This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A college in San Antonio, Texas, is being warned to resolve a fight outside of court after it fired a biology professor for teaching biology.
Otherwise, according to officials with First Liberty, they have the option, should the professor desire, to be "seeking redress in federal court" against the "responsible parties."
The letter from First Liberty went to St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas, on behalf of Johnson Varkey, a former adjunct professor.
It demands his reinstatement to the San Antonio public community college, which "fired him for teaching standard principles about human biology and reproduction."
"It is preposterous that, after teaching for more than 20 years, St. Philips would fire Dr. Varkey for teaching basic, widely accepted biology," explained Keisha Russell, counsel for First Liberty Institute.
"Dr. Varkey received exemplary performance reviews for twenty years, teaching fact-based, widely accepted science. But now that cultural elites are at odds with these ideas, the school no longer supports professors who teach them. The college violated Dr. Varkey’s constitutional and statutory rights when it fired him, and it must reinstate him immediately."
The legal team explained Varkey has taught Human Anatomy and Physiology to more than 1,500 students since 2003.
But recently he was accused, falsely according to his legal team, of "religious preaching, discriminatory comments about homosexuals and transgender individuals, anti-abortion rhetoric, and misogynistic banter."
Those claims are false, the legal team said, because he "never" has mentioned his religious beliefs in class. "Thus, the allegation that he conducted 'religious preaching' is unsubstantiated."
The letter seeks his reinstatement and more.
The fight erupted last November when Varkey's students walked out of his class when he explained, consistent with science, that sex was determined by chromosomes X and Y.
"In two decades of teaching these basic, scientific concepts, no other students ever complained. But on January 27, 2023, Dr. Varkey received a Notice of Discipline and Termination of Employment and Contract letter stating that the school 'received numerous complaints" about the science he was teaching, the institute reported.
The letter accuses the school and its officials of violating the Free Speech Clause, the Free Exercise Clause, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and more.
In fact, it explains he was teaching on a matter of public concern, with a clear academic purpose, using standard principles about human life, but was "stymied" in his efforts to support the free exchange of ideas.
"Dr. Varkey is confident this matter can be resolved without resorting to legal action. He asks that St. Philip's College reinstate him to his prior position as adjunct professor so that he can resume teaching students this fall and that other professors and employees of the Alamo Colleges District be spared from experiencing similar discrimination."
Otherwise, there is the option of "seeking redress in federal court."
