A federal court ruled in favor of a group suing an Ohio school district over its pronouns policy on Thursday, as court battles continue to rage over the nation’s culture war.
The decision, issued by the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ruled against the Olentangy Local School District’s pronoun policy, which the court said tried to force students to use biologically incorrect pronouns. The court sided with Defending Education, a nonprofit organization that argued prohibiting students from using gendered language was unconstitutional.
The 10-7 decision struck down the policy that aimed to prevent students from being punished for not using “preferred pronouns” in the school district, which is the fourth largest in Ohio.
### Background of the Case
The court’s opinion noted that a concerned parent of a “devoutly Christian child” had emailed district officials in February 2023, inquiring about the transgender policy. The parent asked whether the child would be forced “to use the pronouns that a transgender child identifies with or be subject to reprimand from the district if they refuse to do so” under the policy.
A response from the District’s legal counsel stated in part:
“A student purposefully referring to another student by using gendered language they know is contrary to the other student’s identity would be an example of discrimination under Board Policy.”
This email exchange ultimately led to the lawsuit brought by Defending Education. The parent who sent the email belonged to the Virginia-based group.
### Reaction and Court Details
Conservatives view the federal appeals court ruling as a major win in the culture war, defending free speech rights and what they describe as “basic biology.”
Thursday’s ruling opposed previous court actions. Earlier, U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley of the Southern District of Ohio in Columbus rejected the lawsuit. Additionally, in July 2024, a three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit upheld Judge Marbley’s decision.
As coverage from the Associated Press highlighted, the judges found in July 2024 “that the school district had sufficiently shown that the speech it sought to prohibit would disrupt classroom instruction.”
However, Judge Eric Murphy’s majority opinion released on Thursday took a different stance, arguing that “the Supreme Court’s cases provide a clear answer” to this case.
“A school district may not restrict personal speech on matters of public concern unless the speech would ‘materially and substantially disrupt’ school activities or infringe the legal ‘rights of others’ in the school community,” Judge Murphy wrote, citing the landmark *Tinker v. Des Moines* case from 1969.
He continued, “In this case’s current posture, the school district has fallen far short of meeting this demanding standard. It introduced no evidence that the use of biological pronouns would disrupt school functions or qualify as harassment under Ohio law.”
The opinion further stated, “Our society continues to debate whether biological pronouns are appropriate or offensive—just as it continues to debate many other issues surrounding transgender rights. The school district may not skew this debate by forcing one side to change the way it conveys its message or by compelling it to express a different view.”
The court ultimately decided to “reverse and remand for the entry of an appropriately tailored preliminary injunction barring the district from punishing students for the commonplace use of biological pronouns.”
The case now returns to Judge Marbley for further proceedings.
### Statements from Key Parties
Sarah Parshall Perry, vice president of Defending Education and former Senior Legal Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, celebrated the decision on X (formerly Twitter). She called Thursday’s ruling “a resounding victory for student speech and parental rights” that was long overdue for families in the school district. Perry expressed excitement that the court’s ruling will benefit others seeking to vindicate their rights in the classroom and beyond.
In response, the Olentangy Local School District released a statement acknowledging the court’s ruling.
“Olentangy Schools remains committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment that facilitates maximum learning for every student,” the statement read. “The court’s decision recognizes that schools can prevent bullying and harassment, including where it takes the form of speech targeting an individual’s gender identity. At the same time, the decision provides protection for certain speech around pronoun usage.”
The district also addressed the ongoing legal process:
“To that end, the court remanded the case to the trial court to appropriately balance students’ speech interests and the district’s interest in protecting all students from bullying and harassment.”
The statement concluded with an emphasis on mutual respect and the importance of free expression:
“Our expectation remains that all students treat one another with dignity and respect. Civil discourse, free expression, and the sharing of differing viewpoints are essential parts of the academic experience, but so is ensuring that students do not face targeted or repeated behavior that creates a hostile or abusive educational environment. We look forward to continuing to participate in the legal process to strike the appropriate balance between protected speech and ensuring protection against bullying and harassment.”
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/11/07/court-delivers-win-in-ohio-for-free-speech-rights-on-pronouns/