Teacher says school's transgender name policy goes against his religious beliefs

[SoCalNative]

And so it begins.....


INDIANAPOLIS — A teacher is fighting for his job after he says the district forced him to resign over its transgender student policy.

John Kluge, the former orchestra teacher at Brownsburg High School in Indiana, said the school district's requirement that teachers call transgender students by their preferred names, rather than those given at birth, goes against his religious beliefs. The requirement, Kluge said, violates his First Amendment rights.

"I’m being compelled to encourage students in what I believe is something that's a dangerous lifestyle," he said. "I’m fine to teach students with other beliefs, but the fact that teachers are being compelled to speak a certain way is the scary thing."

Advocates for the LGBTQ community say that using a person's preferred name is an issue of respect, not religion or politics.


https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/06/05/transgender-student-policy-prompts-religious-dispute-teacher-school/672285002/

[cynatnite]

1. You're being compelled to respect students' wishes..

You self-righteous douchebag!

[sakabatou]

11. +1

[pamdb]

2. religion

I really hate religion. Seems to cause more problems than it solves.

[Sanity Claws]

3. I'll bet he calls people by some name other than their birth name all the time.

All of us call Teresa, Terry or James, Jim or Jamie.

[HopeAgain]

4. Nobody is asking HIM to go by the name Suzie

This type of Hobby Lobby case rationale is so ridiculous. It doesn't cross this man's religious beliefs for someone else to be transgendered. It would affect his religious beliefs for the School District to make HIM be transgendered.

In fact, didn't Jesus eat with the sinners even though it was against religious beliefs at the time?

[csziggy]

5. Mr. Kluge - using a person's preferred name is an issue of respect

My father did not use his given first name - ever. He was named for his maternal grandfather so the family used his middle name, which was his grandfather's surname. As an adult he used a shortened version of that surname or his first and middle initials.

Even in his elementary school records he is listed by his middle name, not his first name. The teachers in the 1930s knew it was a sign of respect to use the name he preferred to be called by.

Electing to use a different name than the one listed on a birth certificate does not always have to do with religion or sexual preference - but the individual's preference should be respected.

[catrose]

18. And the Bible

Contains several examples of God giving someone a new name.

[Volaris]

22. Jesus of Nazareth was enlightened enough I know that we're ALL 'sinners'.

He just didn't discriminate between the rich ones and the ones in poverty (well, I suppose he technically sort of did, and that's why the rich sinners got together and had him killed...cant have anyone calling them out on their bullshit, now CAN WE?).

[Aristus]

49. Exactly. I answer to my middle name, not my first name.

No one who wants my attention calls me by my first name. If this doucherag insisted on calling my by other than my preferred name, I'd get up and walk out of his class.

Asshole...

[csziggy]

55. I never had a problem with people using other than my preferred name

But then, it is almost as common as Mary, and simple for people to use.

The biggest problem is getting people to use my preferred surname. Although my husband and I have been married almost forty years, I have never used his surname. My father insisted on using it on legal papers, not even as AKA but as the sole name for me. I always had to correct it on the papers. Finally by the time my parents wrote their final versions of their wills, Dad had conceded that I still used the name he and Mom picked for me when I was born and not my husband's name tacked onto the end.

Credit card companies, doctor's offices, and many other companies still try to label me as Mrs. Husbandname and I give them a whole spiel about being MS csziggy. Once, I had a provider who simply could not use my legal surname, the one on all my insurance and medical paperwork. I got a new referral to someone who would listen to me!

[Thomas Hurt]

6. When did not being personally offended become a religious belief

[gratuitous]

38. It didn't, really

But a lot of bigots like to hide behind a Bible as cover for their bigotry. They've been greatly encouraged to do so by no less than the Supreme Court, who have found that an individual's "sincerely held religious belief" is sufficient ground for that person to indulge any prejudice that pleases his black little heart. The Court has also, startlingly, found that even corporations can have sincerely held religious beliefs and that that corporate conviction is so powerful that it can deprive employees of that corporation autonomy in matters of health care.

[mountain grammy]

7. Dumbass, just a stupid dumbass

should not be anywhere there are children present.

[dembotoz]

8. some famous folks who went by there middle names not birth certificate

https://www.google.com/search?q=famous+people+who+go+by+their+middle+name&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1

[3Hotdogs]

14. Add U.S. Grant.

[workinclasszero]

9. Thanks a lot SCOTUS

Soon thousands of deplorable idiots will be denying service or contact of any kind with gay folks and PoC. On “religious grounds “ of course.

[Iggo]

10. Prove it.

[Bettie]

12. OK, I read the whole article

First off, WTF dude? It doesn't imply anything other than basic politeness and decency to call a kid what they wish to be called. It should not be an issue.

Second: um, if you make a stink about using basic decency and politeness and send a letter of resignation over it, don't be surprised when they don't want you back.

Third: Parents who think their kids are in danger from transgender kids: why are you so obsessed over what happens in the bathroom? Most people just want to go in and get whatever they need to do done.

I just don't understand why this is such a huge issue for some people. Just be a decent human. Why is it that excessively religious people are unable to do that?

[unblock]

15. roughly 1/3 of the people firmly believe that they're going to hell

if they're not shitheads to enough people.

[Bettie]

16. Guess they don't really read

that holy book they are so fond of.

[unblock]

20. yeah, a man lays with another man, that's an abomination, just like eating shellfish.

but they'll happily serve cake for dessert after serving someone shellfish, even though it's an abomination.

[KPN]

32. Why? Because they listen to homophobic,

misogynistic, xenophobic preachers who fill the gaping holes that reside within them: lack of self-esteem and inability to think for themselves.

Religion is great as long as no people are involved.

[unblock]

13. there's no way he's always calling everyone only by their first name on their birth certificate

he's not calling robert "bob" or "bobby"?
he's not calling michael "mike"?
he's not calling someone by their middle name if that's what they go by?

he's singling out certain people for disrespectful treatment based on who they are.

that's heinous.

if someone tells you they prefer to be called "bobbie", you don't ask to see their birth certificate and then call them "robert". neither do you inspect their genitalia, this is all none of your damn concern. just call them by the name they ask to be called by.

it's not complicated, it really isn't.

[Bettie]

17. There was a girl in my school

(many more years ago than I care to admit) who was always called Eddie. Her name was Susan, but her parents had always called her Eddie.

[unblock]

23. many people don't go by their first name from their birth certificate

my father and my brother both have always gone by their middle name.

james paul mccartney?
walter bruce willis?
william bradley pitt? well even there he goes by a nickname, "brad".


a lot of people are given very outdated names, mrs. unblock always hated her given name, it's just way out of fashion these days. so she's always gone by a nickname of her own choosing. eventually she had it legally changed to it when we got married. but she'd read you the riot act if you ever called her by her given name.

others are given first names from a different language/culture. it may be hard for us americans to pronounce or spell or learn, so it's much easier to pick an short, popular, american name to go by.


and why would you call sting anything other than sting?

[csziggy]

44. I went to school with the third of four sisters

Their official names were Patricia, Danielle, Michelle, and Roberta. They were called Pat, Danny, Mikey, and Bobby at school. Not one teacher had a problem calling them by their preferred name - though a substitute was very confused when she called for Danny and a girl answered. Even so when the substitute learned the girl's nickname she had no conflict with the idea of using it.

[suffragette]

34. And a Roberta might go by Bobbie as well. Agree with all you just said.

[Freethinker65]

39. Exactly what I was thinking

None of my conservative neices or nephews went by their given baptized Christian names. Elizabeth has always been Beth, Katherine has always been Katie, etc.

This asshole teacher is just trying to bully one of his students.


I would love to hear "Ted" Cruz, "Mitt" Romney, "Mitch" McConnell comment on this

[KT2000]

19. people on religion

will often use THEIR religion to control other people. He wants the transgender person to be humiliated by him for not following his religion. Too often when people become religious, they mistake themselves for god. This teacher is disgusting.

[unblock]

24. exactly. if you think god wants you to live life as cis-gendered, then go ahead and do that.

i've read the bible, i must have missed the part where it said thou shalt be shits to anyone thou meetest who abideth not by thine rules.


i do recall something about not casting the first stone and god stating that judgment was his, not ours.

[KT2000]

48. great bumper sticker

"thou shalt be shits to anyone thou meetest who abideth not by thine rules".

[unblock]

53. lol

i don't do bumper stickers anymore. they only get my car keyed or my tires slashed.

[KT2000]

56. that's why I don't either

I have enough dings from me!

[Solly Mack]

21. But he wants people to respect him. Snort.

Meaning, he thinks his religion trumps the rights of the students.

[matt819]

25. So

A kid saddled with the name Mortimer is going to be called Mortimer even if he would prefer Mort or Biff or Morty. What a doofus.

[cyclonefence]

26. This guy never heard of a boy named Sue?

How do you do?

[KPN]

27. Religion and power. The sources of all evil.

Let the bastard resign and do whatever the fuck he wants alone. Religious beliefs my ass.

[Initech]

33. I wonder what his 4chan user name is?

[Kotya]

28. My kids' public elementary school will only use full legal first names.

Daniel, not Dan. William, not Will, Bill, Billy. Kimberly, Samantha, Richard, Robert, etc...

It is school policy.

[Bettie]

41. That is weird

My Nikolas would never know to answer to anything but Niko.

[thucythucy]

45. How ever do they enforce that?

And what's the penalty for saying, "Yes, Fred?" instead of "Yes, Frederick?"

[OriginalGeek]

29. perhaps it's a good thing

someone that stupid doesn't teach kids any more.

[Garrett78]

30. I always want to ask people such as that teacher to tell me about their choice of sexual orientation

So, tell me about your experience with choosing your sexual orientation. Did it go anything like this:

One day not long after turning 12, I decided it was time to choose my sexual orientation. It was raining and I was bored. Little did I know I would end up deliberating for several weeks. I read books, did online research and interviewed more than 20 people across the spectrum of both sexual orientation and gender identity. I then made a list of pros and cons. It was a tough decision, but ultimately I went with heterosexual and decided to identify as a male.

What's that you say, you did nothing of the sort? You mean it all just happened naturally? Gee, do you think maybe it happens naturally for others, too? Do you think maybe you aren't the only one for whom sexual orientation and gender identity wasn't a conscious choice?

[Initech]

31. Shove your beliefs up your ass.

I'm sick of the Christian taliban getting away with this crap. Being transgender is not a choice. Being a bigoted douchebag is.

[thucythucy]

47. Perfect!

[ooky]

35. Someone needs to explain to Mr. Kluge that the Constitution

protects us from his religious beliefs when he leaves Church.

[Luz]

36. Both of my parents preferred their middle names. Dad went by

his initials at work.

My grandson is Anthony Alex. He goes by AJ (Anthony Jr.)

Like the man said, you can call me anything, just don't call me late for supper.

Good riddance to this "teacher".

[USALiberal]

37. Well there is this....John 18.24 "Thou shall not use preferred names, only given names"

[Voltaire2]

42. The hateful bigot should find another career.

[ProudLib72]

43. I prefer to call this guy Spazwad McChristofascist

Wow! Can we legally change his name without his consent?

[csziggy]

46. Why not, he's already got a kludge of a name!

A kludge or kluge (/klʌdʒ, kluːdʒ/) is a workaround or quick-and-dirty solution that is clumsy, inelegant, inefficient, difficult to extend and hard to maintain. This term is used in diverse fields such as computer science, aerospace engineering, Internet slang, evolutionary neuroscience, and government. A software kludge (often called "spaghetti code&quot is frequently the result of hacking.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kludge

[NotASurfer]

50. It's a public school district

That means when you take the job you agree to teach everybody's children. Want to just teach the ones The Voices In Your Head tells you to? Find a private school where the school board and parents hear the same Voices In Your Head as you do

[PoorMonger]

51. My opinion

He can fucking well quit then

[bitterross]

52. Check his picture out. He looks like a big flamer to me.

I'm queer as a $3 bill. His picture sets my gaydar off. Not to mention he's the orchestra teacher? Seriously? If you were the football coach I might buy your bullshit.

[The Genealogist]

54. "the fact that teachers are being compelled to speak a certain way is the scary thing."

No, the fact that he is a bigot who disrespects his students is a much more "scary thing."

The fact that he thinks a transgender student trying to be themselves in a hostile world is leading "a dangerous lifestyle" is a much more "scary thing."

[Oneironaut]

57. Imagine if you go by Bob, and some asshole loudly and repeatedly demanded to call you Robert?

Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? Yet, somehow, transgender people demanding the basic human decency of being referred to by their preferred name is somehow a Fascistic attack on a person's freedom of speech. Is it really that hard?