Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Ohio School District’s Gender Pronoun Policy

The decision bars schools from punishing students who refuse to use a transgender child’s preferred pronouns.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio, in a file photo. Courtesy of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals

The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled on Nov. 6 that a school board in Ohio cannot punish students for refusing to use the preferred gender pronouns of transgender students.

The decision requires the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio to issue an injunction against the Olentangy Local School District, the fourth largest in the state, that would allow students to refer to transgender students by the pronouns matching their biological sex.