Monday, Feb 25, 2013    Text size: 

CHICAGO — A fired guidance counselor whose self-help book discussed the racial differences in women's vaginas filed an appeal today after his case was rebuffed by a federal judge last week.

Bryan Craig, a guidance counselor and girl's basketball coach at Rich Township High School in Chicago, was dismissed in September by the school's Board of Education after he self-published "It's Her Fault."

Craig, who also advises in the book for women to "enter the wonderful world of submissiveness," decided to sue the board over his job loss, claiming it violated his First Amendment right to free speech and retaliated against him for publishing his "It's Her Fault."

But last week U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo dismissed the complaint with prejudice, ruling the book's subject may be a matter of public interest, but it does not rise to the level of a public concern.

Today, Craig filed an appeal with the 7th U.S. District Court of Appeals.

Bucklo wrote in the opinion that while Craig "describes 'It's Her Fault' as a 'self-help' book on relationships, it is actually little more than a lurid account of plaintiff's own sexual preferences and exploits."

"The first two chapters at least superficially discuss the balance of power between men and women in relationships, but by the third chapter plaintiff's narration is focused on his own attraction to women, from ogling a 'sexy young lady' at the mall to working after-hours at a strip club, where he has learned that a stripper's 'mindset is in the right place in order to meet the true potential of the point of this book,'" Bucklo wrote. "Plaintiff then goes on to explain 'PIMP 101,' to urge women to 'enter the wonderful world of submissiveness,' to describe in detail the vaginas of women of different races, and to advise men to cheat and engage in sexual exploits."

Bucklo said that it's simply not enough for Craig to merely assert that because the book addresses relationships between adult men and women, it is a matter of public concern.

"Moreover, plaintiff here has exploited his position as a high school guidance counselor and there is no question that the speech is 'detrimental to the mission and functions of the employer,' including policies regarding discrimination based on gender or sex," Bucklo wrote. "As a result, plaintiff cannot establish that his book, 'It's Her Fault,' is a matter of public concern, and his First Amendment claim must be dismissed."