As public school systems across the country continue their march toward ever-greater wokeness, a Wisconsin middle school has filed a federal Title IX complaint against three eighth grade boys for refusing to use a classmate’s “correct” “gender neutral” pronouns. The boys are under investigation for “sexual harassment” as a result.
As violent crimes continue to occur in schools across the United States, the Kiel Area School District in Kiel, Wisconsin — located about 65 miles north of Milwaukee — has chosen to spend its limited resources bringing a terrible trio of boys to justice for the “crime” of refusing to call a female classmate by her “preferred pronouns” of “they/them.” That’s right — the boys are under investigation for the heinous crime of malicious misgendering by aggravated misuse of grammatically correct pronouns.
If an investigation for “sexual harassment” in violation of Title IX seems out of kilter to you, the reader, you are not alone; Rosemary Rabidoux — whose 13-year-old son Braden is one of the boys under investigation for referring to a female classmate who “identifies as non-binary” by the correct “she/her” instead of the politically correct “they/them” — told local Fox affiliate WLUK, “I received a phone call from the principal over at the elementary school, forewarning me; letting me know that I was going to be receiving an email with sexual harassment allegations against my son.” Rabidoux went on to say, “I immediately went into shock. I’m thinking, sexual harassment? That’s rape, that’s inappropriate touching, that’s incest.” Then she asked, “What has my son done?”
First, imagine Rabidoux’ shock at getting a call from the school informing her that her son was being investigated for “sexual harassment” in violation of the federal government’s Title IX. Then, imagine her confusion when she was told of her son’s “offense.” Did he touch another student in an inappropriate way? Did he leer at another student? Did he use inappropriate sexual language? Did he send inappropriate pictures to another student or ask another student to send him inappropriate pictures? No — what he did is far worse than any of those things. He insisted — time and again — on using correct grammar to describe a singular female subject.
Rabidoux said she “thought it wasn’t real,” adding, “I thought this has got to be a gag, a joke — one has nothing to do with the other.”
As WLUK reported, in March a student announced that she is “non-binary” and prefers to be referred to as “they” or “them.” But, as is the case more often than not, “prefer” does not mean “prefer” — it means “do it or else.” In April, it all came to a head. The female student who dislikes being a female (and apparently hates being called one) “had been screaming at one of Braden’s friends to use proper pronouns, calling him profanity,” Rabidoux explained to WLUK, adding, “this friend is very soft-spoken, and kind of just sunk down into his chair.”
Get this picture: A shrieking girl of 13 or 14 is cursing in school because she failed to force another person to use a certain word — to go along with her self-important, narcissistic delusion. That male student is sinking down in his chair under the verbal assault. And that is the moment that Braden steps up to the plate and into the fray. His mother explains, “Braden finally came up, defending him, saying ‘He doesn’t have to use proper pronouns, it’s his constitutional right to not use, you can’t make him say things.’”
Let’s go, Braden!
He is — of course — correct. His free speech is protected under the First Amendment. He and the other boys involved are being represented by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL). WILL deputy counsel Luke Berg said, “Title IX sexual harassment typically covers things like rape, dating violence, quid pro quo sexual favors; really egregious stuff.” He added, “There’s nothing even remotely close to that alleged in this case.” He went on to say that the use of pronouns is not a part of the school district’s policy or Title IX.
Despite the salient fact that neither the school district’s policy nor Title IX mentions the crime of malicious misgendering by aggravated misuse of grammatically correct pronouns, the Kiel Area School District released a statement defending this egregious overreach of assumed power, saying, “The KASD prohibits all forms of bullying and harassment in accordance with all laws, including Title IX,” and affirming that the district will “continue to support ALL students regardless of sex (including transgender status, change of sex or gender identity).”
The statement did not address the obvious fact that “ALL students” clearly does not mean all students — since it does not include those who come to school armed with pronouns that accurately describe single female subjects. It does, however, include those who scream profanities at fellow students for not actively participating in their delusions.
It is noteworthy that this case shares some themes in common with an actual crime committed in another school more than 800 miles away. Even after a “transgender” male student (who “identifies” as a female and wears a dress) forcibly raped two actual female students on school grounds, the Loudoun County School District refuses to back off of its woke “transgender” policies. Not only did Loudoun County attempt to cover up the rapes, but the school district has doubled down on its “transgender” policies in the wake of those rapes.
Halfway across the country, the same spirit is alive and well in Kiel, Wisconsin. In both locations (and in many others), the feelings of students suffering from (or pretending to suffer from) delusions are way up at the top of school administrators’ priorities. The safety, well-being, rights, and sanity of students not suffering from (or pretending to suffer from) those delusions take a back seat.
As a direct consequence of such insanity, alternatives to government education are exploding. More and more parents are opting for home-schooling, private academies, or some hybrid of the two. As the Left continues its woke-ward march, concerned Americans who love their children continue to abandon a system that shows that it does not want reform and will not abide the will of parents.
