A complaint against an Ontario teacher who did not use preferred gender pronouns in the classroom will not result in disciplinary action. .The man, unidentified in a press release, was “cautioned” by professional regulators, though was able to keep his teaching certificate. .In a statement released by The Democracy Fund (TDF), a Canadian non-profit organization that defended the teacher, it was revealed though the teacher had “decades” of experience, was “well-received” among the students and his peers and was “practiced in teaching students from different cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds,” he almost lost his teaching licence. .TDF said “tension” arose when the teacher in question received “convoluted guidance and rules by the school board regarding the use of trans students' pronouns.” .“In an attempt to resolve this tension, it was alleged that our client ran afoul of the school's pronoun rules,” the release states. “TDF took the position that our client did not breach the school's pronoun rules.".“After correspondence with TDF and review by the investigation committee, our client's professional regulator decided only to issue an oral caution to our client. Our client is now free to resume his profession.”.Mark Joseph, senior litigation counsel for TDF, said this type of case was becoming more prevalent. ."We've recently seen a move by regulatory bodies for doctors, nurses, psychologists and lawyers to scrutinize and overly police the speech of their members,” he said. “This is worrying to those of us who value professional independence and free speech.
