A Washington state history teacher fired in 1972 for being gay has received a long overdue apology from the local school board.
Jim Gaylord, a history teacher at Wilson High School in Tacoma was fired 42 years ago after a student speculated that he was gay and reported it to the vice principal. The vice principal approached Gaylord to question him about his sexual orientation just a few days before Thanksgiving.
Gaylord said he didn’t think that confessing his sexual orientation would have any repercussions, so he admitted to the vice principal that he's gay. He was wrong. Gaylord was fired just before Christmas on the grounds of homosexuality in 1972.
He had "enjoyed" his job, he said, and wanted it back. He filed a lawsuit against the Tacoma school district, even though he didn’t want to attract attention to himself.
The litigation eventually made it to the state’s Supreme Court in 1977, but the court’s decision disappointed Gaylord -- his firing was deemed legitimate because homosexuality was considered an "immorality" that was a "sufficient cause for discharge," according to a court document.
"If Gaylord had not been discharged after he became known as a homosexual, the result would be fear, confusion, suspicion, parental concern, and pressure on the administration by students, parents, and other teachers," the court said in its decision.
Bütün xəbərlər Facebook səhifəmizdə
USD
EUR
GBP
RUB