GAY TRUTH

SEATTLE, WA , May 29, 2014  – A Washington judge last week denied a request by Eastside Catholic School and the Archdiocese of Seattle to dismiss a  discrimination lawsuit  filed by the school’s former vice principal, who was forced to resign in December for “ marrying ” his homosexual lover. Mark Zmuda sued Eastside Catholic in March, claiming the school violated its own discrimination policy in asking him to leave his job.  But the school has repeatedly pointed to the morality clause Zmuda and all diocesan employees have signed, agreeing to publicly uphold the teachings of the Catholic faith , which expressly forbid same-sex “marriage.” School and archdiocesan attorneys asked King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Shaffer to toss out the suit, arguing that the court had no jurisdiction to rule on the case without violating the school’s first amendment right to freedom of religion.   But in a decision issued Friday, Shaffer disagreed, writing, “The Federal and Supr

SEATTLE, WA , March 12, 2014 ( LifeSiteNews.com ) – The former vice principal of  Eastside Catholic High School  in Sammamish, Washington , is  suing the Archdiocese of Seattle and the school  for wrongful termination and discrimination after he was reportedly forced to resign as a result of his same-sex “marriage.” Mark Zmuda, who had been at the school for 18 months, “married” his boyfriend, Dana Jergens, in July 2013, following the  legalization of same-sex “marriage” in Washington State .  Mark Zmuda (L) with his same-sex "spouse" Representatives for the school have  filed a motion  to dismiss the case, stating that “[the] Plaintiff’s action should be dismissed because the Court does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate Plaintiff’s claims without violating the First Amendment .” “This is another example of people using the media to try and drum up public sentiments that the Catholic Church is anti-gay,” said John Mulvey, a policy analyst for the Catholic L

Eastside Catholic School Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) March 10, 2014 ( The Cardinal Newman Society ) - The former vice principal of Eastside Catholic High School announced yesterday that he plans to file a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Seattle and the School for his firing after it was learned he married his same-sex partner, according to The Houston Chronicle . Mark Zmuda was reportedly forced to resign in December. The school had stated that Zmuda had signed an employment agreement to act in accordance with the values and teachings of the Catholic Church . By legally marrying his same-sex partner, he broke that agreement, according to the School. Many students at the School almost immediately responded by creating an online petition and calling on the Catholic Church to end its opposition to same-sex marriage, as was  reported .  The lawsuit, which is expected to be filed in King County Superior Court today, claims that the Archdiocese and the School discrimina

SAMMAMISH, WA , January 24, 2014  – The ongoing controversy surrounding homosexual teachers at a Seattle-area Catholic school has reached a climax on one point: The school will not rehire a vice principal who “married” his boyfriend. Eastside Catholic School 's Board of Trustees stood by its decision to fire Mark Zmuda at a parents meeting on Thursday night. “The Board stated that Mr. Zmuda has acknowledged he was aware of Catholic doctrine and further knew he was not in full compliance with his employment agreement,” the school said in a  statement . “Eastside Catholic will remain a Catholic school and will support the teachings of the Catholic Church .” The imbroglio had taken a new turn with the resignation of its president and CEO, Sister Mary Tracy, earlier in the week. “Sister Mary came to this decision after much prayer and reflection,” said a statement sent Tuesday to the Eastside Catholic community, according to a  Seattle Times  report. “For Sister Mar

January 24, 2014 ( Cardinal Newman Society ) - A Jesuit parish priest who marched in a homosexual parade is now citing Pope Francis to protest the dismissal of an Eastside Catholic High School vice principal following his same-sex marriage, according to the priest’s  Facebook site . In December, The Cardinal Newman Society  reported  on the  forced resignation  of Vice Principal Mark Zmuda at a Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Seattle . Students at Eastside Catholic High School subsequently created a petition at  Change.org , calling on the Catholic Church to end its opposition to same-sex marriage.  The students are also reportedly planning a “Z day” nationwide protest on January 31 to support Zmuda and urge a change in Church teaching. In light of the burgeoning protests, Father John Whitney, S.J., wrote in his piece entitled “ The Acts of the Orange and Blue Apostles ” that he believes Pope Francis would approve of the students’ protests and that they are

SANDUSKY, OH , January 15, 2014 ( LifeSiteNews.com ) – The Diocese of Toledo has issued a statement saying it “fully concurred” with a Catholic school 's decision to fire an openly homosexual teacher for announcing his “engagement” to his boyfriend. Brian Panetta, who taught band and choir for four-and-a-half years, left his position with  Sandusky Central Catholic School  on January 3. He has said the school allowed him to resign. “When Sandusky Central Catholic School informed the diocese of the situation, the diocese fully concurred it was the correct decision and in keeping with the terms of his Teacher-Minister contract,” he diocese said in a statement . “I understand the church’s teachings, but I don’t agree with it," Panetta  told  the  Toledo Blade . On the day he resigned, Panetta wrote in a  letter  to the full student body and faculty, “As a proud and gay Catholic, I understand the Church’s teachings on marriage and agree that my engagement is a public

SAMMAMISH, WA , January 10, 2014 ( LifeSiteNews.com ) – A Catholic school in Seattle is allowing a lesbian drama coach to keep her part-time job after taking international flak for successfully demanding the resignation of its vice principal after he  violated his hiring contract by entering into “marriage” with another man . The move puts officials at Eastside Catholic School ’s (ECS) at odds with the Archdiocese of Seattle , which oversaw the removal of gay vice-principal Mark Zmuda in December. Zmuda, an administrator and swim coach, was popular among students. His December 20 resignation provoked a mass demonstration among students who demanded he be reinstated, as LifeSiteNews.com  reported  earlier this week. The day after Zmuda submitted his resignation, drama coach Stephanie Merrow publicly announced she was lesbian and engaged to “marry” her partner. Merrow said she made her lesbian engagement public to support the student protests. “It was the kids. I was ext