Latest news and developments in the national debate over gender ideology:
Free Speech Victory in Indiana School Case: An Indiana school district will pay nearly $200K after firing counselor Sally McCord for opposing a gender identity policy implemented without parental consent or transparency.
Tennessee Establishes “Nuclear Family Month”: Gov. Bill Lee signed a resolution designating June as “Nuclear Family Month,” a symbolic measure highlighting the importance of the traditional family structure alongside national recognition of Pride Month.
Montana Court Allows Gender Identity on Biological Markers: The Montana Supreme Court upheld a ruling allowing individuals to update sex markers on identity documents, underscoring ongoing legal debates over sex-based policies and privacy concerns.
ACPeds Lends Expertise in a Lawsuit: Dr. Michelle Cretella and Dr. Quentin Van Meter submitted an expert report for Doctors for Life International supporting a private school’s right to maintain sex-specific policies, as part of a broader legal case that could influence whether schools nationwide are required to adopt gender identity–based standards.
Sincerely,
The Biological Integrity Team
The American College of Pediatricians
Indiana School District Pays $200K After Firing a Teacher for Speaking Up Against Gender Ideology
An Indiana school district will pay nearly $200,000 to settle a lawsuit after firing school counselor Sally McCord for raising concerns about its gender identity policy. in 2021, the district had implemented “Gender Support Plans” without parental consent or notification—and without public input or even posting the policy online.
The settlement marks a significant free speech and parental rights victory, affirming that educators cannot be forced to comply with directives that exclude parents or punished for objecting to ideological policies. ACPeds supports courageous individuals like Sally, who are not afraid to speak up.
Tennessee Designates June as “Nuclear Family Month”
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a resolution designating June as “Nuclear Family Month,” emphasizing the traditional family structure of a married mother and father with children.
The measure, passed by the House, is a symbolic designation (not law) that highlights the state’s support for the nuclear family while June continues to be nationally recognized as Pride Month.
ACPeds applauds this resolution, emphasizing the importance of a child having a stable family with a mother and a father. Evidence shows that a healthy family structure is one of the best ways to protect children’s physical and mental health; the absence of such stability is often associated with higher rates of mental health challenges and sex-identity distress. To learn more, read ACPeds position paper, Marriage and The Family.
Montana Court Allows Biological Markers to Reflect Gender Identity
Last Tuesday, the Montana Supreme Court upheld a lower court order blocking a state policy that prevented residents who self-identified as the opposite sex from updating the sex marker on their identity documents. The court decided that the policy “violated” the state constitution by discriminating on the basis of sex.
While Montana passed a bill in 2023 that protects minors from harmful sex-rejecting interventions, this ruling will continue to allow adult individuals to self-identify as the opposite sex and change their documents accordingly, raising concerns about privacy and safety in shared spaces.
This reflects an ongoing debate over biological integrity and policy approaches that continues to vary from state to state.
ACPeds Lends Expertise to Doctors for Life in South African Lawsuit
Last Friday, Dr. Michelle Cretella and Dr. Quentin Van Meter, Chairs of ACPeds Sexual Adolescence Committee, sent an expert report to lawyers at Doctors for Life International regarding the harms of sex-rejecting interventions.
This report will be included as part of their amicus brief supporting a private high school embroiled in a lawsuit. If the school loses, this lawsuit and a companion case against an elementary school, could require all schools nationwide to teach and uphold gender ideology. A former student who is male sued the high school, claiming that the school’s failure to affirm him as female constituted unjust discrimination and caused mental harm. Doctors for Life International received authorization to submit an amicus brief supporting the private high school’s right to require all students to abide by sex-specific dress codes and sex-specific rules regarding private spaces, sports and overnight field trips.
They requested Dr. Cretella and Dr. Van Meter to present medical evidence countering the claim that sex-rejecting interventions are helpful and save lives. The Court requested a particular focus on the alleged benefits or harms of social affirmation of trans-identities. We will report more on the case and share a link to the report once the Amicus Brief is public.
