Watch: Teacher Fired By Catholic School After 19 Years For Being Gay Speaks Out
Carla Hale, who for 19 years was the physical-education department chair at Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus, Ohio, was fired for being gay after the fact she has a same-sex partner was revealed in her mother’s obituary. Yesterday, Hale spoke to the press after her meeting with school administrators — an effort to gain reinstatement — failed.
UPDATE: Right now there is a protest outside the Catholic Diocese of Columbus — we’ll bring you that story later.
“Hale has filed a grievance and plans to appeal to the union that represents Catholic teachers in central Ohio after Watterson Principal Marian Hutson denied her initial request on Tuesday,” the Columbus Dispatch reports:
“I was informed that I was not terminated because I was gay, but … the spousal relationship that was publicized in the newspaper, which happened to be an obituary, is against church teaching,†she said. Her attorney, Thomas Tootle, said he sees little distinction between the two.
Hale also will file a complaint with the Columbus Community Relations Commission under a city ordinance that makes it a crime for employers to discriminate based on sexual orientation. Mayor Michael B. Coleman is among those who have publicly supported the teacher.
Hale, a Methodist who worked at Watterson for 19 years, lost her job in March. The firing came after an anonymous letter from a “concerned parent†of a Watterson student to the Diocese of Columbus, which oversees the school. The letter complained that Hale’s partner was listed in the February obituary for the teacher’s mother.
In a statement yesterday, the diocese said that personnel matters are confidential and declined to discuss Hale’s grievance. Catholic school employees, when hired, agree to abide by diocesan rules, regulations and policies, “including respecting the moral values advanced by the teachings of Christ,†the statement said.
“The Catholic church respects the fundamental dignity of all persons but also must insist that those in its employ respect the tenets of the church,†the statement said. “Personnel who choose to publicly espouse relationships or principles that are contrary to the teachings of the Catholic church cannot, ultimately, remain in the employ of the church.â€
http://www.dispatch.com/content/mediaplayer/embed.html?ooid=1ydTY2YjrMDrCYNsZSLo8bnPoDNm0S7U&cmpid=share
Yes, it is indeed legal for a Catholic school to fire someone for being gay, just as it’s legal for any business in 29 states to fire anyone for being gay, and legal in 34 states to fire anyone for being transgender.
An employment non-discrimination bill, known as ENDA, was again reintroduced in Congress yesterday. The contains unacceptable and strong religious protections, allowing terminations like Hale’s to continue.
A Charge.org petition to reinstate Hale has received over 62,000 signatures.
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