In November 2022, Dr. Varkey taught the scheduled lesson from his school-approved, assigned textbook. The content and illustrations from the book were projected on the screen describing the process of human reproduction. The union of and combination of the X and Y chromosomes coming from the male and female determine the sex of the zygote, which, without any additional genetic material added, will grow into a fully formed baby—a biological male or female.
In 19 years of teaching these established scientific concepts, no objections were ever raised in class until that day when four students walked out of his class in protest. Two months later, in January 2023, Dr. Varkey received a Notice of Discipline and Termination of Employment and Contract 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” and that his teaching “pushed beyond the bounds of academic freedom with [his] personal opinions that were offensive to many individuals in the classroom.”
Without any opportunity to discuss the situation with the college administration or the students who complained, Dr. Varkey was fired after only receiving an email. It is preposterous that, after teaching for more than 20 years, St. Philip’s College would fire Dr. Varkey for teaching basic, widely accepted concepts of biology from the textbook assigned to him.
On the weekends, Dr. Varkey is an associate pastor at a local church in the San Antonio area. The biology he teaches aligns with what he believes is taught in the Bible regarding the continuation of the human population. The Bible affirms what biology explains. But Dr. Varkey never preached or discussed his religious beliefs in class.
When the facts of the human reproductive system are rejected because they are out of sync with popular opinion or because someone stereotypes them as religious preaching, science has become irrelevant. Academic freedom is important because without civil discourse or the free exchange of ideas within a classroom, freedom of thought is destroyed.
The law prevents Americans from being punished by their employers for holding or expressing their religious beliefs. The college is sending a message that the facts of science don’t matter, and that religious people are not welcome and need not apply.
First Liberty Institute is fighting for the reinstatement of Dr. Varkey to his teaching position so that he can continue to teach young students the marvels of biology.
In July 2023, First Liberty filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) against St. Philip’s College on behalf of Dr. Varkey.
“No college professor should be fired for teaching factual concepts that a handful of students don’t want to hear,” said Kayla Toney, Counsel for First Liberty Institute. “Dr. Varkey received exemplary performance reviews for nearly two decades, teaching fact-based, widely accepted science. But now that cultural elites are at odds with these ideas, the school no longer supports professors who teach them. It is a blatant violation of state and federal civil rights laws to discriminate against someone because of their religious beliefs.”
News Release
For Immediate Release: 7.25.23
Contact: John Manning, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
Texas Professor Fired for Teaching Biology Files EEOC Charge
First Liberty Institute asked college for reinstatement or face a federal lawsuit for religious discrimination.
San Antonio, TX—First Liberty Institute filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) against St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas on behalf of Dr. Johnson Varkey, a former adjunct professor, after the San Antonio public community college fired him for teaching standard principles about human biology and reproduction.
You can read the charge here.
“No college professor should be fired for teaching factual concepts that a handful of students don’t want to hear,” said Keisha Russell, Counsel for First Liberty Institute. “Dr. Varkey received exemplary performance reviews for nearly two decades, teaching fact-based, widely accepted science. But now that cultural elites are at odds with these ideas, the school no longer supports professors who teach them. It is a blatant violation of state and federal civil rights laws to discriminate against someone because of their religious beliefs.”
In his role as an adjunct professor, Dr. Varkey taught Human Anatomy and Physiology to more than 1,500 students since 2004. During Dr. Varkey’s twenty-year employment as a biology professor at St. Philip’s College, he received positive student feedback and was never disciplined.
In November 2022, a handful of Dr. Varkey’s students walked out of his class when he stated, consistent with his study of human biology, that sex was determined by chromosomes X and Y. In two decades of teaching these basic, scientific concepts, no other students ever complained. But on January 27, 2023, Dr. Varkey received a Notice of Discipline and Termination of Employment and Contract 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” and that his teaching “pushed beyond the bounds of academic freedom with [his] personal opinions that were offensive to many individuals in the classroom.” Dr. Varkey taught from school-approved and science-based curriculum, but the college claims his teaching was religious.
In the EEOC charge, Dr. Varkey states, “St. Philip’s College engaged in disparate treatment that violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act when it terminated me because of my sincerely held religious beliefs and protected speech. The only reason the College gave for firing me was the student complaint(s) of ‘religious preaching, discriminatory comments about homosexuals and transgender individuals, antiabortion rhetoric, and misogynistic banter.’ Ex D. While I never preached or proselytized in class, the accusation of religious preaching was clearly in connection with the fact that I serve as an associate pastor. I would mention this by way of introduction at the beginning of each semester, so my students were aware. The College assumed I was preaching rather than teaching due to negative, discriminatory stereotypes about Christians. This perception was inaccurate and discriminatory.”
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About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm and the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact John Manning at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453.
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CASE SUMMARY
PRESS RELEASES
LEGAL DOCUMENTS
PHOTOS AND VIDEO