A new Wyoming law protects teachers and other state officials from being required to use trans-identified pronouns as teachers residing in other states have faced consequences for not using the preferred names and pronouns of their students.
Wyoming’s Republican Gov. Mark Gordon signed Senate File 77 into law Thursday. Upon taking effect, the measure became known as Senate Enrolled Act No. 23. Gordon’s approval follows both chambers of the Republican-controlled state legislature overwhelmingly approving the bill.
The legislation prohibits the state and its political subdivisions from “requiring the use of preferred pronouns.”
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Specifically, the bill states “the state and its political subdivisions shall not compel or require an employee to refer to another employee using that employee’s preferred pronouns” as a requirement for employment or contracting with the state or political subdivision. Such a rule also can’t be used as a requiremenet for a grant, loan, permit, contact license or any other benefit.
The law, scheduled to take effect on July 1, also prohibits the state and its political subdivisions from requiring employees to use preferred pronouns of trans-identified individuals “under threat of adverse action by the state or a political subdivision, including but not limited to an adverse employment action, exclusion, sanction or punishment.”
Those who feel they have been forced to use trans-identified preferred pronouns against their wishes have a right of action to seek legal recourse under the law.
In a statement Friday, Matt Sharp of the religious liberty legal group Alliance Defending Freedom said Wyoming is “rightfully stepping into the gap to protect freedom of conscience.”
“No one should lose their job or face punishment at work for declining to say something they believe is false,” he said. “Words and language carry meaning, and when used properly, they communicate truth about the world. Forcing individuals to say things that are false — such as inaccurate pronouns — imposes real harm on the speaker.”
“In no world is it acceptable for the government to force good educators and other public servants out of a job all for the sake of promoting gender ideology,” he continued. “Freedom of speech and religion includes the freedom not to endorse messages contrary to one’s core beliefs, and protecting these essential pillars of freedom benefits all of society.”
The bill is opposed by LGBT advocates. Wyoming Equality Director Sara Burlingam claimed during a public comment period that the legislation could “lead to bullying and harassment,” according to Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Supporters of the bill contend that there are already harassment protections in state law.
Wyoming is not the first state to take similar action. Last year, Idaho enacted a measure into law that prohibits “compelling any public employee or public school student to communicate preferred personal titles and pronouns that do not correspond with the biological sex of the individual seeking to be referred to by such titles or pronouns.”
Unlike the Wyoming measure, the Idaho bill specifically mentioned public school students and employees.
In 2021, Kansas math teacher Pamela Ricard was suspended for referring to a trans-identified female student by her given name and addressed her with female pronouns. As explained in the lawsuit contesting her suspension, Ricard is a devout Christian who “holds sincere religious beliefs consistent with the traditional Christian and biblical understanding of the human person and biological sex.” Ricard secured a $95,000 legal settlement in 2022.
In Virginia, French teacher Peter Vlaming was terminated for declining to use a male name and pronouns to address a trans-identified female student, citing similar religious beliefs about gender and sexuality.
In a settlement reached last year, the school district where he worked agreed to pay Vlaming $575,000 in damages and attorney’s fees in addition to removing his termination from his record.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
