Distinctions Are Important in Fired Trans Teacher's Dispute
Filed by: Mercedes Allen
April 11, 2011 8:30 AM
http://www.bilerico.com/2011/04/distinctions_are_important_in_fired_trans_teachers.phpIt's not unusual for parties in a legal dispute to seek a non-disclosure agreement, in which the dollar amount or specific terms of an agreement are not for discussion. That kind of non-disclosure agreement was not what the Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division (GSACRD) sought when making an offer to Jan Lukas Buterman, the substitute teacher in the Edmonton area who was fired because he was undergoing a transition to male.
Under the terms that GSACRD sought, Buterman would not be able to acknowledge that the discrimination ever happened and could be held in violation of the terms of the settlement if it were perceived that he spoke about the incident at all - it's not clear what this might mean if portions of old interviews surfaced. After all, it is relevant in his work as the current Chair of the Trans Equality Society of Alberta (TESA), an advocacy organization that involves itself in issues that include employment rights. (Full disclosure: this writer is also a board member of TESA).
