In a stunning rebuke to progressive overreach, a federal appeals court in Ohio has ruled that students cannot be forced to use preferred pronouns in school, safeguarding their First Amendment rights.
The Daily Caller reported that this landmark decision, handed down on Thursday, by a 10-7 vote, struck down an anti-harassment policy in the Olentangy Local School District (OLSD) that mandated pronoun usage, declaring it an unconstitutional overstep.
The legal battle began in 2023 when Defending Education (DE), a group advocating for student rights, filed a lawsuit against OLSD, challenging the district’s policy as a direct violation of free speech.
DE argued that the policy, which demanded students affirm beliefs about gender and sex contrary to their own convictions, was nothing short of compelled speech—a clear breach of constitutional protections.
Initially, a lower court tried to dismiss the challenge, but the appeals court overturned that ruling, sending a powerful message that schools cannot wield their authority to silence dissent or enforce controversial social norms.
The court’s opinion was sharp, asserting that public schools must not transform into zones of authoritarian control, where students are punished for refusing to parrot district-approved language.
“American history and tradition uphold the majority’s decision to strike down the school’s pronoun policy,” the court declared in its opinion, emphasizing that grammar has evolved for centuries without government meddling.
“Consistent with our historical tradition and our cherished First Amendment, the pronoun debate must be won through individual persuasion, not government coercion,” the opinion continued. Let’s unpack that: the court isn’t just protecting speech; it’s reminding us that true change comes from dialogue, not diktats from on high.
Under OLSD’s now-defunct policy, transgender students were deemed a protected class, and any student who dared refer to peers by their biological sex faced harsh penalties like suspension or expulsion, according to DE’s claims.
This wasn’t just a slap on the wrist for OLSD; it was a full-throated defense of student autonomy against a policy that many saw as overreaching into personal belief systems.
Nicole Neily, founder and president of Defending Education, celebrated the ruling, stating, “We are deeply gratified by the Sixth Circuit’s intensive analysis not only of our case but the state of student First Amendment rights in the modern era.” Her words highlight a growing concern: schools are increasingly testing the boundaries of their authority over young minds.
While OLSD remained silent, declining to comment when approached by the Daily Caller News Foundation, the court’s message was loud and clear: public education must not become a battleground for ideological conformity.
The ruling underscored a fundamental American value—that debates, even heated ones about pronouns and identity, must be settled through reason and respect, not through punitive measures or bureaucratic strong-arming.
For parents and students in the district, this decision is a long-awaited affirmation that their voices matter and that schools cannot overstep into realms better left to individual conscience or family guidance.