Court rules in favor of Catholic school that fired gay drama teacher after he posted about his marriage



A Catholic school won in court after it was sued by a gay drama teacher who was fired when he posted about his marriage on social media.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, reversed a previous ruling in 2021 that said the Charlotte Catholic High School in North Carolina had discriminated against Lonnie Billard.

Billard had worked full-time as a drama teacher and went on to teach as a substitute teacher in English when he announced on Facebook that he was going to get married after North Carolina legalized gay marriage in 2014.

"Apparently, there were a couple of teachers that were unhappy with that," said Billard in an interview with WCNC-TV from 2015.

"If I were in the closet, that would be OK."

Billard claimed that most people at the school knew he was gay and that his male partner would often attend school events with him.

"Well the Catholic Church opposes same-sex unions," explained David Hains, a spokesperson for the Charlotte Roman Catholic Diocese, in 2015. "Marriage can only be between one man and one woman. He's not being picked on because he's gay. He lost his job as a substitute teacher because he broke a promise. Because he chose to oppose church teaching, something he promised he would not do."

Billard had worked at the school for 15 years and had been awarded teacher of the year one year.

"The fact that I am in a long-term committed relationship with a wonderful man is apparently abhorrent, but if I were in the closet, that would be OK. That's my understanding of the church's position," said Billard.

The church argued that Billard had not been technically fired because he was working as a substitute teacher.

Circuit Judge Pamela Harris agreed with the church and ruled that the decision fell under a "ministerial exception" to the Civil Rights Act.

“Our court has recognized before that seemingly secular tasks like the teaching of English and drama may be so imbued with religious significance that they implicate the ministerial exception," Harris wrote.

The American Civil Liberties Union decried the ruling and said that the court had widened a loophole to allow organizations to discriminate against gay people.

Supporters of the church and the school said the ruling was a victory for religious rights.

Here's more about the decision:

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Federal judge rules Catholic school was wrong to fire gay teacher



A federal judge in North Carolina ruled recently that a Catholic high school in the state was wrong for firing a gay teacher after he announced plans to marry his male partner on Facebook.

What are the details?

In a ruling issued Friday, U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn determined that Charlotte Catholic High School and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Charlotte violated Lonnie Billard's workplace sex discrimination protections when they terminated his employment in 2014.

Cogburn dismissed the constitutional protections granted to religious organizations in his decision, citing Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado to argue that "our society has come to the recognition that gay persons and gay couples cannot be treated as social outcasts or as inferior in dignity and worth."

"For that reason," Cogburn wrote, "The laws and the Constitution can, and in some instances must, protect them in the exercise of their civil and employment rights."

"The exercise of their freedom on terms equal to others in employment and all other aspects of life must be given great weight and respect by the courts," he added.

Cogburn granted summary judgment to Billard with the ruling. Now, a forthcoming trial will be held to determine what relief the former teacher will receive.

What else?

In a statement Saturday, diocesan officials said they "respectfully disagree" with the judge's ruling "and are considering next steps," the Charlotte Observer reported.

"The First Amendment, federal law, and recent Supreme Court decisions all recognize the rights of religious organizations to make employment decisions based on religious observance and preference," the officials reportedly said. "They do not — and should not — compel religious schools to employ teachers who publicly contradict their teachings.

"The Catholic schools offered by the Diocese of Charlotte exist to provide high-quality education and transmit the Catholic faith to the next generation. Like all religious schools, Catholic schools are permitted to employ educators who support our Church's teachings and will not publicly oppose them," they added.

Anything else?

Billard, a former drama teacher and substitute teacher at the high school, said he felt "a sense of relief and a sense of vindication" after the ruling.

"I wish I could have remained teaching all this time," he said in a statement, issued by the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina. "Today's decision validates that I did nothing wrong by being a gay man."

The ACLU, which represented Billard in the case, called the decision "a victory for LGBTQIA employee protections."

"Religious schools have the right to decide who will perform religious functions or teach religious doctrine, but when they hire employees for secular jobs they must comply with Title VII and cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation."

Here's more about the story:

Lawsuit against Charlotte Catholic High School can go to trial, judge says www.youtube.com