Gay teacher fired after wedding photos published

Catholic school blames public display is contrary to church teachings

A gay teacher at a Catholic high school in Glendora, California, was fired because photos of his wedding appeared in a local newspaper, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ken Bencomo and his partner were one of the first couples married after the US Supreme Court struck down Proposition 8 in June.

School administrators had known that Bencomo was gay for about a decade but decided last month not to renew his contract because of the publicity generated by his wedding.

“Ken was one of the school’s star educators and the decision to terminate him because he lawfully married a man is just heartbreaking to him — it’s crushing,” said Bencomo’s attorney, Patrick McGarrigle. “It shows a terrible error of judgment and complete disregard of Ken and what he has brought to the school.”

The school issued a statement saying that “while the school does not discriminate against teachers or other school employees based on their private lifestyle choices, public displays of behavior that are directly contrary to church teachings are inconsistent with [our] values.”

Niko Bell

Niko Bell is a writer, editor and translator from Vancouver. He writes about sexual health, science, food and language.

Read More About:
Power, News, Toronto, Canada, Vancouver, Education, Ottawa

Keep Reading

The new generation of gay Conservative sellouts

OPINION: Melissa Lantsman’s and Eric Duncan’s refusals to call out their party’s transphobia is a betrayal of the LGBTQ2S+ community

Over 300 anti-LGBTQ2S+ bills have been introduced this year. This doesn’t mean we should panic

OPINION: While it’s important to watch out for threats, not all threats are created equally. Some of these bills will die a natural death

Xtra’s top LGBTQ2S+ stories of the year

The best and brightest—even most bewildering—stories from a back catalogue brimming with insight

Elon Musk and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton are suing Media Matters. Here’s why queer and trans people should care

OPINION: When politicians and the rich leverage the power of the state to quell dissent, we all lose