Don't Force Teachers to Disown LGBT Family Members!
- by: Kristi Arnold
- recipient: Dr. Jim Rigg, superintendent of Cincinnati Catholic Schools
Cincinnati and Cleveland Catholic schools are forcing teachers to sign a "morality clause" forbidding them from "living with a partner or having sex outside of marriage, using in-vitro fertilization, living a gay “lifestyle,” or publicly supporting any of those things."
These teachers can't even admit to having LGBT friends or family members for fear of being fired! Some brave veteran teachers are leaving their jobs just to avoid signing the morality clause. Ask the schools to reverse their decision to force these teachers to sign the morality clause.
Molly Shumate, a 14-year teacher at the school and lifelong Catholic, chose to leave the school rather than be forced to not support her 22-year-old gay son. She was told she would not be fired, but would be reprimanded if her son chose to marry and she attended the wedding.
“For me to sign this (contract), I feel like I would be telling my son I’ve changed my mind, that I don’t support him as I did. And I won’t do that,” she said.
The LGBT advocacy group Human Rights Campaign sent a letter to the Vatican on behalf of nine teachers, including Shumate, seeking an audience with the pope – who has signaled a new openness to homosexual Catholics.
Ask Cinncinnati Catholic Schools to reverse the decision to require the morality clause.
Dear Sir,
We the undersigned ask that Cincinnati Catholic Schools reverse its recent morality clause requirement. The schools are forcing teachers to sign a "morality clause" forbidding them from "living with a partner or having sex outside of marriage, using in-vitro fertilization, living a gay “lifestyle,” or publicly supporting any of those things."
These teachers can't even admit to having LGBT friends or family members for fear of being fired! Some brave veteran teachers are leaving their jobs just to avoid signing the morality clause. Ask the schools to reverse their decision to force these teachers to sign the morality clause.
Molly Shumate, a 14-year teacher at the school and lifelong Catholic, chose to leave the school rather than be forced to not support her 22-year-old gay son. She was told she would not be fired, but would be reprimanded if her son chose to marry and she attended the wedding.
“For me to sign this (contract), I feel like I would be telling my son I’ve changed my mind, that I don’t support him as I did. And I won’t do that,” she said.
The LGBT advocacy group Human Rights Campaign sent a letter to the Vatican on behalf of nine teachers, including Shumate, seeking an audience with the pope – who has signaled a new openness to homosexual Catholics.
We ask that you please reverse the decision to require the LGBT morality clause.
