The students held signs of protest and love in the bitter cold, hoping to change the future of one man and with him, the Catholic church.

Friday was Eastside Catholic high school vice-principal Mark Zmuda’s last day on the job, but no one was at school. Instead, about 80 students demonstrated near the Archdiocese of Seattle to protest his departure, which came soon after the archbishop and school administrators learned that Zmuda had a husband.

Their school closed early for winter break after hundreds of students – alerted by Twitter – walked out of class to call for his reinstatement, joined by their peers at Catholic schools in neighboring cities.

They filled gym bleachers to overflowing. They crowded together in school commons. They cut and colored “We Love You Mr Z” into rainbow-hued banners. Still, he is unlikely to return as their leader – unless church doctrine changes.

Last July, seven months after Washington state legalized same-sex marriage, Zmuda married his longtime partner Dana Jergens in a civil ceremony officiated by Reverend Jan Carter.

“What I like about same-sex marriages is that for the most part they have been together for years,” Reverend Carter said. “They’ve never been able to marry – you can see how deeply moving it is for them, and how joyful they are.”

School came back in session, and Zmuda went about his professional duties as vice-principal and swim coach without problems – until several weeks ago.

Michael Patterson is an attorney for the Eastside Catholic high school and the Archdiocese of Seattle. Speaking on behalf of the school, Patterson said Friday that Zmuda resigned after the school was alerted about his marital status by some of his colleagues. “He was an excellent administrator,” Patterson said, adding that the school supports his future employment elsewhere.

Patterson denied that the school pressured Zmuda to leave, calling “inaccurate” a letter sent to parents by the school describing Zmuda’s departure as a termination due to violation of his contractual obligation to uphold church teachings.

“This has nothing to do with gay people,” Patterson said. “The fact that he was gay has nothing to do with this issue. It’s the fact that he entered into a same-sex marriage. The church’s position was pretty clear: they respect gays, and they simply do not condone sexual acts between same sex partners.”

Students protest the firing of Seattle vice-principal Mark Zmuda. Photograph: Alex Garland/Demotix/Corbis Photograph: Alex Garland/ Alex Garland/Demotix/Corbis

Asked whether Eastside Catholic considers marriage to be a sexual act, Patterson said: “You’re asking me as though I am the pope. The rules are made, and we abide by those rules.” Choosing to be part of the Catholic church, he said, means that it is axiomatic to follow the magisterium of the church.

“They are trying to blame Eastside Catholic for a rule and dogma and belief that has been implemented far above any level of the Archdiocese of Seattle,” he said of students.

“Under Washington civil law, he is rightfully married,” Patterson said, but he also asserted the school’s first amendment right to practice its religion. Faith-based and secular employers are treated differently when it comes to complying with US anti-discrimination laws.

The students who gathered in support of Zmuda said that while he may have violated his employment contract, the actions of the school and the church betray Jesus Christ’s foundational teachings of love, tolerance and equality.

And, they said, the school’s discrimination is out of alignment with a recent statement made by Pope Francis, who told a reporter: “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?”

Pope Francis was just named person of the year by The Advocate, the oldest gay news magazine in the US. While he has presented a new and more progressive face for the church, Catholic doctrine remains unchanged with respect to same-sex marriage. More than a dozen gay employees of Catholic institutions in the US have been terminated for getting married or supporting gay marriage in the past two years.

Cammi Hansen is a junior at Eastside Catholic. Holding a sign that read “God is with thee. We stand by Mr Z,” Hansen said students, especially her friends on Zmuda’s swim team, were devastated. It’s ironic, she said: “The church does not have to recognize this marriage, but by doing this, they are saying, this guy is married.”

Holding hand-lettered signs calling themselves “21st Century Catholics for a 21st Century Church” and promoting the Twitter campaign to #KeepMrZ2013, students chanted “God is love, stop the hate” and “change the church”. More than 18,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for the church to reconsider its stance on same-sex marriage in light of Zmuda’s humanity and Christ’s message of unconditional love.

Standing in solidarity near the Archdiocese, Seattle mayor-elect Ed Murray said that as a practicing Catholic and a gay man, he believed the student protests reflected Catholic teachings about social justice and family. “We must treat everyone as though they are Christ,” he said, adding that while he was not challenging Church doctrine, “fairness in the workplace is an issue.”

Neither Seattle archbishop J Peter Sartain nor Zmuda were available to comment. In his only public statement so far, at a student rally on Thursday, Zmuda said: “I am first a teacher and administrator. And, I try my best to be an educator to each and every one of you. And, I hope that no matter what happens to me and to the school, that all of you guys will seek a career and work very hard, find the love of your life, hopefully one day get married as well. At the same time, no matter what happens, strive to do your best.”

Students said Zmuda’s marital status and sexual orientation did not influence his role at school. Ian Edwards, an Eastside Catholic senior, said Zmuda was “one of the most genuine people at school. He was a true professional.” Zmuda has been teaching and administering in various schools for 13 years and holds a Master of Education in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Texas, according to Eastside Catholic’s website.

“He was so inspirational,” said Catrina Crittenden, a first-year student at Eastside Catholic who studied geometry with Zmuda last year. “It makes you stop and think about the school. This just breaks my heart.”