This article was originally published by The Daily Signal.

A prominent religious liberty organization is asking a Virginia school district to reverse a decision to suspend a gym teacher for not complying with pronoun rules for transgender students in his elementary school. 

The Loudoun County school district suspended Byron “Tanner” Cross, a physical education teacher at Leesburg Elementary School, after he said during a May 25 school board meeting that he would not abide by a proposed rule requiring teachers to call students who say they are transgender by their preferred personal pronouns. 

To do so, Cross told the school board, would “damage children and defile the holy image of God.”

Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit against the school system Tuesday in Loudoun County Circuit Court on Cross’ behalf, the Loudoun Times-Mirror reported late in the day.

“I was a little surprised by it,” Cross said Tuesday night in an interview with Ben Domenech on Fox News Channel. “Here in America, we love our free speech and, you know, teachers are just like everybody else. We have political views, we have religious views, and we like to advocate for those views and not be punished for it. But it kind of feels like it’s going in that direction.”

Cross stated his view outside working hours, during the “public comment” portion of the school board’s May 25 meeting. Two days later, he was notified of his suspension with pay in a letter from the school district.