Two religious parents in the US state of Maryland have filed a lawsuit against their child’s school district after teachers used the student’s requested masculine name and pronouns without first notifying them.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court on Wednesday, 8 July, against Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
It seeks to prevent educators from using the student’s chosen name and pronouns and instead require staff to address the child by their birth name and the pronouns associated with their sex assigned at birth.
Conservative Legal Group Represents Parents
The parents, identified in court documents only as John and Jane Doe, are being represented by conservative legal organisation America First Legal.
The organisation was founded in 2021 by Trump adviser Stephen Miller and has brought several legal challenges against LGBTQ+ protections across the United States.
According to The Baltimore Banner, the parents discovered that school staff had been using their child’s chosen name on 10 December.
A teacher reportedly emailed them using the student’s masculine name before attempting to recall the message.
After raising the issue with school officials, the parents demanded that staff return to using their child’s legal name. Administrators declined, citing the district’s policy on transgender and gender-diverse students.
School Policy Supports Students’ Gender Identities
Anne Arundel County Public Schools states that students have “the right to be addressed by a name and pronoun that correspond to the student’s gender identity”.
The parents argue that the policy violates their constitutional rights and conflicts with their religious beliefs.
According to the lawsuit, those beliefs include the view that “God creates each person as male or female” and that a person’s biological sex cannot be changed.
The parents are asking the court to require school staff to use their child’s original name and pronouns.
They also want the court to declare the district’s wider policies protecting transgender and gender-diverse students unlawful.
School Notification Policies Vary Across the US
Policies governing whether schools must tell parents when a student asks to use a different name or pronouns vary across the United States.
A growing number of states have introduced laws requiring schools to notify parents when a student makes such a request.
Other states and school districts allow educators to respect a student’s gender identity without automatically informing their family.
Supporters of those policies argue that disclosing a student’s identity without their consent could expose some young people to family rejection, abuse or homelessness before they are ready to come out.
According to the Movement Advancement Project, 15 US states require schools to disclose to parents when transgender or non-binary students request changes involving their name or pronouns.
A spokesperson for Anne Arundel County Public Schools declined to comment on the lawsuit but confirmed that district officials were aware of the complaint; The Baltimore Banner reported.
