A former high school coach in Vermont has filed a federal lawsuit after he was fired for sharing his views on transgender athletes.
David Bloch, who was the head coach of the Woodstock Union High School snowboarding team, was fired earlier this year. The Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont last week on behalf of Bloch, Fox News reported.
According to the lawsuit, Bloch overheard a conversation between two athletes at a competition on Feb. 8. The athletes were discussing a male snowboarder who identified as a female and was competing against other biological females.
"Coach Bloch joined the conversation to offer that people express themselves differently and that there can be masculine women and feminine men," the complaint read, as reported by Fox News. "But he affirmed that as a matter of biology, males and females have different DNA, which causes males to develop differently from females and have different physical characteristics. Coach Bloch discussed that biological differences generally give males competitive advantages in athletic events."
Vermont snowboarding coach files lawsuit after getting fired for sharing views on trans athletes https://t.co/vmaUVwDFj4
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The following day, Bloch met with Windsor Central Supervisory Union Superintendent Sherry Sousa, who informed him that he had been terminated for violating the district’s harassment, hazing and bullying (HHB) and the Vermont Principals' Association policies after a complaint had been filed.
Fox News reported that the lawsuit claimed that Sousa accused Bloch of using "disparaging names," which "created an objectively offensive environment and constituted harassment based on gender identity, justifying termination."
Sousa also allegedly said that Bloch’s firing had been decided on before the investigation into the complaint had been complete. It also noted that Sousa is believed to have a child who "identifies as transgender."
The lawsuit stated that Bloch, a "practicing Roman Catholic," was sharing his beliefs during the conversation and was therefore "engaged in constitutionally protected activity," Fox News reported.
"For more than a decade, Dave has led the Woodstock Union snowboarding program to enormous success in terms of both athletic accomplishment and personal growth of the snowboarders. But for merely expressing his views that males and females are biologically different and questioning the appropriateness of a teenage male competing against teenage females in an athletic competition, school district officials unconstitutionally fired him," ADF Legal Counsel Mathew Hoffmann said in a statement.
"The First Amendment ensures Dave, and every other American, can freely express his views on a matter of profound public concern without government punishment. We urge the court to swiftly rule that officials must reinstate Dave as snowboarding coach and that district and Vermont officials cannot enforce unconstitutional ‘harassment’ policies against public employees."
The lawsuit names several defendants, including Sousa and the Windsor Central Supervisory Union Board. Sousa and Woodstock Union High School did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
