Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is co-leading 17 states in asking a federal appeals court to rule in favor of the religious liberty of a former Brownsburg High School teacher forced to resign because he declined to use the preferred names and pronouns of transgender students — an action that violated the teacher’s sincerely held beliefs.

John Kluge, who taught orchestra, was originally permitted to call all his students by their last names so transgender students would not feel singled out. The school district, however, withdrew its initial approval and insisted Kluge use students’ preferred names and pronouns.

Leveraging the voices of likeminded attorneys general from other states to empower parents, Attorney General Rokita is asking the 7^th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court’s ruling that the school district could not accommodate Kluge’s religious beliefs without experiencing “undue hardship.”

“By addressing all students by their last names, this teacher conscientiously worked to treat everyone equally and respectfully while also staying faithful to his own religious convictions,” Attorney General Rokita said. “But no concession short of full surrender will placate the powerful forces devoted to making sure we all march in lockstep with the transanity agenda.”

In rejecting Kluge’s attempts at a compromise, school leaders cited litigation risks under Title IX and concern for the educational environment. Such concerns, however, should not override the First Amendment’s protection of religious liberty in this case.

“Title IX does not mandate the use of a student’s preferred name or pronoun,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Nor does requiring use of preferred names and pronouns help schools fulfill their academic mission. To the contrary, kicking this teacher to the curb sends students the wrong messages about America’s heritage of respecting religion. And, at a time when teachers are in short supply, this kind of intolerance of faith among faculty members is sure to push additional good teachers out of the classroom.”

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is warning Hoosiers to watch out for scammers soliciting donations for fake charitable causes. Good samaritans started a legitimate fundraising effort to support families of those killed and wounded during the July 13 attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, but scammers have used this tragedy to start their own copycat efforts to lure donors to give money to imposter accounts. 

“These fraudsters appeal to people’s natural sense of compassion and patriotism in order to steal their hard-earned money,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Although most of us are appalled by such vile conduct, this is exactly the way scammers think and operate. They try to take advantage of difficult circumstances for their own personal gain. We want to help good-hearted Hoosiers avoid falling for these schemes.”  

Attorney General Todd Rokita encourages Hoosiers to exercise caution not only in regard to this specific scam but anytime they receive solicitations related to high-profile news events that scammers may attempt to exploit. 

In regard to solicitations involving political figures and causes, caution is especially warranted during an election year when many Hoosiers will receive more emails, phone calls and other communications from political organizations.   

Attorney General Rokita offers the following tips:  

• Slow down. A real charity will accept your donations any day of the week. Take as much time as you need to research and feel confident about the organization before handing over your hard-earned money. 

• Know that it’s OK to ask questions. If the request for a donation is over the phone, the caller should be able to answer critical questions.  

• Know who’s making the request. Don’t assume a request to donate is legitimate because a friend posted it on social media. Your friend might not personally know about the charity or how it spends money.  

• Make sure you are dealing with the real charitable organization. Be leery of year-end appeals from unknown or unfamiliar organizations you receive by phone, mail, email and/or social media.  

• Always donate by credit card rather than cash or other methods. This will ensure you can access the protections available through your credit card company.  

• Research the cause or the organization. Search online for the name of the organization or cause with words like “review,” “scam,” or “complaint.” See if others have had good or bad experiences with the charity. Check out what charity watchdog groups say about that organization.  

• Look up a charity’s report and ratings on these websites:  
• CharityNavigator.org  
• CharityWatch.org  
• Give.org  
• Guidestar.org  

If you ever suspect a scam of any type, file a complaint at indianaconsumer.com or call Attorney General Rokita’s office at 1-800-382-5516.