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Daily Record
12 hours ago
- General
- Daily Record
Trans teacher buys land in Scotland in bid to be called 'Lord' instead of 'Miss'
'Souvenir plots' can be purchased in remote areas of Scotland, giving owners the chance to become a 'Lord, Lady or Laird'. A US trangender teacher embroiled in a gender naming row bought a piece of land in Scotland in a bid to be called Lord rather than Miss. Toby Tobin, a fifth grade maths and science teacher in Florida, says he was forced to resign from his post after school authorities insisted he use a female title and pronouns. When he originally took a job with the school in 2021, Tobin, who was born female, said he was open about identifying as male and he was previously referred to as Mr Tobin. However in 2023 new laws implemented in Florida stated that when it comes to public schools, a person's sex is an "immutable biological trait and that it is false to ascribe to a person a pronoun that does not correspond to such person's sex." School employees were prohibited from asking students to call them by pronouns not based on their sex at birth and students were not required to use them. In an attempt to get around the ban on calling himself Mr Tobin, the transgender male teacher bought a small plot of Scottish land to secure the title of Lord Toby Tobin. He purchased a four square feet "souvenir plot" on an estate in Fife through a website offering buyers the chance to become a 'Lord, Lady or Laird'. Tobin, 30, says his bid to use the title was rejected and he has launched a lawsuit against the Pinellas County School District claiming gender discrimination. He said: "After a conversation with the district they said I would have to use only female-specific pronouns and a title. "In response to this I thought 'Okay, I can't be Mr Tobin, why don't I go purchase some land in Scotland and I could become a Lord?'. "So I did make some attempts to combat this in the most gentle way that I could at the time." Tobin also became an ordained minister and a Count of the Principality of Sealand, an offshore platform in the North Sea, in an attempt to avoid using a female title. He added: "After proposing that I be Lord Tobin my administration said 'No' but I did not give up. "I became a minister through the Universal Life Church so I now am Minister Toby Tobin as well as Lord Toby Tobin. "I then found the Principality of Sealand and I became a Count with them which I thought would be hysterical because I taught math. "Count Tobin was also not deemed appropriate for the classroom so I started to realise that if it wasn't Mrs it wasn't going to be it so I was essentially constructively discharged." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Tobin's lawsuit, filed in the US District Court in Florida, states: "Plaintiff attempted to work with the school district by voluntarily obtaining honorifics such as 'lord' by purchasing a tract of land in Scotland. "Plaintiff also obtained the title of 'minister' from the Universal Life Church and 'count' from the Principality of Sealand. "Defendant did not allow Plaintiff to use any titles or pronouns other ones that corresponded to the incorrect gender. Defendants' directives undermined Plaintiff's identity, dignity, and ability to perform his job in a manner consistent with his personal and professional integrity." Lawyers representing school authorities have filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing Tobin's pronoun preference isn't protected speech and the state's interest in upholding the law outweighs his request. A number of companies sell souvenir plots in remote parts of Scotland giving owners the chance to become a Lord or Lady. However purchasers are warned that you "cannot buy a noble title" and use of it is for enjoyment purposes only. A spokesperson for the Pinellas County School District said they do not comment on ongoing legal cases.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Transgender teacher sues Pinellas schools, claims pronoun discrimination
A former Pinellas County schools transgender teacher claims he was forced to resign because of the school district's implementation of Florida's 2023 law restricting the use of preferred pronouns. Toby Tobin last week filed a federal lawsuit alleging the district discriminated against him on the basis of sex, in violation of a recent Supreme Court ruling on federal Title VII guidelines. The suit follows other administrative efforts to find the district violated Tobin's rights by refusing to call him Mr. Tobin after the law took effect. Those steps included a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which was referred to the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. The department showed interest in the case, said Gabe Roberts, Tobin's lawyer with the Scott Law Team. 'However, after the election (of President Donald Trump), that interest went away.' The department granted Tobin the right to pursue a civil lawsuit. Though now living with his family outside Florida and working without such limitations, Tobin said he felt compelled to fight the law. 'I can either just stay quiet and just let it happen, or I can show my son there's always another way, there's always another option,' said Tobin, who worked as a fifth-grade math and science teacher at Cross Bayou Elementary for two years. 'You don't just give up.' A spokesperson for the school district said the district does not comment on pending litigation. Other agencies listed as defendants, including the Florida Department of Education, did not respond to a request for comment. Tobin's case is another in a string of disputes that have arisen because of the hotly debated law. Earlier this month, a Brevard County teacher made headlines after she lost her job over using a student's preferred pronouns without parental permission. The Southern Poverty Law Center has an active lawsuit challenging the law, also in federal court. When he originally took a job with the school district in 2021, Tobin said he was open about being a transgender male. 'I was hired as Mr. Tobin,' he said. 'They had no problem with it.' Only after the Legislature adopted the law on pronouns did trouble arise. The law stated that when it comes to public schools, a person's sex is an 'immutable biological trait and that it is false to ascribe to a person a pronoun that does not correspond to such person's sex.' School employees were prohibited from asking students to call them by such pronouns, and students were not to be required to use them. The State Board of Education then updated its rules to make violation of that law subject to discipline under the educators' Principles of Professional Conduct. Anticipating how the school district would react, Tobin took several steps to avoid using 'Mr.' while not being forced to misgender himself as 'Ms.' He purchased a plot of land in Scotland to take on the title of 'Lord.' The district said he couldn't be referred to as Lord Tobin. He became a minister of the Universal Life Church, and made a donation to the Principality of Sealand to become a count. 'I teach math and science, and I'd be Count Tobin,' he said. 'The district said, 'This is not appropriate. You have to be Ms. Tobin.'' With his son attending school at Cross Bayou in Pinellas Park, and having just bought a home a year earlier, Tobin, 30, had planned to settle down in the community where he had so many close relationships. But it became clear, he said, that the state laws had created a situation where he could not be himself and keep his job. 'Effectively I was forced out,' said Tobin, who worked until July 1, 2023 — the day the pronoun rule became law. 'As sole provider for my family, we wound up having to flee Florida.' Roberts said he expected the district and state to ask the judge to dismiss the case, on the basis that the law is legal. 'Obviously we disagree with that,' he said. 'We expect to prevail on the litigation for the simple reason that what schools are doing to teachers like Toby is against federal law.' He pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court's 2020 ruling of Bostock vs. Clayton County, in which a six-justice majority penned by Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, determined it to be a violation of Title VII if an employer 'intentionally penalizes an employee for being homosexual or transgender.' Roberts also argued that the law violates free speech and privacy rights. In the aftermath of leaving his job, Tobin wrote a self-published children's book, 'Call Me Mr. Tobin,' to let his students know why he left. He said he didn't emphasize the gender issues as much as encourage the children to use their problem solving skills and remain true to themselves. That's all he said he was doing while in the classroom. 'Transgender people such as myself are not teaching gender ideology in the classroom,' Tobin said.
