A Vermont high school snowboard coach is suing after being fired for telling two students that trans women have a competitive advantage over female athletes because of their biology
- David Bloch founded snowboarding at Woodstock Union High School in Vermont
- The lawsuit alleges that he participated in a conversation between two people about a trans snowboarder
- He says he was fired because he noticed biological differences between men and women
A Vermont high school snowboarding coach is suing his previous employers after they fired him for what he said he expressed his views “as a Roman Catholic male” toward transgender athletes.
David Bloch was the founder of the snowboard team at Woodstock Union High School and led the program to great success for over a decade.
The conservative group Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit on his behalf in US District Court on Monday.
The lawsuit alleges that Bloch participated in a conversation between two of his snowboarders about a transgender female snowboarder competing against cisgender women.
It claims he said that people “express themselves differently” but “for biological reasons, males and females have different DNA, which causes males to develop differently.”
David Bloch, a former Vermont high school snowboarding coach, is suing his previous employers after they fired him for what he said he expressed his views “as a Roman Catholic male” toward transgender athletes.
He then added that these biological differences generally give cis men competitive advantages in athletics.
The conversation lasted three minutes, and Bloch assumed nothing was wrong, but the next day, Windsor Central Supervisory Union Superintendent Sherry Sousa fired him for violating the county’s Harassment, Bullying, and Bullying (HHB) guidelines and Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) guidelines when a complaint was filed.
Sousa, the lawsuit states, said Bloch “created an objectively offensive environment and constituted gender identity harassment warranting termination” by using “degrading names.”
Alliance Defending Freedom alleges that Sousa fired Bloch before the investigation was complete and claims that Sousa had a transgender child.
Bloch was the founder of the Woodstock Union High School snowboard team
The lawsuit alleges that Bloch participated in a conversation between two of his female snowboarders regarding a transgender female snowboarder who was competing against cisgender women
They argue that Bloch “engaged in a constitutionally protected activity” and was merely expressing his views as Roman Catholic.
“For more than a decade, Dave has led the Woodstock Union snowboarding program to tremendous success in terms of both athletic achievement and the personal development of snowboarders,” they wrote.
“But because he merely expressed his views that men and women are biologically different and questioned the appropriateness of a teenage boy competing against a teenage girl in an athletic competition, school district officials unconstitutionally discharged him,” added ADF Counsel Mathew Hoffmann.
Sousa and the Windsor Central Supervisory Union Board are among the defendants named in the lawsuit, as well as senior local and state officials.
Windsor Central Supervisory Union Superintendent Sherry Sousa (pictured) fired Bloch for violating the district’s Harassment, Bullying and Bullying (HHB) and Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) policies when a complaint was filed
“The First Amendment ensures that Dave and every other American can freely express their opinions on a matter of deep public concern without penalization of the government.”
Hoffman demands that Bloch get his job back and that the school district and Sousa be warned about “harassment actions” against public employees.
Sousa and the Windsor Central Supervisory Union board have returned requests for comment.