6th Circuit Reaches Right Conclusion on ‘Preferred Pronouns.’ Other Courts Should Follow Suit.

6th Circuit Reaches Right Conclusion on ‘Preferred Pronouns.’ Other Courts Should Follow Suit.

• In a victory for free speech, the rule of law, and common sense, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit has ruled that a philosophy professor could not be forced to use a transgender student’s “preferred pronouns,” and that his suit against the university for violation of his First and 14th Amendment rights could proceed.

"...The incident that precipitated this suit occurred in January 2018, when Shawnee State University philosophy professor Nicholas Meriwether responded to a male student’s question during a Socratic dialogue in his political philosophy class by saying, “Yes, sir.”

After class at the school in Portsmouth, Ohio, the student approached Meriwether, stated that he was transgender, and demanded that the professor refer to him as a woman, with feminine titles and pronouns.

Instead, Meriwether offered to use the student’s last name, or any other name of the student’s choosing, but politely declined to use the transgender student’s pronouns. 

The student became belligerent and promised to get Meriwether fired...Read all.