Iowa Governor Terry Branstad said he supports a Catholic school’s right to fire a teacher for being gay.

150 students at Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines walked out in protest after learning that a popular substitute teacher had been turned down from a full time job, because he is gay.

Tyler McCubbin had been teaching athletics and social studies at Dowling Catholic High School as a substitute since autumn, and had applied for a full time position – which he was told he would be given – before school administrators discovered he was engaged to a man.

According to the Des Moines Register, Governor Branstad said he opposed any changes to the law that would provide additional protections for LGBT people.

He said: “My heart goes out to both the individual involved and to the school

“These are difficult matters, and I do think everybody should be treated with respect and dignity. But I also understand why churches and religious-affiliated schools feel that they should be able to have hiring practices that fit with the tenets of their faith.

“As I said, I support treating everybody with respect and dignity, but I also believe religious institutions should not be asked to violate their conscience.”