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Teacher Fired for Rejecting Trans Ideology Can Sue Over Religious Discrimination
PJ Media ^ | August 07, 2025 | Catherine Salgado

Posted on 08/08/2025 8:32:26 AM PDT by george76

A teacher whom an Indiana school district fired over his religious beliefs opposing radical transgender ideology will be allowed to take the district to court.

The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in John Kluge’s favor and reversed a previous district court ruling in a win for First Amendment rights. Brownsburg Community School Corporation fired Kluge, a music teacher, for refusing to use pronouns based on a student’s alleged gender identity instead of biological sex. Kluge cited his religious beliefs, which Brownsburg did not accept as an excuse.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), whose attorneys were defending Kluge, was thrilled with the appeals court decision. .., “Title VII [of the Civil Rights Act] requires the government to accommodate its employees’ freedom to live and work according to their religious beliefs.”

Kluge had a strong legal case. Cortman , “The Brownsburg school district ignored this right, deciding instead that Mr. Kluge’s religious views couldn’t be tolerated. It revoked his religious accommodation based on the complaints of a few, forcing him to resign or be fired. The 7th Circuit reversed the district court’s ruling against Mr. Kluge and sent the case back down for trial. We look forward to proving at trial that Brownsburg discriminated against Mr. Kluge.”

...

The school district could now be liable for damages and also for significant attorney fees.

...

Kluge lost the lawsuit originally and so appealed the decision, losing his first appeal, but finally, on his second appeal, received a favorable ruling.

...

Public schools and massive corporations are still attempting to force employees to affirm woke lies or face job loss. Hopefully, the new appeals court decision will be beneficial not only for Kluge but also for others who might seek legal redress for religious discrimination after refusing to use radical transgender terminology.

(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Indiana
KEYWORDS: brownsburg; catherinesalgado; civilrights; education; firstamendment; indiana; intercession; johnkluge; lawsuit; pjmedia; teacher; trans

1 posted on 08/08/2025 8:32:26 AM PDT by george76
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To: george76

What about the people who simply have common sense. What can they sue for?


2 posted on 08/08/2025 8:40:08 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: george76

The left picks their targets well. The schools were at the top of the hit list. They were very successful. The “teachers”, curriculum even the text books were laced
with leftist anti America BS.


3 posted on 08/08/2025 8:42:55 AM PDT by iamgalt
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To: george76

Sexual deviancy ideology is its own religion now. Humanism is the state religion thanks to federal fiat, and now everyone who opposed this are now being rewarded well for the humanists’ arrogance.


4 posted on 08/08/2025 8:46:46 AM PDT by WhiteHatBobby0701
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To: BenLurkin
What about the people who simply have common sense.

Did you not receive the directive, citizen? Common sense, as you must be aware, is not allowed if it contradicts the decisions of your overlords. Beware; we are watching you.

5 posted on 08/08/2025 8:51:36 AM PDT by JPG (XLM and XRP to the moon.)
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To: george76; iamgalt; WhiteHatBobby0701
I like Hillsdale College.

Gender Ideology Run Amok by Abigail Shrier

https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/gender-ideology-run-amok/

EXCERPT: The common thread running through these topics is that the truth is being obscured by gender ideology. Lies are told about the risks of the transition treatments administered to young children, both to play down the dangers of those treatments and to exaggerate the degree to which those treatments are known to be helpful. Lies are told about the researchers and journalists who attempt to report on the crisis of social contagion among teenage girls undergoing transition treatments. And lies are told about the movement to eradicate women’s protective spaces.

The gender ideology behind these lies is a sibling of critical race theory. While critical race activists are teaching kids that they are largely defined by their skin color, gender activists are teaching kids that there are a great many genders, and that only they know their true gender. And just as families who object to racial indoctrination in schools are told that their denials of racism are proof of racism, young women who object to biological males participating in girls’ sports are told that their objections are proof of transphobic bigotry.

Inside the Transgender Empire

https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/inside-the-transgender-empire/

EXCERPT: The transgender movement is pressing its agenda everywhere. Most publicly, activist teachers are using classrooms to propagandize on its behalf and activist health professionals are promoting the mutilation of children under the euphemistic banner of “gender-affirming care.” And despite frequent claims to the contrary, this is not a temporary or reversible process. Of the children who begin puberty blockers, the medical literature suggests that approximately 95 percent move on to cross-sex hormones, and that 50 percent of the females who begin cross-sex hormone treatments move on to “trans-affirming” surgeries.

It is clear from this and from other transgender scholarship that the transgender movement is inherently political. Its reconstruction of personal identity is meant to advance a collective political reconstruction or transformation. Some trans activists even view their movement as the future of Marxism. In a collection of essays titled Transgender Marxism, activist writer Rosa Lee argues that trans people can serve as the new vanguard of the proletariat, promising to abolish heteronormativity in the same way that orthodox Marxism promised to abolish capitalism.

6 posted on 08/08/2025 8:52:47 AM PDT by Retain Mike ( Sat Cong)
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To: BenLurkin
"What about the people who simply have common sense. What can they sue for?"

BINGO!! It really makes me mad you have to be deeply religious and those are the only legal grounds you can use to reject the woke BS.

What about general moral principles? What about common sense?

It is highly ironic that you must use religious convictions to defeat the woke crap, yet we are supposed to have "separation of church and state." So the only way to defeat the overwhelming perversion is by invoking the church?

7 posted on 08/08/2025 8:57:39 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: george76

John just reacted to his own edification, not that of a bunch of spineless administrators.


8 posted on 08/08/2025 9:17:50 AM PDT by chopperk
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To: george76

On one side of the issue you have genetics, biology, anatomy, common sense and orthodox religions. On the other side, you have fantasy, emotionalism, and authoritarianism. And, oh yes, a religion you could call transgendentalism.


9 posted on 08/08/2025 9:17:52 AM PDT by csn vinnie
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

I don’t think you have to demonstrate any level of religiosity, but you do need to cite some basis first your beliefs. If you adhere or believe in a certain religion, you can cite the Bible, a catechism, a commentary, (probably even the Koran).
Otherwise you can cite a basic biology or medical textbook (written before woke ideology) to reinforce the assertion that humans are born as male or female (based on their sex chromosomal type with very rare exceptions for hermaphroditism) and that identifying a person as male and female has historically been a very simple and non-contentious process.
The left hasn’t proven that gender is a personal choice anymore than race or ethnicity is a choice. So a contrary belief cannot be considered as non-credible.
I would argue that you can’t change your sex even with a genital mutilation procedure and hormones unless you also change their sex chromosomes.


10 posted on 08/08/2025 10:04:08 AM PDT by grumpygresh
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To: george76

While I agree you should be able to call them what you want (as dictated by science) and they are all mentally ill, but the next evolution is for these trans lunatics will create their own official “religion” and counter sue.


11 posted on 08/08/2025 10:10:20 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; BraveMan; cardinal4; ...

12 posted on 08/08/2025 10:21:22 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (The Demagogic Party is a collection of violent, rival street gangs.)
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To: grumpygresh

So, if you are not a believer, you have to deceive them by saying “I am religious and should be excused”? You are forced into telling a lie that you have religious grounds for your objection. That is morally repugnant. There is no way that you should be forced to tell the government a lie to escape their clutches!

Try telling them “basic biology says that humans are born as male or female” and see what happens. Good luck with that!

I would love to see a court case brought where a non-religious person can object purely on moral grounds and not have to resort to religion to escape their the long and intrusive arm of government. We need a test case where you assert “Just leave me alone.”


13 posted on 08/08/2025 11:46:50 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: george76
In effect Sodomy is the official religion, they just don't call it a religion because it's not one particular denomination.

I spell "Sodomy" with a capital-S because it is the name of a religion, not just a sexual practice.

14 posted on 08/08/2025 12:32:27 PM PDT by Salman (It's not a slippery slope if it was part of the program all along.)
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To: george76

The left doesn’t care. They’re above the law. They’ll just keep on doing whatever they want. Don’t try to stop them, fascist.


15 posted on 08/08/2025 12:54:54 PM PDT by TBP (Decent people cannot fathom the amoral cruelty of the Democrat cult.)
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To: george76

Ok. So what about the NONreligious people who object to this trans bullshit?


16 posted on 08/08/2025 1:51:41 PM PDT by Lizavetta
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To: Salman

As the old song from 35 years ago says, “After all, man is a god and they say God is no longer alive”.


17 posted on 08/09/2025 3:23:39 AM PDT by WhiteHatBobby0701
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