Non-Binary FL Teacher Fired For Using Gender-Neutral ‘Mx.’ Title

FLORIDA — A non-binary physics teacher for Florida Virtual School, an online public school program in the state, was fired last month for using the gender-neutral title “Mx.” rather than “Ms.” or “Mr.” in school-related emails and communications, according to multiple reports.

AV Vary told NBC News that the pronouns they use and their birth-assigned sex have no connection to how they teach students.

“They are so far from related,” they said. “Getting fired for this, it’s absolute garbage.”

Vary told their principal about their choice of pronouns, they/them, and the use of “Mx.”

“I talked to my principal about it at first, I let him know that I was doing it. And, he didn’t say anything at first, and then about a month later he told me he needed me to change it,” they told WMNF.

When suggesting other titles they could use, “I was told that professor was not okay, Dr. was not okay for me because I didn’t have a Ph.D., but there are lots of people at FLVS who do use Dr., which, coincidentally, is also in violation of the same law I got disciplined for.”

The school told Vary that the use of “Mx.” violated the recent expansion of what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which limits how gender and sexuality are discussed in the classroom.

“As a Florida public school, FLVS is obligated to follow Florida laws and regulations pertaining to public education. This includes laws such as section 1000.071(3) of the Florida Statutes pertaining to the use of Personal Titles and Pronouns within Florida’s public school system," FLVS told USA Today in a statement.

Vary recently filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. They claim FLVS discriminated against them based on gender identity, which violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, reports said.