Fired for what he wouldn’t say…
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Stand with Peter Vlaming in defense of freedom and truth
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Dear John,
Just a few weeks before Christmas, high school French teacher Peter Vlaming stood before the West Point School Board in Virginia.
Administrators from his school had called for his termination. Now it was his turn to plead his case.
He shared his care and concern for the students he had served for nearly seven years. He described his love for his job, as well his family’s fondness of the school district. And he detailed his willingness to find middle ground—asking for tolerance of his beliefs.
The support of the large crowd of parents and students spurred him on. The stack of signs by the door that read “Justice for Mr. Vlaming” gave him hope.
But then it happened.
The school board voted unanimously to fire him.
The shock of the moment soon gave way to concern.
Peter was concerned for his family. How was he going to provide for his wife and four kids without a job?
He was also concerned for himself and others like him. How could he be punished for something he wouldn’t say? How could he be fired for having views held by most of the world for most of human history?
Peter felt his First Amendment rights had been violated.
He was right.
Your gift today will help defend people like Peter who are willing to stand up for truth, no matter the cost.
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DONATE
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Words have meaning—No one should be forced to speak something they don’t believe to be true
John, the only reason Peter Vlaming was fired was because he wouldn’t use male pronouns when referring to a female student.
It all started when one of Peter’s female students began self-identifying as a boy. Peter didn’t hesitate to call this student by the student’s new preferred name. He cares for all of his students and wanted this student to feel welcomed and respected. In fact, he also had every student in all of his classes choose new French names, so that this student wouldn’t feel singled out for picking a new name.
But then the school demanded that Peter refer to this female student using male pronouns.
This wasn’t something Peter could do.
As a French teacher, Peter knows that words and language carry meaning. They tell the truth about reality and beliefs.
And as a Christian, Peter believes that God has created human beings in His image, as male or female. This is a biological reality. To call a man a woman or vice versa would be to endorse an ideology that denies the truth and that conflicts with his beliefs.
So Peter proposed a compromise.
He made it clear that he would accommodate the student by not using a pronoun the student found offensive. But at the same time, Peter stated that he can't use a pronoun that offends his conscience. He would simply avoid using pronouns altogether.
This wasn’t good enough for school administrators or the school board—so they fired him.
But public schools have no business forcing a teacher to choose between his beliefs and his career.
That’s why Alliance Defending Freedom helped Peter file a lawsuit against the West Point School Board.
John, we cannot sit idly by and allow our freedoms to be stripped away. This teacher is bravely taking a stand for freedom and truth—but he can’t do it alone.
That’s why your financial support today is so vital.
A generous family has provided a $2 million challenge grant to inspire you to help defend Peter and others like him. Any gift you give today will help further the impact for freedom during this critical time.
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Compromise isn’t an option—conform or be punished
We live in a fallen world—a fact Peter knows all too well.
That’s why Peter wasn’t necessarily surprised by a female student’s claim to be a male—it was the school’s intolerance of his faith and rejection of any sort of common sense solution or middle ground that was most alarming.
Peter’s religious convictions are sincere. He holds a belief about biological reality that was nearly universal only a few years ago. It’s a belief you probably share, John.
And Peter treated the student with kindness and dignity. He made a good faith effort to accommodate as much as his conscience would allow. He agreed to call the student by whatever name that student chose.
It wasn’t enough.
The truth is the school board didn’t care how well Peter treated this student. It was on a crusade to compel conformity.
John, radical gender ideology is being treated as settled science, and it’s being used to threaten hard-working peaceful Americans who do not agree.
The message is loud and clear: Compromise is not an option—conform or be punished.
Thankfully, there are people out there, like Peter, who refuse to be bullied and are willing to take a stand for freedom and truth.
Will you stand with Peter today and help provide the strong legal defense he needs?
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Because of you, Peter is getting a strong legal defense free of charge
No one should be bullied or banished from the marketplace for peacefully living out their beliefs. And no one’s career should be ruined because of an intolerant school board.
Yet, that’s exactly what has happened in Peter’s case.
Activists want to strip away your right to speak freely, John. And they’re going to extreme lengths to punish those—like Peter—who express any view that is different.
That’s why your financial support is so vital to stand with people like Peter, whose most basic freedoms are being threatened.
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A man with no job and five other mouths to feed can’t afford to mount a legal defense after being unjustly fired. Thankfully, because of you, Peter is getting the strong legal defense he needs free of charge.
God is using your prayers and financial support to make legal battles like this possible, John.
As brothers and sisters in Christ, we can fight for Peter and others like him. After all, no one should be forced to speak a message that they disagree with, especially in a society that protects freedom of speech.
Please rise to the challenge and give the very best gift you can today.
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Your gift protects freedom for us all—and provides a strong legal defense for Peter and others like him.
Thank you for giving generously.
DONATE NOW
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