Nicholas K. Meriwether is an evangelical Christian who doesn’t believe an individual’s gender can be changed after conception. He also taught at Shawnee State University, a public college in Ohio.
Those two identities—one personal, one professional—clashed when a transgender student entered his classroom in January 2018.
Meriwether responded “Yes, sir” to a question, prompting the student to inform him that she is transgender and to request to be addressed as female. The professor declined, stating that the student “appears male,” and that using the combination of pronouns and last names is an “important pedagogical tool” to maintain respect and professionalism ...