A Virginia school board will pay $575,000 in damages and attorneys fees after firing a teacher for refusing to honor a students pronouns. Peter Vlaming, a former French teacher from West Point High School, sued the local school board for $1 million after the board fired him for refusing to use a trans students male pronouns. The student had recently transitioned and gotten a legal name change. Even though Vlaming would refer to the student by his new name, the teacher said that using male pronouns would violate his own religious beliefs and free speech rights. Related This rightwing activist gets major brands to turn their backs on diversity. How is he doing it? Is he proving that many corporations were only paying lip service to diversity? Vlaming sued and was represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a massively influential Christian hate group that regularly mounts legal challenges to any expansion of LGBTQ+ civil rights. The King William Circuit Court dismissed Vlamings suit, finding that Vlaming hadnt substantiated his legal case. But in 2023, the Virginia Supreme Court overturned the dismissal. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today I was wrongfully fired from my teaching job because my religious beliefs put me on a collision course with school administrators who mandated that teachers ascribe toonly oneperspective on gender identity their preferred view,said Vlaming in a statement following news of the settlement. I loved teaching French and gracefully tried to accommodate every student in my class, but I couldnt say something that directly violated my conscience.West Point Public Schools Superintendent Larry L. Frazier Jr. told The Washington Post that the district will continue to be a place where all students feel safe, respected, and welcomed on a daily basis and that the school is happy to have reached a settlement that will not have a negative impact on the students, staff or school community of West Point.Our focus is on all students, and our goal is to continue to build positive relationships throughout our school division community, Frazier said. A press release from ADF said the settlement also included the board clearing Vlamings firing from his record. The organization also wrote that the district agreed to change its policies to conform to the newVirginia education policiesestablished by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) that respect fundamental free speech and parental rights. In 2020, Virginias legislature passed a law requiring schools to adopt trans-inclusive policies. However, with the election of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) later that year, he directed the states Department of Education (VDOE) toissue new policiesrequiring teachers to use a students legal name and the pronouns associated with their biological sex.Some of the states largest school districts have been refusing to follow the policies, saying that federal and state anti-discrimination laws take precedence over the VDOEs policies.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.