Dispute between parents, Ohio school district over gender pronouns goes before judges [View all]
Source: ABC News/AP
March 19, 2025, 8:01 AM
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati will hear arguments Wednesday in a legal dispute that pits a suburban Ohio school district's policy requiring use of students' preferred pronouns against the free speech rights of classmates who believe there are only two genders.
The lawsuit brought by Parents Defending Education, a national Christian organization, against the Olentangy Local School District in 2023 has captured broad national attention from groups ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to the conservative Manhattan Institute. Ohio's solicitor general has asked to participate in oral arguments on behalf of 22 U.S. states that have interests in the case.
A lower court rejected the group’s arguments that the policies violated students’ First Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment rights, and a three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit affirmed that decision in July.
The full court will reconsider that decision in a rare en banc hearing Wednesday.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/dispute-parents-group-ohio-school-district-gender-pronoun-119942077