In Italy, A Teacher Is Fired For Refusing To Deny She Is Gay

Yesterday I posted about Jim Gaylord, the Tacoma, Washington school teacher who was fired from his job because he was gay. Now, to be fair, that was in 1972, and times have changed, you know … or have they?

A teacher, who only gave her name as ‘Silvia,’ was fired from her teaching position at Sacro Cuore, a Catholic school in Italy, for being gay … or for not being gay ... or maybe because she just refused to answer.

The school, saying it needed to “protect the school environment” fired ‘Silvia’ simply for refusing to confirm or deny the rumor that she is a lesbian.

“What happened to me is medieval. Maybe I’m a lesbian, maybe I’m not. But asking me about my sexual orientation as a condition for renewing my contract is unacceptable.”

But, she was given an option, saying that Sister Eugenia Libratore, the headmistress and Mother Superior, told her that the school would turn a blind eye to the rumors if Silvia was willing to “solve the problem” of maybe being gay.

Libratore confirmed to local media that she chose not to renew ‘Silvia’s’ contract, even though she’d worked at the school for five years, after hearing gossip that she was a lesbian, even though Italy has laws in place prohibiting anti-LGBT discrimination in the workplace.

Stefania Giannini, Italy’s education minister, is said to be investigating the matter and will “act with due severity” if the allegations were found to be true.

You think times change, you think people change, but just yesterday we learned of a teacher being fired ion 1972 for admitting to being gay, and here in 2014 we learn of another educator who was fired because she wouldn’t admit to being gay.

One step forward is still a few steps behind.

via Pink News