Enoch Burke was arrested by Irish police at Wilson’s Hospital School in County Westmeath today on Monday refusing to abide by a court order instructing him to stay away.
The school board had dismissed Burke from his post after a dispute over his refusal to recognise a transgender student’s new identity.
Burke was brought to the High Court in Dublin on Monday evening, where a judge ruled that he was in breach of the existing court order, and was to be returned to Mountjoy Prison.
Burke accused the court of denying him his religious rights, which included his belief in two genders, male and female. “This is a mockery of justice,” he told the judge.
He can do his job while failing to understand or accept what a transgender student of his is going through, as long as he, you know, does his job, in which the act of respecting and protecting the rights of his students is a core requirement. Creating an environment where the student feels safe and accepted is base level requirement for being a teacher. Choosing to actively disrespect a student when they’re only asking for a completely reasonable, socially accepted courtesy is strictly not doing his job.
It is no one’s “religious right” to create a hostile environment for another, and to do so targeting a minor is abuse. It’s no wonder he was barred from the school.