A teacher at a school in central Sweden refused to refer to a non-binary student with the Swedish gender-neutral pronoun “hen” for at least one semester, despite the student’s guardians informing both the teacher and a teaching assistant of the student’s correct pronouns.

The teacher stated that she could not use the word “hen” in speech, after which the student’s guardians informed the headteacher of the student’s gender identity and the teacher’s refusal to call the student by the correct pronouns. Despite the headteacher promising to speak to the teacher, the student was called by the wrong pronouns for at least one full school term.

It’s used in the same way as hon and han in contexts where the speaker or writer would otherwise need an alternative phrasing such as hon eller han or kunden/studenten (the customer/student). An English-language equivalent is single-person “they”, and there’s an even closer equivalent in Finnish: hän, which has been used in this way since the 16th century and even features in the earliest printed book in the language.

• SEE ALSO: Hen: What a three-letter word tells us about Swedish culture

Now, the Equality Ombudsman (DO) has investigated the case, and determined that the student was subject to discrimination, requesting that the educational provider pay 150,000 kronor in damages. If it declines to do so, DO said it would take the matter to court.

The educational provider told DO that the student was discriminated against and that the situation went on for too long.

In Sweden, the educational provider – the individual or organisation in charge of running the school – is considered legally responsible for discriminatory actions carried out by a representatitve of the school, such as a teacher.

An educational provider who finds out that a student believes that they have been subject to harassment must investigate the incident as soon as possible and take appropriate mesasures to stop harassment from re-occuring in the future.

“A situation where a teacher consciously refuses to use the pronouns a student identifies with represents a serious form of harrassment and something a headteacher must put a stop to. In school, all students should feel safe and respected and not be subject to discrimination. It’s especially important that teachers reflect these values,” Isabelle Arsova from DO said in a press statement.

The teacher who repeatedly refused to use the student’s pronouns was later fired by the school.

Edited to clarify that the matter has not yet been to court.