Ethics professor sues university, says he was fired over criticism of gender policies

A Christian professor is suing the University of Arizona for allegedly firing him over his public comments on gender policies.

Daniel Grossenbach, who taught ethics as an adjunct instructor from 2020 to 2023, says the university was pressured to terminate his contract in November 2023 after receiving anonymous complaints about his parental rights advocacy in his children's school district. 

According to the lawsuit, Grossenbach, a father of two students at Catalina Foothills School District (CFSD), founded parental rights group SaveCFSD in 2023 to petition the district "concerning its policies and practices of hiding minors' mental health information as a violation of fundamental parental rights."

The group says CFSD distributed gender identity surveys to students and kept lists of students who requested to be called by preferred names and pronouns, without notifying parents.

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The lawsuit says the university fired Grossenbach after receiving anonymous complaints accusing him of leading an "anti-gay hate group," posting anti-LGBTQ content on social media and spreading "misinformation" about CFSD policies. Those complaints alleged his conduct violated the university's nondiscrimination and professional conduct rules.

University officials told Grossenbach his position was being eliminated because of funding for new full-time roles. However, the lawsuit says that shortly after his termination, the school posted other openings for adjunct professors in the ethics department.

Grossenbach told Fox News Digital he filed a public records request after questioning the university's explanation. He says the school withheld documents for 239 days, only releasing them after a legal demand and with heavy redactions. Those records, according to the lawsuit, showed administrators had discussed the anonymous complaints before putting his courses on hold.

"I received a lot of criticism and harassment [outside the university] in response to speaking publicly on controversial public issues," Grossenbach said. "It was unsettling that appears to have led to the department's decision -and disappointing that I wasn't told about these complaints."

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The lawsuit alleges violations of the First and 14th Amendments, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and Arizona's public records law. Grossenbach is seeking reinstatement, back pay, damages for reputational harm and an injunction blocking enforcement of university policies that, he argues, restrict free speech.

"[The University of Arizona's] actions have inflicted irreparable damage to Professor Grossenbach's professional career and reputation, ended his academic pursuit of a doctorate degree, decreased his earning potential, and reduced his income," the lawsuit states. "Further, when Professor Grossenbach was terminated, he lost a potential textbook publishing deal, furthering his financial loss and reputational damage." 

Liberty Counsel attorney Daniel Schmid, who represents Grossenbach, told Fox News Digital the case is about protecting constitutional rights.

"You don't get to fire a professor because he has religious views that he has espoused outside the classroom, in front of a government body, because you didn't like what he had to say or because there were people offended by his comments," he said. "That's a violation of the First Amendment."

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A University of Arizona spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "We will not comment on this pending legal matter."

His lawsuit comes as the Trump administration and school districts nationwide clash over transgender policies. The U.S. Department of Education has launched investigations and threatened to pull funding from several school districts it argues are violating Title IX by keeping policies that allow students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity, rather than their biological sex.