Portsmouth, Ohio – A judge dismissed the claim of a professor against a small public university in Ohio who rebuked him for not addressing a transgender student using the gender chosen by the student.
The federal lawsuit of Nicholas Meriwether He argued that Shawnee State University employees violated his rights by forcing him to speak in a way that opposes his Christian beliefs.
School officials said that language was part of their job responsibilities, not free speech protected by the First Constitutional Amendment, and that the case should be dismissed. The federal district judge, Susan Slott, agreed with this.
The Alliance for the Defense of Freedom represented Meriwether. They were asked to comment on this, but they have not responded.
Before suing, Meriwether received a written warning that he violated the institution’s anti-discrimination policy. The professor said that he treated the student as “other students biologically.”
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