Openly gay teacher fired from school he worked at for 10 years on day he applied for same-sex marriage license



Michael Griffin claims Catholic School told him he would lose his job if wedding went ahead

Code of conduct says staff's lifestyles must reflect moral teaching of Church

Fired: Language teacher Michael Griffin lost his job at a Catholic school on the day he applied for a same-sex marriage license

A gay teacher claimed he was fired from the Catholic school he has worked at in Pennsylvania for 12 years after applying for a marriage license.



Michael Griffin, who returned to the Holy Ghost Preparatory School he attended as a child to teach French and Spanish, said his sexuality was no secret at the Bensalem school.

But on the day he arrived late after applying for his marriage license, the principal allegedly told he he had no choice but to fire the teacher.

' I really didn't think that it would happen. At our school we talk about it's a community. Our motto is "One heart, one mind",' he told 6ABC.

Mr Griffin said he had arranged to come in late on Friday, but when he returned to the private boys school he was called in to see school president Father James McCloskey and principal Jeffrey Danilak.

They said it wasn't a secret that the teacher was gay, before saying to Mr Griffin, "I presume this is a same-sex marriage'.

When he confirmed that it was, Mr Griffin was told that if he went through with the marriage the school would have 'no choice but to terminate my position'.

'I can't believe it's over like that,' he said.



His partner, Vincent Giannetto, said: 'We applied this morning and on the same day he's fired from his job. So it kind of flipped things upside down for us.'

A spokesman for the school told 6ABC that it had no comment.



Mr Griffin believes he was fired because of the teachers' code of conduct at the school.



Code: Michael Griffin believes the school let him go because his marriage plans went against the Catholic faith, which teachers must abide by

It reads: 'Although, the School welcomes teachers from other denominations and recognizes their rights to religious freedom, as employees of a Catholic institution, all teachers are expected to uphold lifestyles compatible with the moral teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.'

Although he needs to find a job, Mr Griffin said his treatment at the school has made him reluctant about working there again.

