Catholic school teacher fired for same-sex marriage files federal lawsuit
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| Seal of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
A Catholic school in Macon, Ga., is facing a federal discrimination
lawsuit from a former teacher whose employment was terminated in 2014 after the
school found that he would be legally marrying his same-sex partner.
“The argument being made in this suit—that a Catholic school’s
commitment to upholding Catholic teaching on marriage is discriminatory toward
homosexual employees—is a grave threat to Catholic education,” said Patrick
Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society.
“A Catholic school exists for the very purpose of teaching the faith and
forming young people for God,” he continued. “The implication is that our
religion itself, rooted in love and true concern for the good of the person and
the common good, is discriminatory because it upholds standards of morality and
natural law.”
The teacher, Flint Dollar, taught music at Mount de Sales Academy for
three years before his termination on May 21, 2014. The Telegraph reported
that Dollar informed the school of his upcoming same-sex marriage when he
signed the contract for the 2014-2015 term on May 1, 2014.
According to Breitbart,
Dollar argued that “he was fired because of his marriage plans and [because] he
didn’t comport with the school’s ‘traditional gender stereotypes.’” An
investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reportedly
determined “that ‘there is reasonable cause to conclude’ that Dollar had been
discriminated against based on his sexual orientation.”
“The suit seeks a jury trial, saying that the school acted with malice
or reckless indifference to Dollar’s federally protected rights. Dollar seeks
back pay, reinstatement to his job, compensation for his emotional pain and
suffering, and attorney’s fees,” reports Breitbart.
The suit asserts that Dollar “complied with the school’s Professional
Excellence Standards during his employment at Mount de Sales,” according to
the Telegraph. “The school’s faculty handbook doesn’t require
teachers to be members of the Catholic [C]hurch, and it doesn’t require any
faculty members to adhere to the [C]hurch’s teachings on marriage.”
Mount de Sales Academy reportedly “released a letter last year saying
that Dollar wasn’t fired because he’s gay, but because same-sex marriage goes
against Catholic doctrine.”
Last year, 13WMAZ reported
on the controversy caused by Dollar’s termination. President David Held invited
“protesting students and parents gathered outside to come into the school to
talk. He explained his reasons for not allowing Dollar to return to the school,
saying Mount de Sales’ staff and faculty must follow the [C]hurch’s teachings.”
Father Allan McDonald, a pastor at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Macon,
Ga., reportedly told 13WMAZ that “Held’s decision is justified by Catholic
teachings that oppose same-sex marriage.” Dollar’s same-sex marriage “is a
public contract recognized by the state but something that is opposed to the
Catholic faith,” said Fr. McDonald.
A diocesan
statement released by the Diocese of Savannah “supports the
decision of the Board of Trustees at Mount de Sales Academy in Macon not to
employ Mr. Flint Dollar for the 2014-2015 school term.” The Cardinal Newman
Society reached out to the Diocese of Savannah for further comment, but no
response was received by time of publication.
School officials at Mount de Sales Academy were also contacted by the
Newman Society, but did not respond to inquiries.
Reprinted with permission from The Cardinal
Newman Society.
