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University Pays Christian Professor $400,000 After Punishing Him Over Transgender Pronouns

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An Ohio university will pay a philosophy professor $400,000 in damages and attorneys fees after disciplining him for using the wrong pronoun when addressing a transgender student who wanted to be referred to as a female. 

Shawnee State University, a public university located in Portsmouth, Ohio, settled with Dr. Nick Meriwether after a three-year legal battle in which he was represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom. (ADF) 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ruled in March 2021 that the university violated Meriwether's free speech rights when it punished him after he declined a male student's demand to be referred to as a woman, with feminine titles and pronouns. 

In the spring of 2018, while teaching his class, a male student raised his hand to ask a question and the professor responded with "Yes, sir." After the class was over, the student approached Meriwether, identified himself as a woman, and insisted that the professor address him in that manner. 

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As CBN News reported, Meriwether, who refers to all of his students as "sir," "ma'am," "Mr.," or "Miss," offered to use the student's first or last name instead, but this did not satisfy university administrators or the student.

Roberta Milliken, then-acting dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, launched an investigation into the matter and formally charged Meriwether with causing "a hostile environment" in his classroom for refusing to violate his religious beliefs. 

Following the investigation, Milliken gave Meriwether, who had taught at the university since 1996, two options, stop referring to students by their last names and titles, or violate his conscience and refer to students according to whichever gender they choose. 

He was given a written warning that he could be fired or suspended without pay for violating the university's nondiscrimination policy, according to The Columbus Dispatch

Meriwether submitted a grievance request to the union, arguing the university violated his freedom of expression. The professor met with a school administrator and union representative to explain how his religious freedom was being corroded. According to his lawsuit, they "openly laughed" at Meriwether's religious convictions and denied his grievance request. 

Shawnee State University's "Nondiscrimination policy" defines gender identity as a "person's innermost concept of self as male or female or both or neither—how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves."

Meriwether believes God created only two genders, male and female, which are determined by a person's biology. 

"This case forced us to defend what used to be a common belief—that nobody should be forced to contradict their core beliefs just to keep their job," said ADF Senior Counsel Travis Barham. "Dr. Meriwether went out of his way to accommodate his students and treat them all with dignity and respect, yet his university punished him because he wouldn't endorse an ideology that he believes is false. We're pleased to see the university recognize that the First Amendment guarantees Dr. Meriwether—and every other American—the right to speak and act in a manner consistent with one's faith and convictions."

"Public universities should welcome intellectual and ideological diversity, where all students and professors can engage in meaningful discussions without compromising their core beliefs," said ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer, director of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom. "Dr. Meriwether rightly defended his freedom to speak and stay silent, and not conform to the university's demand for uniformity of thought. We commend the university for ultimately agreeing to do the right thing, in keeping with its reason for existence as a marketplace of ideas."

As part of the settlement, Shawnee State has agreed that Meriwether has the right to choose when to use, or avoid using, titles or pronouns when referring to or addressing students. The school has also agreed Meriwether will never be mandated to use pronouns, including if a student requests pronouns that conflict with his or her biological sex.

Additionally, considering the 6th Circuit's ruling, the university is rescinding the written warning it issued Meriwether in June 2018. In light of the settlement, ADF attorneys filed a voluntary dismissal of the case on April 14.

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of