A substitute teacher in Wyoming claims he was dismissed from Laramie County School District No. 1 after refusing to use students’ preferred names instead of their legal names registered with the district.
Gene Clemetson explained that the issue arose when a male student who identified as female asked him to use a different name than what was on the roster.
“I said to him, very politely, I have to go by the name on the roster,” Clemetson explained to the Cowboy State Daily. The student then returned with another teacher who informed Clemetson that the student’s parents approved the use of a different name.
“Well that’s great, but again, if I’m calling the attendance, if I’m calling the roll, I’m going by the names officially registered with the district,” Clemetson said once again.
Clemetson stated he would use a new legal name if a student changed it officially but did not want to comply with students changing their names at will based on their gender identity. Following this conflict, the principal confronted Clemetson.
“He proceeded to tell me I did not fit in at East High School, that I was not welcome back,” Clemetson said. “And he proceeded to tell me he was going to report me to the administration and then had me escorted out of the building by his vice principal.”
A similar incident occurred earlier this year when Clemetson refused to use a student’s new name at another high school. He was asked to leave the building and was told he would meet with the human resources department. During his meeting with HR, Assistant HR Supervisor Vicki Thompson informed Clemetson that multiple students had lodged complaints.
Additionally, Clemetson was accused by a female environmental teacher of turning off a documentary called “Plastic Wars” and disparaging her as a “liberal radical and a tree hugger and an environmental quack.” Clemetson denies these allegations, calling them a “lie” and asserting they “never happened.”
Wyoming law requires district employees to adhere to administrative rules. Last year, a US District Judge in Wyoming ruled that teachers do not have free-speech rights to avoid calling students by their preferred names.
“Gender (language) is a First Amendment issue. Nobody should be forced to go along with someone else’s thought process. If you’re a boy and you want to consider yourself a girl, I don’t have to buy into that,” Clemetson said.
This piece first appeared at TPUSA.
