A Vermont high school is being sued by a former snowboarding coach who says he was fired for having criticized the school's transgender policy.
David Bloch, who served as Woodstock Union High School's snowboarding coach, filed the lawsuit after being terminated in February. The suit names as defendants Heather Bouchey, the interim secretary of the Vermont Agency of Education; Jay Nichols, executive director of the Vermont Principals' Association; Sherry Sousa, superintendent of Windsor Central Supervisory Union; and the Windsor Central Supervisory Board.
The Christian Post reported that Block, who is a devout Roman Catholic who believes that there are only two biological sexes, briefly engaged in a conversation before a contest on the issue of biological males competing in girls' sports.
The conversation was sparked by the fact that Woodstock Union was about to compete against a snowboarding team that included a biological male who identified as female.
According to the lawsuit, Bloch respectfully presented his view on that "as a matter of biology, males and females have different DNA" and that "biological differences generally give males competitive advantages in athletic events."
"The conversation was respectful among all parties and lasted no more than three minutes. It took place entirely outside the presence of the transgender-identifying snowboarder," read the complaint.
"Coach Bloch's team and the team with the male who identifies as a female competed without incident. After the competition, the two teams and their coaches, including Coach Bloch, shared a bus home."
Bloch is represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group that defends religious freedom in the United States.
ADF Legal Counsel Mathew Hoffmann told The Christian Post via email that Bloch contacted the legal group shortly after he was fired.
"Public schools can't fire employees for respectful speech on a matter of public concern," said Hoffman. "Not only was what Coach Bloch said completely true and consistent with science, but it was protected speech under the First Amendment."
Windsor Central Supervisory Union superintendent Sherry Sousa replied that she had been "instructed by the District's lawyers not to discuss the facts of the case."
"We are confident that the District acted properly. We expect that the court will agree that there was not a violation of any rights," Sousa stated.
