Katie Wood, a transgender algebra teacher, has long gone by ‘Ms Wood’ but the law required students to say ‘Teacher Wood’

Florida cannot prohibit a 10th-grade math teacher from asking her students to call her by her preferred pronouns, a federal judge has ruled.

The decision from Mark Walker, the US district judge, is a blow to an anti-LGBTQ law championed by Ron DeSantis, the state’s governor, which prohibits discussion of sexuality in public schools. A 2023 expansion of the measure, widely known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, prohibits teachers and students from using pronouns that align with their gender identity.

The Tuesday decision, a preliminary injunction, blocks Florida from enforcing the law against Katie Wood, a transgender 10th-grade algebra teacher in Hillsborough county. Wood has long gone by “Ms Wood” in school, but the law has made her require her students to call her “Teacher Wood” – a title no one else at the school uses.

  • MrVilliam@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Agreed. I don’t really understand the point of them. Similarly, I’ve never understood the point of gendered professions (actor/actress, waiter/waitress, etc). It seems like it only exists to divide.

    • TheLowestStone@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Using gendered professions mostly fell out of style years ago. Waiter/waitress became server. Steward/stewardess became flight attendant. Actor/actress is still used but I hear “actor” used for all genders more frequently these days.

      • Gork@lemm.ee
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        7 months ago

        My favorite is the replacement of Chairman/chairwoman with either Chairperson or just “Chair” , like the sit-table object 🪑.

    • venusaur@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Totally. I can understand preferring a specific gender for a doctor, but we don’t have gendered terms for that for some reason.

        • TheLowestStone@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Some people feel more comfortable talking to or being touched by a person of a specific gender. Sometimes that’s for a bigoted reason but sometimes it’s not. For example, I’ve always had an easier time opening up about emotional stuff with women so I would prefer speaking to a female counselor or therapist. This isn’t because I dislike or distrust men, I just had more conversations like that with my female friends growing up so it feels more natural.