California teacher who says she was fired for refusing to recognize students’ transgender identities files lawsuit

Jessica Tapia, who has appeared on Fox News among other media outlets, said in the news release: “My story is not just mine. It is the story of every teacher of moral and faith. It is the story of every parent whose first priority is protecting their children.”

The Jurupa Unified School District violated a high school gym teacher’s Christian beliefs after firing her for refusing to follow policies recognizing students’ transgender identities, a new lawsuit alleges.

Jessica Tapia’s suit, filed Wednesday, May 3 in federal court, seeks damages for what her lawyers argue is the district’s violation of her First Amendment and civil rights. Tapia was fired in January, the lawsuit states.

“People of faith should be allowed to maintain their personal beliefs without fear of losing their job,” Mariah Gondeiro, vice president and legal counsel for Advocates for Faith & Freedom, the Murrieta law firm handling Tapia’s case, said in a news release.

Tapia “was not dismissed for any wrongdoing, rather, she was dismissed for her Christian beliefs,” Gondeiro said. “ … We need more educators like her who grasp the fact that parents are partners and the final arbiters of their children, not obstacles to work around.”

Tapia, who has appeared on Fox News among other media outlets, said in the news release: “My story is not just mine. It is the story of every teacher of moral and faith. It is the story of every parent whose first priority is protecting their children.”

The district has not been served with the lawsuit and “will defend against any lawsuit filed,” district spokesperson Jacqueline Paul said via email.

Paul also referred to a district statement issued in March.

“The Jurupa Unified School District is committed to providing all students and staff with a discrimination and harassment-free learning environment and respects the religious beliefs of its students and staff,” the statement read.

“The District’s actions are always rooted in state and federal law(s)” that guarantee students a discrimination-free environment and “the right to use facilities consistent with their gender identity, regardless of the gender listed on their records,” the statement read, adding that the U.S. Constitution protects students’ and staffs’ right to privacy.

According to the 31-page lawsuit, Tapia attended Jurupa Valley High School and had been a district employee in various capacities since 2014 before becoming the high school’s only female physical education teacher in 2021.

Tapia believes God “created two sexes: male and female” and while she believes “all students, regardless of sexual orientation, race, or gender, should be treated with respect, kindness, and love … her faith precludes her from endorsing policies that cause her to reject her faith, such as facilitating a student’s gender transition or withholding information about it from the student’s parents,” the lawsuit read.

Performance reviews consistently gave Tapia high marks, and while she shared Bible verses and “her religious beliefs regarding cultural issues” on her personal social media, she never identified herself as a district employee, nor did she share her beliefs in class, according to the lawsuit.

Problems started with two days left in the 2021-22 school year, when Tapia was placed on paid administrative leave after “some issues had been brought to the District’s attention regarding her personal social media posts,” the lawsuit states.

Last July, the district “sent Ms. Tapia numerous, unfounded allegations,” accusing her of writing bigoted social media posts, “proselytizing during P.E. class” and not referring to students by their preferred pronouns even though no student asked her to, the lawsuit alleged.

To keep her job, the district ordered Tapia to withhold students’ transgender identities from parents, refer to students by their preferred gender pronouns to refrain from sharing her faith and opinions on social media and discussing religious beliefs with students, the lawsuit states.

These orders “caused Ms. Tapia to suffer severe mental and emotional anguish because she was torn between agreeing to conditions that caused her to violate her religious beliefs or losing the job she worked her entire life for,” the lawsuit added.

The district refused to accommodate Tapia’s religious beliefs before firing her, according to the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages.

Tapia spoke at a March news conference outside Jurupa Valley High School in which Inland Republican Assemblymember Bill Essayli announced his sponsorship of AB 1314, a bill that would require California schools to tell parents if their child identifies as transgender.

LGBTQ advocates said the bill endangers students whose parents might react violently if their child comes out as transgender. AB 1314 failed to get a hearing in the Assembly’s Education Committee in April.