A former California kindergarten school teacher who cited religious beliefs for her refusal to refer to a 5-year-old transgender student by a preferred pronoun is continuing her fight against the school district by filing a lead to amend in U.S. District Court.

Mirella Ramirez, a Catholic, sued the Oakland Unified School District in 2024 claiming it violated her First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and free exercise of religion.

In May, Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler of the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California dismissed Ramirez’s lawsuit in a 16-page decision. She said teacher’s speech was “not protected,” Courthouse News Service reported.

Read more at Newsmax© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.