A Florida high school teacher has lost her job simply for calling a student by their chosen name.
Melissa Calhoun, a teacher at Satellite High School in Brevard County, was denied a contract renewal for the 2025-2026 school year after allegedly calling a student by their preferred name without their parent's permission. She is believed to be the first fired for refusing to comply with the state's forced outing policy.
District officials were notified by a parent that Calhoun had called their child by their preferred name, Brevard Public Schools Spokesperson Janet Murnaghan told FLORIDA TODAY, though they did not provide further details. Calhoun allegedly told officials that she "knowingly did not comply with state statute," and was issued a letter of reprimand.
"BPS supports parents’ rights to be the primary decision-makers in their children’s lives, and Florida law affirms their right to be informed," Murnaghan wrote.
House Bill 1069, passed in 2023, prohibits all employees and contractors of public K-12 schools from using their preferred titles or pronouns if those “do not correspond to their sex.” For students, the state Board of Education requires that their parents sign a "Parental Authroization for Deviation from Student's Legal Name Form" before they may be called by a name or pronouns — even a nickname — different from what is in their records.
The bill has been criticized for forcefully outing students — revealing their LGBTQ+ identities without their consent. LGBTQ+ minors who experience forced outing are more likely to develop depression, as well as face less support from their families, according to a study from the University of Connecticut.
Dozens of parents and students attended a school board meeting Tuesday to speak in support of Calhoun. A petition launched online to "save Ms. Calhoun's job" has received over 10,000 signatures, with its issue statement emphasizing that "Ms. Calhoun is an embodiment of what proper education should be: inclusive, understanding, and respectful of individuality. Losing her would be a significant loss to Brevard County's education community."
One signatory, a former student named Lily, commented: "I was a student under Mrs Calhoun for 2 years, she was always a safe place to go for anyone having trouble. Mrs Calhoun is compassionate, always there to listen, and it absolutely crushed me when I heard the news. This is completely unacceptable and a step backwards in history, I fully support the reinstatement of Mrs Calhoun."
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