A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction allowing a transgender teacher in Florida to use her chosen title and pronouns at work. The decision challenges Subsection 3 of a Florida law that prohibits public K-12 school employees from using titles or pronouns that do not correspond to their sex assigned at birth. Violating this rule could result in the loss of a teaching license.
Ms. Wood, the teacher involved, expressed hope following the ruling. "I am hopeful that this ruling will encourage those who feel powerless to stand up for themselves," she said. "Where there is pain, there is power. And anything can happen when good people stand up together."
Chief Judge Mark E. Walker of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida found Ms. Wood likely to succeed on her claim that Subsection 3 infringes upon her First Amendment rights. He wrote, "Once again, the state of Florida has a First Amendment problem... The answer is a thunderous ‘no.’"
In his order, Chief Judge Walker quoted Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" to support Ms. Wood's right to self-identify through her preferred title and pronouns. He stated that Section 1000.071(3) unjustly silenced her identity and dignity.
The plaintiffs' lawyers emphasized the importance of an inclusive classroom environment: "A truly safe, supportive, and inclusive classroom should affirm all who enter... We are pleased that Ms. Wood can go on educating students in a safe space."
The case, Wood et al. v. Florida Department of Education et al., involves representation by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Southern Legal Counsel, and Altshuler Berzon LLP.