ethics and Respect for Human Dignity, a topic Silveria called “timely and pertinent.”

USAFA’s opening press release noted speakers at the NCLS included Dr. Ruth Read more

USAFA General Jay Silveria Gets Out in Front of President Trump

US Air Force Academy Superintendent LtGen Jay “Tonto” Silveria may have gotten a bit in front of his Commander-in-Chief when he re-entered the public debate over diversity last week (following his much-watched “get out” speech over a racist event that turned out to be a hoax).

Writing in an Op-Ed published at CNN entitled “Why Diversity?“, Gen Silveria said [emphasis added]

our real advantage is the intellect, innovation, creativity and courage of our troops. If any among us thinks these qualities are defined by race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or identity or any other factor of the human condition, then the Air Force Academy and our military is not the place for them…

To put it in the terms of a military leader: Diversity is a force multiplier. We must do this together — all ranks and ages, races and religions, sexual orientations and identities — all of us.

The problem is Gen Silveria’s boss, President Trump, has indicated the opposite — he’s said Read more

Military Homosexuals Fight Over Consent for Having Children

A “divorced” lesbian couple, one of whom was in the military, is now fighting over an unusual issue of child support — the “consent” to having kids.

It seems Wife #1 (females are always wives, males are always husbands, in an atypical continuation of a “gender norm” in the LGBT community) was deployed with the military, and while gone, Wife #2 decided to have a baby — which, biologically, requires no input from Wife #1, but is still legally Wife #1’s child. Now, Wife #1 (who filed for divorce upon returning from deployment) wants to “sever her parental rights” — so she doesn’t have to pay child support:

The woman seeking to end her parental rights didn’t agree to her then-wife getting pregnant through a sperm donor, wasn’t there for the baby’s birth and never had a meaningful relationship with the child, her attorney, Rebecca Copeland, told the justices.

The case is being heard at the Hawaii State Supreme Court. Interestingly, the justices’ primary concern was apparently that homosexuals were being asked to be treated differently than heterosexuals: Read more

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