The world we live in has undergone dramatic shifts in recent years—some hail these changes as progress, while others see them as a troubling step backward. Pamela Richard, a teacher from Kansas, became a focal point in this cultural clash when she stood firm in her beliefs, even at the risk of suspension.
While teaching at Geary County Schools, Pamela faced a three-day suspension simply because she refused to use a student’s preferred pronouns. The student in question, biologically female, had asked to be addressed by a different first name and identified with a different gender. Despite a school counselor informing Pamela of this preference, she chose to address the student by her legal last name—“Miss [legal last name]”—as a compromise, hoping to avoid direct use of pronouns that conflicted with her beliefs.
However, this attempt was not accepted. The school’s administration suspended Pamela, citing a policy that required employees to “make an effort to utilize the pronouns an individual requests to be identified by.” But Pamela’s stance was grounded in her deeply held religious convictions.
According to the lawsuit, Pamela Richard “is a Christian who holds sincere religious beliefs consistent with traditional Christian and biblical teachings about human identity and biological sex.” She believes that “God created humans as male or female, a fact fixed from conception, and unchangeable regardless of personal feelings or preferences.”
Determined to defend her conscience, Pamela took her fight to federal court. In May, she won a landmark $95,000 judgment, affirming her right to speak freely in a way that aligns with her beliefs, including communicating with parents consistent with how she addresses students in school.
Moreover, the court ruled she could avoid using pronouns that contradict biological sex. The school policy that barred staff from informing parents about students’ preferred names or pronouns was also struck down.
Since the lawsuit’s conclusion, the school has remained silent, leaving Pamela’s victory a powerful statement in the ongoing debate over conscience, identity, and free speech in education.
