Nonbinary

AV Vary recently taught at Florida Virtual School (FLVS). FLVS is a statewide online public school for kindergarten through 12th grade students. But not anymore. AV Vary was inspired to teach science to kids and help them through the incredible yet often painful process that age can be growing up. They did this for 15 years in Maryland and Florida.

But not anymore. In late October Vary was fired from their job. Vary refused to change the courtesy title used on school materials from “Mx” to something more traditional like “Ms.”, “Mrs.” or “Miss”. AV Vary is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. In fact, AV Vary is not even their real name. They asked to be referred to that for privacy in this article.

Of course, it is Florida and they have passed a slew of laws this past year commonly referred to as the “Don’t say Gay” laws. Pushed through the state Legislature by DeSantis, they are some of the most discriminatory laws in the country. Using this ultra conservative platform as a foundation, DeSantis has entered the race for President of the United States. And he is failing. So much for all of his hatred and ignorance. I am hopeful that the rest of the country will not follow the same path as Florida voters.

FLVS released a statement stating that they needed to follow Florida laws. They referred to section 1000.071(3) that pertains to “the use of Personal Titles and Pronouns within Florida’s public school system.” This is the statute that states that all Florida public schools must observe the understanding that a person’s sex is biological and thus unchangeable. So, a person has no right to identify with a different pronoun.

Vary has said this about what had happened:

“I am a human being…I have feelings and my goals in life are positive ones. I want to see my students be successful in however they define success. Yeah, this is a fight for my rights. But this is also a fight for the kindness, compassion and respect for every individual in the country.”

Well said Mx. Vary! These are things that I have been saying for a while now. We are, all of us, human beings and when we are able to act accordingly, exercise integrity and compassion, then we will have finally made it. No more ignorance, no more fear, and most of all, no more hatred. My hope is that I live to see it.

When Vary’s was terminated science classes at FLVS were already so full that they all had students on a waiting list to attend. In fact, Florida is having trouble finding teachers to fill all of their classrooms. Not surprising as the laws of the state promote exclusion and isolation as opposed to trying to be welcoming and manifest inclusiveness. Why would anyone want to live in a state that suppresses the Black and LGBTQ+ communities? The interesting question is who’s next? Who else will Florida choose to isolate and force out the state? Children with Special Needs and their parents? Where and when will it end?

Over time, Vary learned more about what it means to be nonbinary and it resonated with them, as they do not identify entirely with women’s or men’s social norms. But that is not the only reason. In the face of anti-LGBTQ laws being passed in Florida, Vary wanted to signal to students that they were an ally. This is real courage. Knowing that the consequences will be bad but standing up for a higher ideal in the face of ignorance and discrimination. We need more people lie AV Vary in this country. And we need to take her sacrifice to heart and stand up to these unjust laws in this country.

Of this, they said, “I needed a way for my students’ first impressions of me to be that I was safe, because underrepresented minority communities need people who can protect them, especially when they’re teenagers.”

Vary’s has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and is seeking legal counsel. But that has been a challenge. Lawyers they have spoken to have explained that the case has merit but are afraid that the case would be too big and or expensive to take on. So, they are exploring help from advocacy groups as well.

To this Vary has said, “It would be unrealistic to expect any individual to cover this on their own. But with a community of like-minded individuals who believe in civil rights. I think that we can take it as far as it needs to go.”

Portions of this article taken from Kinsey Crowley of USA Today.