AKRON, Ohio (LifeSiteNews) — A Christian public school teacher filed a federal lawsuit against her former employer after it forced her out for refusing to support gender-confused children in their “social transition” by using their chosen pronouns and names.

Defendants in the First Amendment lawsuit include Jackson Local School District, Principal Kacy Carter, Superintendent Christopher DiLoreto, and Monica Myers, the curriculum director.

Yet, Vivian Geraghty appeared to follow the same policy that Principal Carter himself stated he followed – to avoid using someone’s pronouns if it conflicted with their actual sex.

The firing of the Christian teacher came after two students asked Geraghty to endorse their gender confusion by using “by using names associated with their new gender identities rather than their legal names.”

“One student also asked to be referenced with pronouns inconsistent with the student’s sex,” the lawsuit stated.

When the teacher asked Principal Carter how to handle this situation, the principal himself said “his own practice was to refrain from using any pronouns to refer to students who express gender identities inconsistent with their sex.” The lawsuit also noted that Carter “was initially unable to tell Ms. Geraghty exactly what her obligations were.”

Myers, the curriculum and instruction director for the district, soon after joined Carter and Geraghty in a meeting. Myers told the teacher she must “set [her] religious convictions aside,” and then Principal Carter order her to write up a resignation letter, effectively firing her.

The defendants “continue to maintain a Policy requiring teachers to participate in the ‘social transition’ of students who express a ‘gender identity’ inconsistent with their sex by using names and pronouns consistent with the ‘gender identity’ and inconsistent with the students’ legal name and sex,” according to the lawsuits. Myers and Carter effectively fired Geraghty by forcing her to resign over her decision to not comply with the policy due to her religious beliefs.

“Ms. Geraghty’s faith teaches her that God immutably creates each person as male or female; these two distinct, complementary sexes reflect the image of God,” attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom argued in their lawsuit for the public school teacher. Geraghty also believes that “rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.”

“Ms. Geraghty also believes she cannot affirm as true those ideas and concepts that she believes are not true,” the lawsuit states. “Doing so, she believes, would violate biblical commands against dishonesty and lying.”

The English teacher objects to supporting students who are still developing in beginning the process of embracing gender ideology and transgenderism. She opposes “social transition” efforts and does not believe it is honest to refer to a female student with male pronouns nor a male student with female pronouns, the lawsuit states.

READ: Christian professor wins lawsuit over forced pronoun use

“No school official can force a teacher to set her religious beliefs aside in order to keep her job,” ADF attorney Logan Spena wrote in a news release. “The school tried to force Vivian to recite as true the school’s viewpoint on issues that go to the foundation of morality and human identity, like what makes us male or female, by ordering her to personally participate in the social transition of her students.”

“The First Amendment prohibits that abuse of power,” Spena said. “Jackson Local School District officials nonetheless forced Vivian to resign because she resisted this unconstitutional command and explained that it was her Christian faith that made her unable to participate in her students’ social transition.”

District says it will ‘vigorously defend’ itself against lawsuit

District spokesman Todd Porter responded to media inquiries sent to Myers, Carter, and DiLoreto with a copy of a message sent to the school community.

“This district always will strive to provide a safe, comfortable environment for all of ournearly 6,000 students in which to learn,” the statement from school board president Christopher Goff said. “We have engaged legal counsel and we will have no further comment on pending litigation.”

The district continued on to provide further “context” on the situation and denied it has a “policy” when it comes to transgender students.

“The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has made clear it will enforce Title IX’s ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity,” the message stated. “It also is important to correct some misinformation that is circulating related to this situation. The Jackson Local School District does not have a ‘policy’ regarding our teachers and the gender identity of students.”

“As stated above, our policy is to provide the best, safest learning environment possible for each student in compliance with the law,” the statement continued.

Goff said the district plans to “vigorously defend” itself against the lawsuit.