A Virginia teacher who was suspended for opposing woke transgender policies that required addressing students by their gender identity won a settlement that permanently bans the school board from retaliating against him.
Tanner Cross, a 38-year-old gym teacher at Leesburg Elementary School in Loudoun County, Virginia, will also receive $20,000 toward attorneys’ fees from the board.
The board has also agreed to remove any reference to Cross’ suspension from his personnel file.
Loudoun County has become the battle ground for the country's culture war debating hot button issues such as CRT and transgender rights.
In April, the county announced that they planned to allocate more then $6 million to 'equity training' which was met with strong opposition by some residents.
Tanner Cross, a 38-year-old gym teacher at Leesburg Elementary School in Loudoun County, Virginia, won a legal settlement banning the school board from retaliating against him over his opposition to transgender policies. He is seen above speaking at the Loudoun County School Board meeting on May 25. Two days later, he was placed on administrative leave
Cross (seen left with his wife, Angela) said his religious beliefs compel him to oppose transgender policies
The Loudoun County School Board approved Policy 8040, which requires teachers to address transgender students by their preferred pronouns rather than by their biological sex
They claimed that training was part of a pro-CRT push which would lead to students seeing themselves as victims or oppressors, depending on their race.
This summer a rowdy school board meeting debating transgender rights ended in an arrest of a man who said his daughter, a student at Stone Bridge High School, was sexually assaulted by a transgender student.
It later emerged that the alleged assailant was taken into custody after another student filed a sexual assault complaint.
The settlement is another legal victory for Cross, who became a hero in conservative circles, and was also condemned as a bigot by online progressives.
After his suspension, Cross filed a restraining order and temporary injunction against the board. The Twelfth Circuit Court ordered the district to reinstate Cross's job on June 8. Then, the district filed for an appeal in the state supreme court.
Cross came out in opposition to the board’s proposal, known as Policy 8040, allowing students to use a different name than their legal name as well as different pronouns that do not necessarily correspond to their biological sex.
The new policy was adopted earlier this year, prompting teachers, including Cross, to file a lawsuit on Monday asking the courts for an injunction.
Loudoun County has also permitted transgender students to participate in sports according to their gender identity rather than biological sex.
During a May 25, 2021 school board meeting, Cross stepped
