Christian Teacher Fights for His Rights After Termination Over ‘Transgender’ Policy

John Kluge, a former music teacher at Brownsburg High School in Indiana, is a Christian who opposes lying and believes what the Bible teaches about sexuality.

According to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), Kluge’s legal counsel, Brownsburg Community School Corporation enacted a “transgender” policy in 2017 that requires teachers to lie and refer to male students by female pronouns, and vice versa. The district also requires teachers to use “preferred” names.

Kluge asked for and received a religious accommodation to refer to all students by their last names.

All was well until a few disgruntled students and teachers complained. They wanted the school district to force Kluge to speak a message he opposes — and violate the tenets of his faith. The school district agreed and fired him. ADF filed a lawsuit on his behalf.

After a lower court ruled against Kluge, he appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. From ADF:

A year later, the appeals court sent the case back to the district court in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Groff v. DeJoy; however, the district court once again denied Kluge’s request to protect his religious freedom. Kluge filed his appeal with the 7th Circuit in July, asking the court once again to reverse the lower court decision.

The appeals court heard arguments on Tuesday. Kluge’s lawyer contended that what the school district did violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964. ADF cited the Supreme Court case Groff v. DeJoy (2023). The court ruled that federal law bars employers from discriminating against employees for practicing their faith, unless the employer can show that there is no reasonable accommodation without an undue hardship.

In Kluge’s case, it would not be an undue hardship for the Brownsburg Community School Corporation to provide a religious accommodation to lying and contradicting the Christian faith’s teachings about sexuality.

“Title VII requires the government to accommodate its employees’ freedom to live and work according to their religious beliefs,” said David Cortman, ADF senior counsel and vice president of U.S. Litigation, who argued in court. “Yet, the Brownsburg school district ignored this right, deciding instead that Mr. Kluge’s religious views couldn’t be tolerated.”

Photo credit: Alliance Defending Freedom

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