Minyvonne Burke

A Virginia high school teacher who was fired for refusing to use a transgender student’s preferred pronouns has filed a lawsuit against school officials and the board.

Peter Vlaming, who was a French teacher at West Point High School, said he was fired because he would not use pronouns such as “him” and “his” to refer to a female student who was transitioning to male.

According to the suit filed Monday in King William County, using the male pronouns would have “violated” Vlaming’s “conscience” and went against his religious beliefs, so he called the student by his preferred name during class and avoided using pronouns altogether.

When the school found out, administrators told Vlaming to either use male pronouns or risk losing his job.

The suit also states that Vlaming was accused of using female pronouns when discussing the student to other people and during one incident in class, Vlaming referred to the student as “her.” Vlaming acknowledged the incident saying that it was unintentional and he addressed it with the student after class, according to the lawsuit.

December 2018: Viriginia teacher fired over transgender pronoun stance

DEC. 10, 201802:29

The suit states that on multiple occasions, Vlaming explained his religious beliefs to administrators but was still told that by refusing to use male pronouns, he was violating the school board’s policy.

“Defendants did not have any written policy regarding using pronouns. … Defendants made up an uncompromising interpretation of their policies to compel Mr. Vlaming to take sides in an ongoing public debate regarding gender dysphoria and use pronouns that express an objectively untrue ideological message.” the suit reads.

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Vlaming, who taught at the school since 2012, was fired in December 2018 after the West Point School Board unanimously voted to terminate his contract. The school system said in a statement at the time that he was fired for insubordination.

The suit alleges that school officials and the board violated Vlaming’s right to freedom of speech. He is seeking $1 million in damages.

“He wasn’t fired for something he said,” the lawsuit reads. “He was fired for what he didn’t say.”

West Point High School did not return a request for comment. The School Board said it “denies any liability” and intends to “defend against any claims.”

A black transgender woman was found dead in her burning car in South Florida in what is being investigated as a homicide, authorities said.

It is the 18th killing of a transgender person in the U.S. this year.

The body of Bee Love Slater, 23, was discovered in Clewiston on Sept. 4, according to the Palm Beach Post.

Hendry County Sheriff Susan Harrell told NBC News in a statement that authorities could not initially identify the body “due to the burns and lack of identification available.” A medical examiner later identified the body through dental records, Harrell said.

According to The Advocate, investigators said Slater’s death was one of the most brutal murders they had seen.

Authorities have not said if they think Slater’s gender identity played a role in her death, the Palm Beach Post reports. Investigators are not releasing how she died.

Her death is the 18th killing of a transgender person in the United States this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign, which tracks the deaths of transgender people. A majority of those killed have been black transgender women.

George Wallace, executive director of LGBT+ Center Orlando, told NBC News in a statement Thursday that transgender women of color “are killed at a higher rate than that of their peers.”

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“I find it sad and upsetting that our trans brothers and sisters continue to be targets of hate and intolerance,” Wallace said. “I wish I had a solution, but we must continue advocating and educating.”

Slater’s friend, Jackson, who asked to be referred to by his last name, told the Palm Beach Post that Slater underwent surgery this year. But, he said, she was verbally harassed and bullied online and had expressed concerns about her safety.

“We have more questions than answers,” Jackson said of her death.

The American Medical Association in June announced it efforts to bring national attention to what it called “the epidemic of violence against the transgender community, especially the amplified physical dangers faced by transgender people of color.”