Score another point for those trying to bring back some sanity to discussions about sex and gender in the realm of academia. Dr. Johnson Varkey, a biology professor, has won his lawsuit against a Texas college after it fired him for affirming that men are men and women are women.
This saga spans from 2023 to the present and spotlights the intensifying battle over gender ideology and reality. Now, Alama Community College District (ACCD) has to eat a considerable helping of crow after having taken punitive action against Varkey for affirming reality.
The development was announced by First Liberty Institute, a legal organization dedicated to fighting to protect religious liberty. The organization represented Varkey in his legal action against the school.
“We are happy that the Alamo Community College District voluntarily reinstated Dr. Varkey,” said Kayla Toney, Associate Counsel for First Liberty Institute. “He is excited by this outcome, and we are glad that ACCD did the right thing. Dr. Varkey looks forward to continuing to educate students at ACCD.”
The parties reached a favorable settlement which, among other provisions, guarantees that Dr. Varkey will be back in the classroom by fall 2024.
The conflict began in January 2023 when Varkey was fired for teaching about biological differences between men and women. Despite consistently receiving favorable performance reviews and never having been disciplined by the school, he was targeted for his views on sex and gender. Students went so far as to stage protests against his teachings.
In November 2022, four students walked out of Dr. Varkey’s class when he stated, consistent with his study of human biology and religious beliefs, that sex was determined by chromosomes X and Y. In two decades of teaching these basic, unremarkable concepts, no other students complained.
The college fired him in January 2023. It sent Dr. Varkey a termination letter saying the school “received numerous complaints” about his “offensive” and “unacceptable religious preaching” in the classroom.
Varkey was also accused of making derogatory remarks about members of the LGBTQ community. However, the school never provided any evidence or examples demonstrating this.
First Liberty Institute criticized Varkey’s termination, arguing that it was an illegal violation of Constitutional protections for religious beliefs. “It is preposterous that St. Philips would fire Dr. Varkey for teaching basic biology. The college violated his rights and must reinstate him immediately,” said Kayla Toney, an attorney working with the organization.
Varkey received an outpouring of support from the community and even several members of Congress, which shows that the backlash against progressive efforts to force everyone to adhere to their warped views of gender and sexuality is growing even more formidable.
The outcome of Varkey’s case is one of several encouraging signs showing that the progressive gender beast can bleed. Folks on the far left have been weaponizing various governmental institutions to push their ideology on other people. This shows that the use of lawfare is an effective weapon against these efforts.
This is the type of action I have been preaching about for years – ever since the push for progressive gender ideology in education came to light. These people cannot be persuaded to see reason when it comes to the differences between men and women. They will push this agenda regardless of reason or common sense. Fortunately, Dr. Varkey’s case shows that we have ways to fight back.
