It seems like the closet is part of the job description for many teachers–even outside the “Don’t Say Gay” wasteland of the U.S. school system.
A Catholic school Drama teacher in Perth, Australia found himself as a subject in a viral game of “Guess Who” that cost him his job.
The TikTok series in question featured “clues” in each video to indicate who they were about; one such video included the coat of arms for this teacher’s school, the “comedy and tragedy” theater masks, and a muscled torso next to a Pride flag.
Related: This gay high school music teacher was blackmailed and outed; his school responded horribly
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“I was victim to students making a TikTok about me that effectively was outing me,” the teacher explains to The West Australian.
“Being gay and working in a Catholic school, the scriptures and the Church believe homosexuality is wrong and that teachers may be dismissed from their role due to religious grounds.”
The official statement from a Catholic Education West Australia spokesperson failed to address this specific situation, though they assured that “the safety and well being of all students and staff are central to our processes and practices.”
“Appropriate online behaviour continues to be an educational and pastoral focus with clear policies and procedures if student conduct does not meet the high standards expected,” the statement continued.
That being said, it’s unclear whether this instance of publicly outing a teacher is even being investigated.
Related: A teacher was fired for helping a bullied, queer teen. Now his students are raising hell.
Queer teachers in the United States are currently facing similar roadblocks, even in completely secular public schools, with multiple accounts of teachers being reprimanded and even fired over publicizing their sexuality.
In the face of the “Don’t Say Gay” bills popping up across the nation, even LGBTQ students are being targeted. In one such instance, a Florida high school has decided it will be sending notices to parents of any students who share a P.E. class with any transgender student (à la a sex offender registry notification).
The outed Perth teacher had been at his school doing a job he loved for six years, but after becoming the target of online harassment, that’s all come to a close.
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Jon in Canada
Religion and the religious should be destroyed and rendered to the dustbin of history. Religion is a lie, time to deal with it on those terms.
Mario
Thank you, Karl Marx.
KyleMichelSullivan
Mario, why do you come to this page to spit your self-loathing attitudes? If you’re that hateful and that lost in the myth about the man in the sky, why do you even pay attention to us? It should already be set in your little pea brain that we’re all going to hell, so why not just sit back, shut up and be self-satisfied that you’re never going to be treated poorly by your chosen religion.
FWIW, Jesus had no problem with gay people; it was Paul and his evil nature who perverted his teachings. So your comments show you’re not a Christian, you’re a Paulist.
Larry McD
Don’t be too hard on Mario, KyleMichelSullivan. He thinks Karl Marx was one of Groucho’s brothers.
wimo
Indeed!
Every time where religion enters it goes wrong (over the years, the decades) and that without any proof that “any” god exist.
miller2900
…..AMEN TO THAT!
edwardnvirginia
Well, ok, then. Perhaps that would work with the Canadian Constitution (of course, it WOULD NOT!) … BUT NEVER with the US Constitution.
So apparently you are advocating the VIOLENT OVERTHROW of Constitutional democracies, ain’t you Herr Fuhrer?!
Not to mention that, in the US – and also in Canada – and in many countries, religious organization are the primary social safety net, best or next best health care facility, community support system, etc.
When, oh when, will LGBTQ+ etc STOP spending on parties, fashions, drugs, etc … and, start entire hospital systems (like Roman Catholics, Jews, Seventh Day Adventists, Baptists, etc), systems of orphanages, foster care and child services (like Methodists, Lutherans, Jews, etc), school systems and colleges (like Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Jews, Bahai, etc), and hospices for the dying, systems of care for persons with disabilities, etc?
When, oh when?
Robothedestroyer
@Eddie in VA: For real? You are aware that there are gays out there older than 25 who don’t spend their paycheck on poppers and pedicures. There are multiple orgonizations owned and operated by queer people who, although catering to the queer community, do not discriminate. There are gay lawyers, doctors, spiritual leaders, social workers, all people who are out there doing everything you are talking about.
The truth is that despite good intentions religious orgonizations are generally hypocritical, biased, and discriminatory. Whenever queer people and religious anything meet it’d always tense.
So I have to agree, something needs to be done with institutions run amuck.
fur_hunter
Jon…. You are absolutely CORRECT. I used to believe until I did the research and found LIES! And that book, I call the BuyBull, is NOTHING but LIES! The earth and universe WERE NOT created in 6 days. It took BILLIONS of years. Shall I point out more like there is NO scientific proof of a worldwide Noah flood. Total BULL $ H!T. I can go on. NONE of the tales in that book are supported by ANY unbiased and legitimate historical writings. What I have discovered is that RELIGION = Control of People and their MONEY! ALL religions were created by MEN….. ALL OF THEM.
CatholicXXX
“Being gay and working in a Catholic school, the scriptures and the Church believe homosexuality is wrong and that teachers may be dismissed from their role due to religious grounds.”
Which is why I don’t understand why these gays are even working there. Is that pay that good?????
Bosch
Bacause some gays are Catholic, and have trouble leaving their community behind.
Choirboy Vallejo
Decades ago I came to the realization that the Catholic Community had left ME behind. I moved on with my life. Best (bittersweet) decision I ever made.
edwardnvirginia
It is the sign of an affluent elite snot who tells other people that ‘you need to get a different job’ without inquiring how easily or how difficult that would be where they live! City people are FOREVER – as ignorant elite snots – telling rural people to ‘get to job’ (when the closest good job might be hours driving away), or telling queer people to ‘move to a city’ (when that would take perhaps thousands to even start to plan – the move, the job hunting, the very cost city housing and other city costs, etc). Elite Snots are FOREVER telling everyone else what to do with realistic, practical knowledge of situations, costs, and burdens of following their elite snot commands.
Robothedestroyer
Because you can be a Catholic and exist outside of the church. He probably felt spiritually fulfilled working there, or maybe it was the only gig in town.
I don’t agree with religious anything, really, but I respect it if it makes him happy. Too bad they threw him out like last weeks garbage.
Dijonaise
These heartless students should be doxed and mercilessly taunted until they beg for mercy.
Tiredoftheinsanity
Surely they were wrong and some will see the error of their ways down th road as they mature; others will continue to be hateful and the cause is and has been RELIGION and the cult of blind followera who pick and choose which parts of the Bible they wish to rely upon and thu justify their continued existence and hate for others while claiming to be “Christian.” Blame the priests and ministers and parents and educators long before you blame immature youth.
avesraggiana
Why is it that the drama teachers are always gay, but the PE coaches are not?
Mr. Stadnick
why do some people perpetuate stereotypes?
Larry McD
As someone who had both in high school, if it seems true it’s because drama teachers are more open and vulnerable.
unreligious
Actually quite a few of the physical education teacher are gay. But as the other poster said, you deal in stereotypes.
Jaws1939
No sympathy here. You should not work for a religion that hates you. Catholic schools are breeding ground for future bigots.
Mario
Religious institutions have a right to hire and fire staff members whom they believe flout their values.
johncp56
yes and they need to pay taxes for this as we all do here
Bosch
Ah, mario believes it’s ok to fire people for being gay.
I mean, of course he does.
Also, hunter biden’s laptop.
storm45701
I want to be able to fire Christians, then. Turnabout is fair play.
Fname Optional Lname
Hatred and Bigotry are not religious values
KyleMichelSullivan
Then as a non-religious person, I should have the right to hire or fire someone who’s religious…except I can’t. The law won’t let me. Kind of one-sided, isn’t it?
Nancy Joyzee
you are such a pathetic cliche, it’s hilarious reading your posts because we can see how your low intelligence works. thanks, for the laughs. Do you whack off as you type?
johncp56
Catholic F!@#$%^&*KS!!!!!!!! I myself jumped 5th grade and never went back, the school should be sued hard, and those religions need to start paying taxes!!! if they can not follow laws, and what there own country laws get out, I’m so mad the Catholics for one who keep asking us to help the poor from most of us that are living hard, give give give. need the curtain drawn back, the holding alone the Catholic has is insane, the art and property alone, and they are! multi-billionaires, Tax them all!!
Mario
You’re NOT very articulate and your grammar is atrocious!
Bosch
Mario’s idea of a rebuttal, everybody.
Fenwick22
Ignore Mario and his trolling – at his best he’s lame, tedious and infantile. And yet he persists…..meh….
butchqueen
I tried dating a cathholic. More issues than Vogue.
Fname Optional Lname
Everyone has issues. Being Catholic only taught me to feel guilt about mine.
ShiningSex
Try dating a Mormon. That is where the real drama is.
Bosch
So they’re gonna hire a straight drama teacher and put on stage productions of the fast and furious franchise?
tim0926
Parents and the school of these kids needs to punish the kids. What If it was another student that got cyber bullied and ended up committing suicide? Punish the damn kids they need to learn what’s right. The parenting and school is terrible!
miller2900
…….holding our youth or even our adults “responsible for their actions??? I don’t think hell froze over yet….. and that isn’t gonna happen any time soon!
Prepuce
OK, they fire or fail to hire a gay teacher. Do they fail to hire/fire heterosexuals who “flout their values” like divorcees, fornicators, adulterers, sodomites (yes, there is heterosexual sodomy), and those who have, or enable, an abortion? I just see hypocrisy and double standards.
KyleMichelSullivan
I’m curious. It’s not addressed in the story, but was it the intention of the kids to out the teacher? Or did they just not consider the consequences of their actions? And are they at least trying to get him reinstated? The original story is behind a paywall and I’m not interested in signing up for the West Australian in order to read one article.
moretruth
Everybody tells me I should be a teacher. I’ve heard that all my life — from straight friends. But this story, as well as a few movies made, demonstrate how a gay teacher is just a reprimanded bully away from being blackmailed and losing his/her job. Not just catholic schools. Clearly, Florida is heading that way, too. Sad.
BigRedEO
Actually, the Catholic Church no longer says it’s wrong. They now say God “made us” this way, but we’re supposed to remain celibate all our lives.
Yeah, right. Do they mean like their priests are all “celibate”? ?
[email protected]
Like Brittney Griner, if you voluntarily break the rules, you have to accept the penalty. That is part of civil disobedience. Civil Rights protesters didn’t dress in “white face” and then sit in at lunch counters. Likewise, I would not join a Roman Catholic Church and then call them cannibals.
JustMuscles1
I’d be happy not to work for a school where I am not seen as a human being. The scripture goes against the first of the ten commandments, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” which tells me that people are worshiping the Bible more than God Herself. Plus, if the school truly was adhering to scripture, it says nit to judge and to
Love ? one another as you love Jesus Christ
ShiningSex
it’s sad that he lost his job. you know being a gay teacher in a catholic school is risky to begin with, so why are there pics of your “torso” next to a pride flag that they were able to find????
kinda stupid on his part and very disgusting on the students part.
Another reason to be out and proud always!
CNY1983
i sometimes wonder if all the clergy want gays out of the way so they can molest more twink altar boys. it isn’t funny, recently a fox news poll said there are more men on grinder in the vatican than all of rome.
LunaSol2010
The Pope said 4 years ago about homosexuality, ‘Who are we to judge love in any form as good or bad.”
That is the Popes view of homosexuality. The catholic school has no science to their judgements against LGBTQ2I
It is easy to go to court and sue the school. Human rights were violated by students … not the teacher so it is criminal act of outting the teacher. Not a dont say gay in school. He was ousted against his will. Demolished his career.
Sue the student and the catholic church. Sue the family of the student for $1 million minimum. Make it hurt so the student learns the hard way that outing anyone is a violation.
My sexuality was ousted by a 2nd wife of my father. She took it away from me to come out in my own way and time. Everyone has the right always!
winemaker
Why do people feel the need to announce they’re gay especially if it could jeopardize their job and livlihood? What’s the point? Really what you do behind closed doors with another consulting adult is your business and none of anybody else’s damned business, period! This is a private matter like your financial worth or how much money you’ve got in the bank, it’s just not broadcast by smart people.
Bud656
THE BIBLE…a book of Fairy Tales for adults