A biology professor at a community college in San Antonio says he was fired for teaching that sex is determined by X and Y chromosomes.
Dr. Johnson Varkey claims he was terminated by St. Philip’s College for “religious preaching” after his lecture about the human reproductive system on Nov. 28, 2022.
Varkey is being represented in a possible wrongful termination lawsuit by conservative law firm The First Liberty Institute.
“The college fired him for teaching basic and widely accepted concepts of biology. We’re asking the college to immediately reinstate Dr. Varkey to his position and clear his record of any wrongdoing,” the law firm said in a statement.
Varkey’s lecture led to four students walking out of the lecture hall. The four students reportedly complained about the professor’s “religious preaching, discriminatory comments about homosexuals and transgender individuals, anti-abortion rhetoric, and misogynistic banter,” First Liberty said.
“In two decades of teaching these basic, unremarkable concepts, no other students complained,” the law firm said, according to The NY Post.
Varkey has taught human anatomy and physiology to more than 1,500 students since 2003, according to First Liberty Institute.
“During Dr. Varkey’s 20-year employment as a biology professor at St. Philip’s College, he consistently received exemplary performance reviews and was never subject to discipline. Throughout that time, he never discussed with any student his personal views — religious or otherwise — on human gender or sexuality.”
The law firm said public colleges and universities can’t fire professors “for teaching actual science. It’s harmful to academic freedom. It’s also harmful to religious liberty, as the college is sending a message that people of faith are not welcome and need not apply.”
First Liberty added: “Dr. Varkey is the latest example of an everyday American who lost his job to a toxic cancel culture that is infecting employers across the country.”
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