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Human Rights Commission finds ‘no reasonable grounds’ to believe Hammer violated anti-discrimination laws

University of Southern Maine Professor Christy Hammer is not responsible for any misconduct after she faced criticism for stating that there are only two sexes, the Maine Human Rights Commission declared recently.

The MHRC published a report stating that the university and Hammer did not violate Maine’s anti-discrimination laws, following a formal complaint from Elizabeth Leibiger, a student who identifies as non-binary, the Maine Wire reported.

While the report was written in August, the Maine Wire released the details this week. The College Fix reached out to the MHRC for a copy of the report via email and phone call but did not hear back.

Leibiger accused the professor of creating a hostile environment in the classroom by her “affirmation of binary biological sex,” and by accidentally referring to Leibiger as “she” instead of “he,” the outlet reported.

“There are No Reasonable Grounds to believe that the University of Southern Maine discriminated against Elizabeth Leibiger on the basis of gender identity,” MHRC investigator Colin Hurd stated in the report.

Further, “[t]here are No Reasonable Grounds to believe that Christy Hammer interfered with Elizabeth Leibiger’s right to be free of discrimination based on gender identity; and the complaint should be dismissed,” Hurd stated.

“Biologists are canceled if they don’t admit that there’s a sex spectrum, there’s some gradations between male and female. And as one biologist said, there are people that are born with nine fingers and people that are born with 11, but we don’t say the number of fingers is a spectrum,” Hammer told the Maine Wire.

In September 2022, Hammer told her education class she believes “only male and female biological sexes exist,” The College Fix previously reported.

The class engaged in a heated debate about gender and biological sex, with the majority of the students arguing that both are on a spectrum. Multiple students left the classroom in protest.

Subsequently, most of the class requested a restorative justice meeting with Hammer through a letter to the Department of Education and Human Development.

During the three-hour meeting, students tried to “force her to retract her statement that there are only two sexes” and “berat[ed] her for refusing to announce her preferred pronouns,” the Maine Wire reported.

The school did not replace Hammer, despite Leibiger’s request. However it did “allegedly try to force her to declare her pronouns and change the way she discusses sexual distinctions in class,” the outlet reported.

Now, the professor is looking for a lawyer to represent her as she tries to sue the school for allegedly violating her freedom of speech, the Wire reported.

MORE: Texas professor fired after teaching sex is determined by chromosomes

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