"Secret Lesbian Sex Threesomes" Libel Lawsuit Against Kentucky 2022 Teacher of the Year

Here’s the exchange, from defendant’s declaration in Hart v. Carver (D. Md.):

And here’s the defendant’s account of the facts (which is considerably more detail than the account in the plaintiffs’ Complaint):

I was a classroom teacher in Kentucky from 2013 through 2022, and was the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year. I am openly gay and left teaching due to the discrimination that I faced in the school system, including ultimately being publicly accused of “grooming” children simply because I advised a student-run LGBTQ+ group, “Open Light.”

I now work at the University of Kentucky, where I am finishing a Masters in Fine Arts at the University of Kentucky. I am also an author and have published poetry. My recent book, Gay Poems for Red States, a memoir in narrative poetry, was published by the University Press of Kentucky. Among other awards, it has been named Stonewall Award Winner, a 2024 Rainbow Award Book, and a Book Riot Best Book of 2023….

When I saw [a] message from “Kit Hart, American Girl,” I looked at her X profile and saw that she was a chapter chair of the Moms for Liberty group. Based on news reports, I am familiar with that group and its recent controversies.

After I was served a copy of the Complaint in this case in Kentucky, I “locked” my Tweet that is the subject of the claims in this case, so that it is no longer visible to the public. As of today, a total of 134 people in the entire world had viewed the Tweet, according to analytics on the X platform. Only 14 of those people “engaged” with it, which means they were interested enough to see the entire chain and replies.

Attached as Exhibit B is a true and correct copy of selected Tweets by “Kit Hart, American Girl,” that I identified that labeled LGBTQ+ individuals and supporters as “groomers” or similar terms.

The Harts sued for libel and invasion of privacy, and Tuesday’s decision by Judge Julie Rubin (D. Md.) in Hart v. Carver … held that the court in Maryland had no jurisdiction over defendant. (Remember, the lawyer’s true superpower is the power to make every case a case about procedure.) The case has now been transferred to the Eastern District of Kentucky, where presumably some day it might reach a merits determination.

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