Philadelphia Catholic School Forces Lesbian Teacher To Resign
Waldron-Mercy Academy, a Catholic school in the Philly suburb of Merion, PA, is currently embroiled in controversy over the firing of a teacher on the grounds that she is married to a woman.
Margie Winters, the teacher at the center of the incident, has been teaching at Waldron for eight years–incidentally the same length of time she's been married to her wife.
"I actually had a conversation with the principal (Nell Stetser) a few weeks after I was hired to say, 'How should I handle this?'" Winters said. The school asked her to be open about her marriage with faculty, but not with parents. "I've never been open. And that's been hard," she added.
In a Crucible-esque turn, two parents of Waldron students recently became aware of Winters' marriage, with one complaining to the school and the other taking the information to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
After she refused to sign a resignation letter, Winters was fired on June 22.
Stetser defended the firing by claiming, "The primary consideration that guided my decision-making process was to sustain the Catholic identity of Waldron Mercy Academy."
Unfortunately for Ms. Winters, while Lower Merion Township's anti-discrimination ordinance protects employees from prejudice against sexual orientation, religious institutions are exempt unless they're supported by the government.
h/t: Philly.com
