Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

Students in West Point, Virginia walked out of class last week after the school board removed a popular teacher from the classroom for refusing to call a female student "he." French instructor Peter Vlaming didn't believe he should be forced to call a female student with gender dysphoria by a pronoun that wasn't consistent with her biological gender. The issue of transgenderism and how to handle it is reaching into towns and schools all across America. The West Point school board used threats to enforce an ideology without regard to the free speech and religious convictions of teachers. In other words, it's imposing a new understanding of morality at the expense of fundamental and widely accepted freedoms. Mr. Vlaming's fate is uncertain, but the issue of gender dysphoria is one every school will have to face. And every teacher will need to be ready with their response.