Veteran biology professor terminated over accusations of religious preaching after teaching that s#x

Publish date: 2024-05-09

After more than two decades of teaching that the s£x of a human being is determined by X and Y chromosomes, a veteran biology professor in Texas has reportedly been terminated over allegations of ‘religious preaching’.

Dr. Johnson Varkey, who taught at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, claims that he was dismissed from his position after being accused of ‘religious preaching’. He asserts that the incident occurred while discussing the human reproductive system on November 28, 2022, when four students left the lecture.

Subsequently, Varkey was charged with making ‘discriminatory comments about homosexuals and transgender individuals, anti-abortion rhetoric, and misogynistic banter’.

The professor disclosed that he received an email from the Alamo Colleges District Human Resources department in January, notifying him of the revocation of his credentials pending an investigation, and ultimately leading to his termination.

Legal representatives from the First Liberty Institute, who are acting on Varkey’s behalf, recently sent a letter to St. Philip’s College demanding his reinstatement.

‘In January 2023, St. Philip’s College fired Dr. Varkey for teaching human biology just as he did in his previous twenty-year career as a professor,’ the letter read, asserting that his teachings align with his religious beliefs and extensive education and experience.

The law firm contends that the termination of Varkey, who taught Human Anatomy and Physiology at the college for 22 years, violated federal and state laws and infringed upon his First Amendment rights.

Varkey, also an associate pastor at a local church and a devout Christian, follows his faith’s teachings on sexuality and abortion, but according to his attorneys, he has not expressed these beliefs in the classroom.

‘As his stellar performance reviews suggest, Dr. Varkey gladly taught students of all beliefs and backgrounds,’ the letter continued. ‘Throughout his employment, he never discussed with any student his personal views — religious or otherwise — on human gender or sexuality.’

‘On November 28, 2022, four of Dr. Varkey’s students walked out of his class when he stated, consistent with his study of human biology and his religious beliefs, that sex was determined by chromosomes X and Y.’

The lawyers argued that Varkey taught from school-approved and science-based curriculum, while the college labeled his teaching as religious.

‘While some of the subject matter may be connected to class content, it was very clear, from the complaints, that you pushed beyond the bounds of academic freedom with your personal opinions that were offensive to many individuals in the classroom,’ school officials informed him in a letter.

Varkey was informed that he was not scheduled to teach in the spring and that he wouldn’t have any further teaching opportunities at St. Philip’s College.


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