Dr. Johnson Varkey, a respected biology professor with over two decades of experience at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas was fired following a lecture on the human reproductive system that sparked controversy and led to student walkouts.
Varkey, who had covered the topic of sex determination through X and Y chromosomes throughout his career without issue, was taken aback by the ensuing events.
On November 28, 2022, four students walked out of the lecture and later accused Varkey of engaging in “religious preaching,” making “discriminatory comments about homosexuals and transgender individuals,” promoting “anti-abortion rhetoric,” and indulging in “misogynistic banter.”
Responding to these complaints, the college administration terminated Varkey’s employment in January 2023, citing the students’ grievances as the reason for their decision.
The First Liberty Institute, a legal group representing Varkey, swiftly intervened by sending a letter to St. Philip’s College, demanding the professor’s reinstatement. The letter asserted that Varkey’s statements were not only based on his extensive education and experience but also aligned with his deeply held religious beliefs.
It’s crazy that basic biology is now seen as hateful and offensive
Johnson Varkey, a biology professor who has been teaching that sex is determined by chromosomes X & Y for 20 yrs, is fired after 4 students walked out of his classroom at St Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas pic.twitter.com/Xcz9sCNj03— Ronald Kelly (@RonK3l) June 27, 2023
Importantly, it emphasized that Varkey, a devoted Christian and associate pastor at a local church, had never expressed his personal views on human gender or sexuality within the classroom setting.
“The 23rd pair is that determines the sex of a person. So if that 23rd pair of chromosomes are X and X, it is a female and if it’s X and Y, it’s a male,” Varkey said in a statement. “And I mentioned in the class that that’s what makes male and female.”
Varkey’s legal team argued that his termination violated federal and state law, including the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Moreover, the letter contended that Varkey’s statements were protected by his right to free speech and free exercise of religion, as well as his rights under Title VII and the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Concluding their letter, Varkey’s legal representatives requested that St. Philip’s College reinstate him as an Adjunct Professor and acknowledge that his termination had violated federal and state laws.
Furthermore, they set a deadline of July 5, 2023, for the college to provide written assurances of Varkey’s reinstatement and an acknowledgment that his dismissal was not warranted. Should the college fail to meet these demands by the specified deadline, the letter warned that legal action might be pursued.
