Public school teachers in Los Angeles will no longer be required to affirm the gender identity of trans-identified or nonbinary students as part of mandatory district training, according to Liberty Counsel.
The Christian legal organization announced Friday that the Los Angeles Unified School District had revised language in its LGBTQ+ cultural training certification after receiving objections from Christian educators.
The previous questionnaire required teachers in the nation’s second-largest school district to affirm the statement, “I am aware that LAUSD policy requires me to affirm and respect the identities of all students, including those who identify as LGBTQ+.”
The questionnaire is part of LAUSD’s mandatory LGBTQ+ cultural training program for educators.
Liberty Counsel said it sent a demand letter to the district on June 8 on behalf of “Christian educators at LAUSD who wish to exempt themselves from LAUSD’s mandatory LGBTQ+ Cultural Training Certification” because of their “traditional religious beliefs regarding sexuality, marriage, and God's design for humankind.”
According to the organization, “A mandatory certification that requires affirmation of views contrary to those beliefs directly conflicts with their sincerely held religious convictions.”
Liberty Counsel argued that requiring teachers to affirm LGBT identities could violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees’ religious beliefs.
The legal group also noted that teachers were required to complete the training and certification by the end of the school year and warned that failure to do so could affect their employment.
In its letter, Liberty Counsel asked LAUSD to confirm by June 12 that “the District will accept and fairly consider requests for religious accommodation from the mandatory certification requirement based upon sincerely held religious beliefs, consistent with the requirements of Title VII” and warned that legal action could follow if the district did not respond.
Two days after the letter was sent, LAUSD changed the questionnaire language. Teachers are now required to acknowledge only that “I am aware of LAUSD nondiscrimination policies, including those regarding students who identify as or are perceived as LGBTQ+.”
“The Los Angeles Unified School District did the right thing in changing its training certification language,” Liberty Counsel Chairman and Founder Mat Staver said in a statement.
“Federal law is clear that teachers cannot be required to ‘affirm’ a student’s perceived gender identity or use inconsistent pronouns against their personal religious convictions,” he added. “Title VII ensures that people cannot be forced to choose between their faith and their livelihood.”
