The 3 - February 6, 2022

This week's edition of The 3, highlighting three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes secretive efforts by schools to promote so-called "gender identity" and hide from parents the gender issues their children are experiencing.  Also, a new bill in a Midwestern state would prevent boys from participating in girls' sports. And, a delivery driver in Florida who declined to work a scheduled shift on religious grounds has been rewarded a financial settlement. 

Schools' secret gender conditioning produce lawsuits

When young people are in positions where education officials promote their exploration of a "gender identity" other than their biological one, that is certainly a problem.  And, when they keep it a secret from their parents, that is even worse.

Consider the instance from Florida, where the parents of a 12-year-old girl are suing the Clay County school district, alleging that, according to The Hill, "their daughter’s mental health and gender identity struggles were concealed from them for months by school officials." The article states:

The parents say a school counselor conducted “secret” therapy sessions with their daughter regarding her alleged gender dysphoria, which the Perez’s were only made aware of following their daughter’s first suicide attempt.

On two separate occasions, the young girl, who has not been named because she is a minor, tried to take her own life by hanging herself in a school restroom.

The father said on Fox News that the secretiveness was because of their religious stance. He told Laura Ingraham: "The counselor had secret meetings with our daughter about gender. She was groomed to something that she’s not, and she was encouraged..."

The Hill says the school denies the allegation.

Then, you have an instance in California, reported on by Christian Headlines, in which a parent has filed a lawsuit, alleging that her 11-year-old daughter was inappropriately influenced by a school about her sexuality. The girl, referred to in the suit as "A.G.," met with teachers and, as it's alleged: 

“At these meetings and in other discussions,” the teachers “planted the seed in A.G.’s mind that she was bisexual,” the suit says. “That idea did not originate with A.G. In fact, she did not fully understand what that term meant.

“Shortly thereafter,” the teachers “planted the seed in A.G.’s mind that she was transgender. As with bisexuality, that idea did not originate with A.G., nor did A.G. fully understand what it meant.”

A counselor also supported what the girl was being told by the teachers. The girl was allegedly, according to the story, "recruited" to "join an LGBT Equality Club." The Center for American Liberty, which is representing the parent, stated in a news release: “Parents absolutely have a right to know what is being taught in their kids’ school, especially with respect to sensitive issues like gender and sexuality,” adding, “... But parents are denied that right when activist teachers think they know better and intentionally hide information from moms and dads.”

South Dakota bill would limit male participation in girls' sports

The state of South Dakota has joined other states in implementing a law that would prevent biological male athletes from participating in girls' sports.  CBN News reported that South Dakota joins 9 other states, including Alabama, in passing similar legislation.  Governor Kristi Noem stated in a bill-signing ceremony: "This bill has been an important priority for a lot of the people behind me," adding, "And I appreciate all of their hard work in making sure that girls will always have the opportunity to play in girls sports in South Dakota and have an opportunity for a level playing field, for fairness, that gives them the chance to experience success."

It hasn't been an easy road to passage.  As the article notes:

Noem lobbied heavily for the bill this year after vetoing a similar ban in March of last year. She had issued a "style and form veto" that led to its demise, arguing that the previous bill contained flawed language that put the state at risk of litigation and retribution from the NCAA.

Later that month, she signed two executive orders that represented what she'd hoped the legislature would pass.

Last week, there was plenty of activity on that front, as CBN points out: 

USA Swimming released a new operating policy manual on Tuesday amid the controversy surrounding transgender athlete Lia Thomas' participation in the sport.

Before transitioning genders, Thomas competed for three seasons at the University of Pennsylvania as a man named Will Thomas, according to The New York Post.  

The article goes on to say:

The Washington Post reports 16 members of the University of Pennsylvania women's swimming team sent a letter to school and Ivy League officials Thursday asking that they not take legal action challenging the NCAA's recently updated transgender policy.

That new NCAA policy could possibly prevent Thomas from competing in the NCAA championships scheduled for next month.

Delivery driver who was fired for not working on Sundays receives settlement

A driver who works for a delivery service in the Tampa Bay area that delivers for Amazon had been fired because he would not work on Sundays, in order to participate in church services.  According to The Christian Post, he took his complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The article relates:

According to an EEOC statement, the delivery service had scheduled the employee for a shift on a Sunday even though he had made it clear earlier that he could not work Sundays.

The EEOC argued that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars discrimination based on religion and "requires employers to reasonably accommodate an applicant’s or employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs unless it would pose an undue hardship."

The delivery service has agreed to pay the driver $50,000 in a settlement, which was agreed to by a federal judge. The article also notes:

In addition to the $50,000 the delivery service will pay in relief, the company must also train staff to avoid religious discrimination and appoint a “religious accommodation coordinator.”