US Dept. of Education demands public schools call students by their preferred pronoun and dismiss teachers who refuse

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued a memo June 6 to teachers and public schools warning that a refusal to address students with their preferred pronoun could trigger a federal investigation, reports Christianheadlines.com.

Conservatives see the directive as a bad sign because it forces schools to recognize gender identity as reality.

Meanwhile, free speech advocates say the government can’t force teachers to use pronouns they don’t believe are accurate.

“Requiring false pronoun usage by teachers is a compelled speech violation for teachers, and compelling students to participate in a lie violates their right to free speech,” said Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel.