An obituary of the husband of a school teacher has resulted in the loss of his 20-year-long job at a school in Louisiana.
Catholic schools still have laws pertaining to homosexuals being allowed to live normal lives. Very few other sections of society still observe these laws, with the majority being strict Muslim states, which is hilariously ironic.
Teachers are asked to sign a ‘morality clause’ when taking a job in many catholic schools. This ensures that the educator lives within the teachings of the bible, as understood by Catholics. Along with several others, these limit relations outside of marriage, same sex relations, and contraception and abortion rights.
Mark Richards, a gay teacher from St. Francis Xavier Catholic School in Metairie in Louisiana, was terminated from his job when they found out he was previously married to another man. An obituary for his deceased husband was discovered by the school.
A Louisiana parent found the obituary and ratted him out to the school board, costing the teacher his position of more than 20 years. He is devastated by the news. “I was stunned. It’s just a sad reality that this is the world we live in today. It’s heartbreaking. I enjoyed teaching at this school. I loved those kids,” he told WDSU.
An Outdated An Embarrassing Law For Louisiana
The well-loved teacher lost his job only after the parents lodged a complaint. According to Richard, the school board knew about his marriage. He had respected the Catholic students and kept his private life private. But once he was exposed, the parent demanded that he face the consequences.
“Because I had signed 20 years of contracts with the morality clause that I had lied on my contracts, that was the reason for my dismissal,” the Louisiana teacher explained. “I have not lied on my contracts for the last two years, I live with three dogs.”
His husband passed away in 2023, and he has been unmarried since.
Since then, over 1,500 parents have signed a petition to remove the homophobic section of the morality clause. They have rallied around the Louisiana teacher who lost his job over the obituary of his husband.