Court Upholds Florida Law: Trans Teacher Must Use He/Him Pronouns in Class
An appeals court has upheld a Florida law that mandates public school teachers use pronouns that align with a person’s biological sex, dealing a significant blow to gender ideology activists seeking to push their views into the classroom. The decision came after a Hillsborough County teacher, born male but identifying as a transgender woman, challenged the law on First Amendment grounds, claiming it violated her rights to free expression and due process.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a ruling issued July 2, sided with the state of Florida, affirming that public schools are permitted to establish guidelines for speech in classroom settings, especially when it relates to the sensitive and controversial issue of gender identity. The court emphasized the importance of maintaining government neutrality and classroom discipline, as well as upholding the state’s responsibility to set policies consistent with its educational mission.
“Within the four walls of a classroom, teachers are not free agents,” the court wrote in its opinion. “Florida, through its elected representatives, has decided that public school teachers must adhere to a policy that aligns with the biological facts of a student or teacher’s sex. The First Amendment does not override that policy.”
The teacher at the center of the lawsuit, who transitioned while employed at a Florida school and asked to be referred to by female pronouns, argued that the 2023 law infringed upon her identity and effectively punished her for expressing her beliefs. However, the court dismissed that argument, clarifying that the government has a right to regulate employee speech in the scope of their professional duties.
The law in question was part of a broader package of educational reforms spearheaded by Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature. Dubbed the “Teachers’ Bill of Rights,” the measure affirms that public school personnel cannot be compelled to refer to anyone with pronouns that do not match their biological sex. It also prohibits employees from sharing their own preferred pronouns with students if they conflict with their birth sex.
DeSantis, who has consistently pushed back against what he describes as the “radical gender agenda,” praised the court’s decision as a victory for common sense and parental rights. “We don’t need confusion in our classrooms. We need clarity, facts, and truth. Biological reality matters,” DeSantis said during a recent event in Tallahassee.
Critics of the law, primarily from LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, argue that the measure is discriminatory and emotionally harmful to transgender individuals. But supporters counter that the law protects the rights of parents and ensures that children are not subject to confusing or ideologically driven concepts during formative years.
Legal analysts say the court’s ruling reflects a growing recognition by federal judges that government employers—especially public-school districts—must have the authority to set speech standards in the classroom without being subjected to ideological litigation.
“This case was never about silencing someone,” said Matt Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, a legal nonprofit that defends religious freedom and conservative values. “It was about ensuring that the classroom remains a place for education, not political or social experimentation. Teachers are expected to model factual, age-appropriate conduct, not promote gender confusion.”
The court’s decision also leaned on the 2006 Supreme Court ruling in Garcetti v. Ceballos, which established that public employees do not enjoy unfettered First Amendment protections when speaking in their official capacities. The ruling further undermined the transgender teacher’s argument that her pronoun usage was protected speech, stating that such expression does not override state policy in a public school setting.
The teacher has not yet indicated whether she will appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, but groups like the ACLU have suggested they may become involved if the case progresses further. However, experts say the current conservative makeup of the Supreme Court could mean little appetite for reversing lower court rulings that support biological pronoun use in official settings.
In the meantime, the Florida Department of Education has said it will continue enforcing the law, reminding districts that teachers are to refrain from introducing or promoting gender ideology in any form. “We stand firmly behind the authority of our schools to teach truth—not ideology,” a DOE spokesperson said. “That includes respecting biological distinctions, especially when it comes to adult authority figures interacting with minors.”
This legal battle is the latest chapter in Florida’s broader effort to reclaim control over its public education system, pushing back against progressive policies that have, in recent years, attempted to redefine gender, history, and parental rights in the classroom. The DeSantis administration has made it clear that classrooms are not laboratories for cultural re-engineering but institutions of learning grounded in objective reality.
Conservative Christians across the state applauded the ruling, seeing it as both a moral and constitutional stand. “God created man and woman, and no court or classroom policy can change that truth,” said Pastor Michael Jennings of Grace Baptist Church in Tampa. “This is about protecting our children and ensuring that God’s design is not erased from public life.”
As the national debate on gender identity and education continues to escalate, Florida has once again positioned itself at the forefront of a cultural battle that many conservatives believe is essential for preserving the nation’s moral foundation. The court’s ruling reinforces that principle: that public classrooms are no place for subjective ideologies that undermine truth and confuse children.