She won.
A substitute teacher in a Virginia school district was reinstated after initially being dismissed due to her Christian views on gender ideology. The teacher, identified as Lindsay Rich by The Daily Signal, was restored to her position following legal intervention by Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit Christian legal organization.
In September 2024, Rich was removed from her assignment just two hours after arriving, and the school board held a closed session to remove her from the personnel list. Her religious beliefs, specifically that God created humans as male and female, conflicted with the school’s policies allowing male students to access female-only facilities. Rich expressed shock at the board’s decision, claiming they violated policy by taking action in a closed session before voting publicly.
Liberty Counsel responded by sending a letter to the district, arguing that Rich’s First Amendment rights, along with protections under Title VII and Virginia law, safeguarded her ability to express her religious and political beliefs outside of her professional role. The letter emphasized that teachers should not be penalized for private speech, regardless of when or where it occurs, and cited additional protections under the Virginia Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Virginia Values Act.
Following the legal challenge, the school district reinstated Rich to the substitute teacher list. Liberty Counsel’s chairman, Mat Staver, applauded the decision, emphasizing that teachers have the right to express their religious beliefs privately without facing consequences from their employer. Rich’s case also prompted local officials and community members to demand greater transparency in the district’s hiring practices.
Virginia Delegate Jason Ballard expressed concern about the incident on social media, noting the district’s need for substitute teachers and questioning whether political views were influencing hiring decisions. He called for the community to be informed about whether applicants’ beliefs were factoring into employment opportunities.