When a pronoun becomes political

The case began on the first day of class in a political philosophy course at a public university in Ohio, when a professor mistakenly used the incorrect honorific. He called a transgender woman ‘‘sir’’, and when the student requested he refer to her with female pronouns and honorifics, an impasse developed. The professor said his religious beliefs prevented him from communicating messages about gender identity that he believes are false. He was disciplined by the university for not complying with the school’s nondiscrimination policy, and a lawsuit ensued.

At issue in the case of Shawnee State University professor Nicholas Meriwether is the question of whose rights take priority when a transgender student’s demands for respect and recognition conflict with a teacher’s personal views or religious beliefs. It’s a question being asked with increasing frequency as the number of transgender students grows and the use of pronouns has become a new battleground in the culture wars.

It is sad that something as simple – and decent – as getting students’ pronouns right has to be litigated and politicised. More than anyone, teachers should know that students do better when they are treated with respect, when their names are pronounced correctly, when they are not made to feel awkward or isolated from their classmates. Teachers who don’t recognise as much probably shouldn’t be in the classroom in the first place.