An Ohio school district has agreed to pay $450,000 to a teacher who resigned over refusing to use two transgender students’ preferred names and pronouns.
Vivian Geraghty, a middle school language arts teacher, filed a lawsuit in 2022 claiming her First Amendment rights were violated. She alleged she was forced to resign after refusing to comply due to her religious beliefs.
In August, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio ruled that requiring Geraghty to use preferred names was “compelled speech.” The court stated the school’s approach was not neutral.
“The school tried to force Vivian to accept and repeat their viewpoint on foundational issues of morality and identity,” said Logan Spena, legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom. “The First Amendment prohibits such abuse of power.”
Jackson Local Schools said in a statement they remain committed to prioritizing student safety and well-being while navigating evolving legal challenges.
In August 2022, two students asked Geraghty to call them by names different from those on the school roster. Geraghty refused, citing her beliefs, and requested those students be moved out of her classroom.
Despite a follow-up email from one student, Geraghty continued using their deadnames. A student eventually reported the issue to a school counselor, describing the teacher’s actions as hurtful.
Geraghty sought an accommodation from the school’s principal, Kacy Carter, stating her religious convictions prevented her from complying. She said she “wouldn’t be comfortable using preferred names because of what it implied.”
In a later meeting with Carter and district employee Monica Myers, Geraghty reiterated her stance. She was told this refusal would create a problem, and she was sent back to her classroom.
Later that day, Geraghty was called into another meeting where she claims the principal demanded her resignation. Carter and Myers recall her saying she couldn’t continue working there and agreeing to resign.
The Alliance Defending Freedom argued the school could have offered other solutions, like transferring Geraghty or letting her use students’ last names. They also claimed the district’s pronoun policy was inconsistently enforced.
“Vivian resisted this unconstitutional demand based on her Christian faith,” Spena said. “Her stand has now been vindicated.”
The district said it follows Title IX guidelines prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity but does not have a specific pronoun policy.