Texas Prof. Fired for Teaching X,Y Chromosomes Dictate Sex

Prof. Johnson Varkey, who taught biology at St. Philip's College in San Antonio for 20 years, claimed he was fired for "religious preaching" after he gave a lesson about how sex is determined by X and Y chromosomes, the New York Post reported on Tuesday.

"The college fired him for teaching basic and widely accepted concepts of biology," the First Liberty Institute, a Texas-based nonprofit Christian conservative law firm, wrote in a statement. "We're asking the college to immediately reinstate Dr. Varkey to his position and clear his record of any wrongdoing."

The institute stressed that "during Dr. Varkey's 20-year employment as a biology professor at St. Philip's College, he consistently received exemplary performance reviews and was never subject to discipline. Throughout that time, he never discussed with any student his personal views — religious or otherwise — on human gender or sexuality."

The First Liberty Institute added that Varkey "stated, consistent with his study of human biology and religious beliefs, sex was determined by chromosomes X and Y. In two decades of teaching these basic, unremarkable concepts, no other students complained."

Last November, four students walked out of his class during a lecture on these concepts.

However, according to the Daily Mail, college officials told Varkey in a letter that "while some of the subject matter may be connected to class content, it was very clear, from the complaints, that you pushed beyond the bounds of academic freedom with your personal opinions that were offensive to many individuals in the classroom."

Last January, Varkey received a termination letter stating that the school "received numerous complaints" about his "religious preaching, discriminatory comments about homosexuals and transgender individuals, anti-abortion rhetoric, and misogynistic banter," First Liberty said.

First Liberty also reacted to the fact that Varkey was described as "a devout Christian" who volunteers as an associate pastor at his church and hosts a Bible-teaching radio ministry.

"Like millions of religious Americans, Dr. Varkey has a sincerely held belief that God created humankind male and female," First Liberty said. "His faith teaches that one's sex is ordained by God, that one should love and care for the body that God gave him or her, and that one should not attempt to erase or alter his or her sex, whether through drugs or surgical means."

First Liberty accused the college of violating multiple laws that protect Americans from being punished for holding or expressing their religious beliefs.

The institute stressed in its letter that "Dr. Varkey is confident this matter can be resolved without resort to legal action. He asks that St. Philip's College reinstate him to his prior position as adjunct professor so that he can resume teaching students this fall, and that other professors and employees of the Alamo Colleges District be spared from experiencing similar discrimination."

First Liberty added that public universities cannot fire professors "for teaching actual science. It's harmful to academic freedom. It's also harmful to religious liberty, as the college is sending a message that people of faith are not welcome and need not apply."

The institute also emphasized that "Dr. Varkey is the latest example of an everyday American who lost his job to a toxic cancel culture that is infecting employers across the country."