An Irish teacher has been arrested for refusing to address a Transgender student by their preferred gender.
It was gathered that Transgender people have a gender identity or gender expression that differs from the sex that they were assigned at birth.
Some transgender people who desire medical assistance to transition from one sex to another identify as transsexual.
ALSO READ: Art Teacher Criticized For Distracting Students With Her Curvy Shape (Photos)
Enoch Burke, an Irish teacher was arrested yesterday morning, September 5, for breaching a court order not to teach at his Westmeath school, or be physically present there.
The dispute began over his refusal to address a transitioning student as “they” rather than “he”, as requested by the student and their parents in May, and agreed to by the Church of Ireland school.
ALSO READ: Umahi Urges ASUU To Change Strategy In Interest Of Students
Judge Michael Quinn ordered that Enoch Burke be committed to Mountjoy Prison until he agrees to obey an order not to attend or attempt to teach any classes at Wilson’s Hospital School in Co Westmeath.
The school had suspended him from his position as a teacher of History and German.
Moji Delano gathered that the order was granted after the school’s lawyers told the court that Mr Burke was not complying with both the terms of his paid suspension and an ex-parte temporary injunction requiring him to stay away from the school.
The judge said that Mr Burke must remain incarcerated until he purges his contempt and agrees to comply with the injunction secured by the school last week.
After Judge Michael Quinn made his ruling, Mr Burke said: “It is insanity that I will be led from this courtroom to a place of incarceration, but I will not give up my Christian beliefs.”
The judge made the order after Mr Burke told the court that he could not comply with the order, and that he intended to return to the school.
Mr Burke said that his suspension arose over his objection to the school’s direction to staff last May to call “a boy,” as being “a girl” at the school.
Burke said that such a direction was “contrary to scripture” and was against the “ethos of my school and the Church of Ireland“, and something he could never agree to as he does not agree with transgenderism.
He said that agreeing to comply with the court order amounted to a breach of his own morals, ethos and religious views.
