16 years old, Josh Alexander has been barred from attending school for the remainder of the year due to his assertion that there are only two genders created by God.
Alexander reported to The Epoch Times that the school stated his continued presence would be "harmful to the physical and mental health" of transgender students.
He informed St. Joseph's Catholic High School in Renfrew, Ontario, that he would not purposefully initiate or participate in any conflicts with transgender students, but he would continue to articulate his opinion.
Alexander declared that the perception of an offense depends on the individual being offended. He claimed that when he revealed his religious convictions in class, matters escalated. Alexander denied that he was a bully or engaging in harassment and stressed that he was expressing his beliefs as others had expressed theirs, even though his did not fit the narrative.
Since November, he has been banned from school as a consequence of his organization of a demonstration against transgender students using the girls' bathrooms.
At the start of January, his suspension was eliminated, yet he was instead "excluded" by the principal, which has the same outcome as suspension but is not regarded as disciplinary. This week he was informed that he would be excluded for the remainder of the academic year, and it is uncertain if it will continue into the next school year as well.
James Kitchen, the attorney of Alexander, informed The Epoch Times that the school labeled Alexander's actions as "bullying."
Kitchen commented, Obviously, he doesnt actually bully them as that term would be defined by reasonable people. Hes not going to seek them out and call them names and make fun of them, Kitchen claimed. But he does express his views about what these people say and about what they believe and about what theyre doing. And he expresses them online, and he expresses them in the class.
Alexander is taking action to challenge his suspension and appeal it to a school board panel to determine if it is justified. Along with this, Kitchen stated they will be filing a complaint at a provincial human rights tribunal this month.
The appeal is being held up, however, over the issue of parental independence. Alexander has withdrawn from parental control for the purposes of the appeala legal designation allowed to students 16 and older under certain circumstances.
The school has opposed this, claiming Alexander still resides with his folks and, therefore, cannot be regarded as meeting the definition of that designation.
Kitchen remarked that while the person in question resides with his parents and they have a great bond, he leads his own life as a result of being raised by them to be independent. His parents are still there to offer advice when necessary.
Kitchen and Alexander have asked for a hearing open to the public to be conducted over video conferencing.
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